Admit it, you thought we were done with the Nintendo Switch Online for March. But here we are, with just a few days left to go, and Nintendo surprises everybody with the long-overdue announcement that F-Zero: Maximum Velocity would be hitting the system this Friday. That's really exciting news, but the question remains: Is this handheld racing game actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Next Generation and more classic magazines to see what critics thought when this game first came out. I hope you have a need for speed, because we're hitting maximum velocity in this quickie episode of Nintendo Switch Online Review Crew.


While nowhere near as relaxing as Pilotwings or as hyped as Super Mario World, F-Zero ended up being one of the most popular games to launch alongside the Super Nintendo. It was a fast and furious showpiece game that demonstrated the power of the new hardware, all while introducing one of Nintendo's best new franchises. Unfortunately, due to it being a first-generation launch title, the game wasn't as polished as future 16-bit titles and didn't come with as many modes. I always figured that we would eventually get a sequel with more advanced tracks and a real multiplayer mode, but instead we got Super Mario Kart and Stunt Race FX. In almost every way, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity is the sequel I had been waiting for. Sure, it came out a full decade after the original and also suffered from some of the issues that plague all launch games, but this is exactly what I figured an F-Zero sequel would look and play like. But what did the critics think? Were they into this blast from the past, or did they feel like it was a big step backwards after F-Zero X?

When it came to Electronic Gaming Monthly, the critics were split. Jonathan liked the game, but wasn't completely sold on Maximum Velocity: “A lot has happened to the racing genre since the original F-Zero hit the Super NES, but the GBA version proves that you don't need karts or combat to make a good racer nowadays. Fans of the old game should pretty much forget everything they know about the controls – this one's a lot more slippery. Not worse, though, it's just different. It's not the most innovative GBA effort, but F-Zero is good nostalgic fun for anyone with enough sunlight to play it.” Greg, on the other hand, loved the game, giving it a 9 out of 10 and arguing that this sequel is even better than the original. “The graphics are every bit as good, only now there's extra unlockable hovercrafts and all-new tracks. Here's my problem with F-Zero: Using the shoulder buttons to drag one side or another of your craft around the turns is an integral part of mastering the game. The problem is the tiny GBA makes it very uncomfortable for anyone with big hands to play for very long. They get sore holding your fingers on the shoulder buttons.” Even with that complaint, Greg's higher marks earned F-Zero: Maximum Velocity an average score of 7.8 out of 10.

While a little low, EGM's score is largely in line with what we saw from most critics in 2001. For example, you saw GBA World give the launch game a 4 out of 5 in their fifth issue, which is the exact same score we got from Nintendo Power. The lowest score I could find came from Next Generation, who gave F-Zero 3 stars out of 5 and called the game “dated.” “Another of Nintendo's well-chosen reworkings of classic Super Nintendo titles, F-Zero is best described as wipEout, version 0.5. The graphics sacrifice detail for velocity, granting the game a very quick framerate and a great sensation of speed, but the various courses are nearly featureless. However, it's one of four racing titles available at launch, and it fits a peculiar niche. It's not as cute as Konami's Krazy Racer; THQ's GT Advance is easier to pick up and play; and Kemco's Top Gear GT Championship is much prettier, though quite inferior.”

It's worth noting that there were a few critics who saw F-Zero as one of the GBA's best launch games, right up there with Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. Game Informer went as far as to give Maximum Velocity a high score of 9 out of 10. But don't look now, because GamePro went even higher, going with a perfect 5 out of 5. “Maximum Velocity may not seem flashy, but it's a great blend of speed and looks with sharp sprites, blazing motion and a cool, pulsating soundtrack. In a racer this fast, you need solid controls, and while the addition of the shoulder button helps, it's sometimes hard to be precise with the GBA's tiny handheld directional pad and buttons. Overall, however, this F-Zero is every bit as good, if not better, than the amazing SNES version – it's a must-buy in the launch lineup.”

While all of these complaints are valid, the good news is that a lot of the gameplay issues won't matter as much when you're playing on the Switch. I can certainly see people viewing this as one of the lesser F-Zero sequels, but I always enjoyed the return to the classic form. Give it a try on the Switch.