F-Zero | |
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Logo as used with the first F-Zero.
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Genres | Racing |
Developers | Nintendo EAD, Amusement Vision/Sega, Nd Cube, Suzak Inc. |
Publishers | Nintendo |
Creators | Shigeru Miyamoto |
Platforms | Arcade, Game Boy Advance, iQue, Nintendo 64, Nintendo 64DD, GameCube, Satellaview, Super NES |
Platform of origin | Super NES |
First release |
F-Zero November 21, 1990 |
Latest release |
F-Zero Climax October 21, 2004 |
F-Zero: GP Legend | |
F-ZERO ファルコン伝説 (Efu Zero Farukon Densetsu) |
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Genre | Adventure, Science Fiction, sports |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Ayumi Tomobuki |
Written by | Akiyoshi Sakai |
Music by | Takayuki Negishi |
Studio | Ashi Productions |
Original network | TV Tokyo |
Original run | October 7, 2003 – September 28, 2004 |
Episodes | 51 |
F-Zero is a series of futuristic racing video games originally created by Nintendo EAD with multiple games developed by outside companies. The first game was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990 and prompted Nintendo to create multiple sequels on succeeding gaming consoles.
The series has been known for its high-speed racing, unique characters and settings, difficult gameplay, original music, and pushing the limits of its technology to be one of the fastest racing games ever. The first game inspired the creation of games such as Daytona USA and the Wipeout series.
The series has been largely dormant since the release of F-Zero Climax, which launched in Japan in 2004. Since then, the series has been represented in other Nintendo media, including in the Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. series, as well as in titles such as Nintendo Land for Wii U; in addition, titles from the series have been re-released on the Wii U and New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console services.
The first game in the series and a launch game for the Super NES, F-Zero was also the first game for the platform to use a technique that Nintendo called "Mode 7 Scrolling". When Mode 7 was combined with scaling and positioning of the layer on a scanline-by-scanline basis it could simulate 3D environments. Such techniques in games were considered to be revolutionary in a time when most console games were restricted to static/flat backgrounds and 2-dimensional (2D) objects. The result was developer Nintendo EAD creating a game that IGN reviewer Craig Harris called the fastest and smoothest pseudo-3D console racer of its time.