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F-Zero (エフゼロ, Efu Zero?, F-ZERO) is a futuristic racing video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was first released in Japan on November 21, 1990 and later in North America on August 13, 1991 and in Europe on June 4, 1992. The title was downloadable over the Nintendo Power peripheral in Japan[2] and was also released onto the Nintendo Super System. In late 2006, F-Zero became available for the Virtual Console service on the Wii.[3]

This is the inaugural game of the F-Zero series of video games and was first released in Japan as one of the two debut titles for the Super NES,[4] but in the U.S. this launch title was accompanied by more games.[5] F-Zero is considered to be the game that set a standard for the racing genre;[6] the title was known for its gameplay, having an original scenario, and running on what was considered to be at the time a groundbreaking technological achievement that made the title the first racing game to be developed this realistically.[7] As a result, the title inspired the future creation of numerous racing games inside and out of its own subgenre.[8][9][10]

Gameplay

F-Zero is a futuristic racing game where pilots race on circuits inside plasma-powered hovercars in an intergalactic Grand Prix at speeds that can exceed 400 km/h. The objective of the game is to beat opponents to the finish line while avoiding hazards such as land mines, slip zones and magnets that pull the vehicle to certain sides of the track in an effort to make the player damage their vehicle or fall completely off the track. A race in F-Zero consists of five laps around the track.[11] The player must complete each lap in a successively higher place or be disqualified and unable to finish the race. For each lap completed, the player is rewarded with an approximately four-second speed boost and a number of points determined by place.[12] One of the "SSS" on-screen displays will be shaded green to indicate that a boost can be used. If a certain amount of points are accumulated, an extra "spare machine" is acquired. F-Zero includes two different modes of play. In the Grand Prix mode, the player chooses a league and races against twenty generic vehicles[11] of different colors through each track in that league. The Practice mode allows the player to practice seven of the courses from the Grand Prix mode.[12]

The game introduced the first F-Zero characters; Captain Falcon, Dr. Stewart, Pico, and Samurai Goroh. Each of the four characters have their own selectable vehicle along with its unique performance abilities.[9] Each machine has an energy meter, which serves the purpose as a measurement of the machine's health and is decreased, for example, when the machine hits the side of the track or another vehicle.[12]