F-Zero X

F-Zero X is a fast-paced futuristic racing video game where 30 competitors race on high-altitude circuits inside plasma -powered hovercars in an intergalactic Grand Prix . : 4 Taking place after the original tournament was discontinued for several years due to the extreme danger of the sport, F-Zero X begins after the Grand Prix is brought back with the rules and regulations revised under the same name as the video game. : 5 The tracks include hills, loops, tunnels, corkscrews, and pipes. Players can drift into turns without losing momentum by using the control stick and trigger button.

The game introduces 26 vehicles, and reprises the 4 from the original F-Zero game. Each has its own performance abilities affected by its size and weight, and a grip, boost, and durability trait graded on an A to E (best to worst) scale. : 8 Before a race, players are able to adjust a vehicle's balance between maximum acceleration and maximum top speed. Each machine's energy meter measures the machine's health and is decreased, for example, when the machine hits another racer or the side of the track.

This is also a boost meter for manually boosting, usually starting with the second lap of a race. : 10 Energy can be replenished by driving over recharge strips, : 13 located at various points around the track. The game introduces the ability to attack other racers with either a side or spin attack. Dash plates in various locations give a speed boost without using any energy.

Courses may have obstacles that reduce speed and traps that launch vehicles into the air, reducing its energy. If the player has a "spare machine"—the equivalent of an extra life —then falls off a track or runs out of energy, the race can be restarted. Players get an additional spare machine for every 5 contenders eliminated. : 13 Race modes F-Zero X has 5 different gameplay modes: GP (Grand Prix) Race, Practice, Time Attack, Death Race, and VS Battle.

In GP Race, the player races against 29 opponents through 3 laps of each track in a cup. : 7 Players get a certain number of points for finishing a track depending on where they placed, and the winner of the cup is the character who receives the most total points. : 12 Each cup has 4 selectable difficulty levels : Novice, Standard, Expert, : 7 and Master. The higher the difficulty level selected, the tougher the opponents, and less spare machines the player starts with.

: 7, 13 Furthermore, the 3 cups initially available are ordered by increasing difficulty (Jack, Queen, and King respectively) and 6 tracks each. Eventually, the player can unlock the Joker Cup with its set of 6 tracks, followed by the X Cup. The X Cup is a set of 6 tracks that are randomly generated on each playthrough. The randomized track elements lack loops and can be simplistic, but others are intricate.

Practice mode demonstrates any track with opponents. : 11 Time Attack lets the player choose a track and complete a 3-lap race in the shortest time possible. Transparent re-enactments of Time Attack performances, allow racing against ghost racers , recorded by the player or game developer . Up to 3 player-contributed ghosts can be raced against simultaneously, but only 1 can be saved per track.

: 14–15 Death Race has the player annihilating the 29 other racers as speedily as possible on a specialized course. There is no selectable difficulty level, or set number of laps, but the boost is immediately available. : 17 Vs. Battle is the multiplayer mode where 2 to 4 players compete in a 3-lap race, and slots not in use by players can be operated by the artificial intelligence .

: 18 A slot machine for those out of the race early will appear if the option is enabled. Players can adversely affect the energy levels of those still competing by matching symbols.