F-Zero X
Encyclopedia
, is a futuristic racing video game for the Nintendo 64
(N64) console. Developed by Nintendo's EAD division
, it was released in Japan, Europe and North America, in 1998
. In 2000, an expansion of the game was exclusively released in Japan providing numerous extra features not in the original game. F-Zero X was later ported to the iQue Player in China in 2004. F-Zero X was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console
in Japan, Europe and in North America, in 2007. To honor the 100th Virtual Console release in Europe, it was made available there on June 15, 2007.
F-Zero X is the third released installment in the F-Zero
series and the first released video game in the franchise to feature 3D graphics
. The game has a steep learning curve and its gameplay experience is similar to that of the original F-Zero title. However, the title does introduce a "death race" mode and a random track generator called the "X Cup". In the death race, the player's objective is to annihilate the 29 other racers as speedily as possible, while the X-Cup "creates" a different set of tracks each time played.
Critics generally praised F-Zero X for its fast gameplay, abundance of courses and vehicles, track design, and maintaining a high framerate. However, the game has been widely criticized for its lack of graphical detail. In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
.
-powered hovercar
s in an intergalactic Grand Prix at speeds that can reach . 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. The tracks in the game include hills, loops, tunnels, corkscrews, and pipes. Some courses have innate obstacles like dirt patches, tricky jumps, and tubes to navigate. The game introduces 26 new vehicles, and brings back the four from the original F-Zero game. Each has its own characteristics and performance abilities and before a race, the player is able to adjust a vehicle's balance between maximum acceleration and maximum top speed. The game can be used with a Rumble Pak
, which allows for force feedback.
A normal race in F-Zero X consists of three laps around the track. Each machine has an energy meter, which serves two purposes. It is a measurement of the machine's health and is decreased, for example, when the machine hits another racer or the side of the track. 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 will be restarted. The game introduces the ability to attack the other racers by either utilizing a side or spin attack. Energy can be replenished by driving over recharge strips, called "Pit Zones", located at various points around the track. There are also dash plates around the track that give a speed boost without using up any energy.
F-Zero X has five different modes of gameplay: Grand Prix, Practice, Time Trial, Death Race and Vs. Battle. In the Grand Prix mode, the player chooses a cup and races against twenty-nine opponents through each track in that cup. Players get a certain number of points for finishing a track depending on where they placed, and the winner of the circuit is the character who receives the most total points. There are four difficulty level
s, with three available at the start: Novice, Standard, Expert, and Master. The higher the difficulty level, the tougher the opponents and less opportunities the player gets to retry. However, there is a Practice mode which allows the player to practice any track with 29 opponents.
Time Attack
lets the player choose a track and complete it in the shortest time possible. Racing against a staff ghost or transparent re-enactments of the player's best three-lap performances is possible. In Death Race, the player objective is to annihilate the 29 other racers as speedily as possible on the only course, which is a perpetual straightaway. There is no multiple difficulty levels to choose from, nor is there a limit to the number of laps but the boost can be used right away. Vs. Battle is the multiplayer mode where two to four players can play simultaneously with or without handicap. Those not in use by players can be operated by the computer. If a person ends up retiring before the other players, that person can enter the "VS Slot". A slot machine will appear and depending on what three identical pictures the player manage to match will adversely affect the competitors.
The first course in the Joker Cup, Rainbow Road (subtitled "Psychedelic Experience"), is the very same Rainbow Road track featured in Mario Kart 64
, with a different ambiance to match the whole F-Zero setting and the lack of guard rails. In addition, when played with the F-Zero X Expansion Kit, the background music will change to an alternative rock
remaster of the same song heard in this track in Mario Kart 64.
magazine revealed the project in mid-1997. Several key Wave Race 64
programmers including the lead programmer made up the in-house F-Zero X development team. The game made its debut at the Nintendo Space World
event in late November 1997 where the public was able to play it for the first time. According to GameSpot
, F-Zero X became the first racing game to run at 60 frames per second
with up to 30 vehicles on screen at the same time, but in order to keep the frame rate, polygon counts on the vehicles, textures and track detail are sacrificed. The North American release of F-Zero X suffered from a three month delay due to Nintendo of America's policy of spacing the release of first-party games out evenly. The game is programmed with "64DD hooks", which allow it to detect whether the Nintendo 64DD
is connected or compatible software is being used. This allows the cartridge to be compatible with add-on disks such as track editors or course updates; however, none of these were utilized outside of Japan due to the 64DD's commercial failure.
F-Zero X features remixed music from its predecessor. Besides the game's visual detail, another setback in order for the title to run well at its frame rate
is the quality of its music. Due to compression, the game mainly features monaural
tracks, but ambient effects are generated with stereo sound effects. Two soundtracks were released featuring music from this game onto CD
. The F-Zero X Original Soundtrack was released on September 18, 1998. The F-Zero X Guitar Arrange Edition, which was released on January 27, 1999, contains ten guitar arranged musical tracks from the game. Both the original soundtrack and the guitar arrangement are composed by Taro Bando and Hajime Wakai.
, and a metascore of 85 at Metacritic
. Critics generally praised F-Zero X for its fast gameplay, abundance of courses and vehicles, keeping a high framerate with up to thirty racers on screen at the same time, and track design. However, the game has been widely criticized for its lack of graphical detail. Peer Schneider
of IGN
considered the game to rival Wave Race
with its "perfectly fine-tuned controls and a fresh approach to racing". The title received Game of the Month for November 1998 from Electronic Gaming Monthly
. An editor stated "the graphics may be simple, but they're smooth and the action is fast".
Allgame
called F-Zero X as "certainly not up to Nintendo's usual standards" in terms of detail and texture quality. GameSpot
also criticized the games' graphical detail, calling the low polygon count on the vehicles as "particularly uninspiring" and that the "track detail is also very limited, giving the track a spartan feel to it". Despite its visual setbacks, critics exalted the game for managing to keep a steady , which some felt made up for the lack of graphical detail. The Electric Playground
found the framerate to give "the game a major boost in the feel department" making it "seem like your vehicle is bursting through the sound barrier".
In regard to the music, EGM considered it "really good with some excellent remixes of the old F-Zero tunes", while CVG
called the music dreadful. The Electric Playground
thought it goes hand-in-hand to the simulation of speed in the game, but the reviewer commented "I wouldn't in a million years buy music like this to listen to".
In GameSpot
's retrospective review, they gave it a 6.5/10 calling it "the black sheep of the series" when compared with the other F-Zero games in "visual style and technical flair". IGN described F-Zero X as an exceptional update to the original game that "only suffers under its generic look". Peer Schneider believed that unlike the first game, F-Zero X "is not about showing off graphics or sound capabilities -- it's all about gameplay".
F-Zero X sold 383,642 units in North America and 97,684 units in Japan. The game sold 56,457 copies during its first week of sale in Japan, but sold nearly five times less the following week due to the N64 having a small dedicated fanbase.
. The Kit will only operate in conjunction with the cartridge of the original game, however all of F-Zero X's regular features are accessible plus twelve new tracks, a car editor and a track creator. Since the Expansion Kit has a larger amount of storage than the original cartridge, it includes new soundtracks in stereophonic sound
as well as the entire collection of monaural audio tracks from the original game. In addition to the two new cups, it is also possible to create custom cups. The disk can save up to a hundred tracks and up to three ghost racers per course. IGN singled out the track creator as the Expansion Kits strongest feature since it is virtually the same tool the designers of F-Zero X used for themselves to create the original circuits.
The Car Editor offers a variety of options when creating a vehicle. Using a set of pre-existing parts, the player must balance their creations' settings and performance abilities before the machine is finished and named. The Track Editor is a detailed track creator that allows the player to design their own racing circuits. Using a cursor, the player can determine the basic layout of the track and also add points to it to create track elements such as curves and hills. Furthermore, numerous different properties like half pipes and cylinders, as well as numerous road surfaces, such as slip zones, can be added. The player also can test their creation at any time and run practice laps.
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
(N64) console. Developed by Nintendo's EAD division
Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development
, commonly abbreviated as EAD, is the largest division inside Nintendo. It was preceded by the , a team of designers with an art background responsible for many different tasks, which Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka originally belonged to...
, it was released in Japan, Europe and North America, in 1998
1998 in video gaming
-Events:*Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo to the AIAS Hall of Fame*British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 1st annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards...
. In 2000, an expansion of the game was exclusively released in Japan providing numerous extra features not in the original game. F-Zero X was later ported to the iQue Player in China in 2004. F-Zero X was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
in Japan, Europe and in North America, in 2007. To honor the 100th Virtual Console release in Europe, it was made available there on June 15, 2007.
F-Zero X is the third released installment in the F-Zero
F-Zero
is a futuristic racing video game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . The game was released in Japan on November 21, 1990, in North America on August 23, 1991, and in Europe on June 4, 1992...
series and the first released video game in the franchise to feature 3D graphics
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
. The game has a steep learning curve and its gameplay experience is similar to that of the original F-Zero title. However, the title does introduce a "death race" mode and a random track generator called the "X Cup". In the death race, the player's objective is to annihilate the 29 other racers as speedily as possible, while the X-Cup "creates" a different set of tracks each time played.
Critics generally praised F-Zero X for its fast gameplay, abundance of courses and vehicles, track design, and maintaining a high framerate. However, the game has been widely criticized for its lack of graphical detail. In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
Quintessence Editions Ltd.
Quintessence Editions Ltd. is a publishing company based in London which is the originator of the "1001 Before You Die" series. Typically, the titles in this series are intended as reference books. They are illustrated books authored by multiple contributors...
.
Gameplay
F-Zero X is a futuristic racing video game where thirty pilots race on circuits inside plasmaPlasma (physics)
In physics and chemistry, plasma is a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. Heating a gas may ionize its molecules or atoms , thus turning it into a plasma, which contains charged particles: positive ions and negative electrons or ions...
-powered hovercar
Hovercar
A hovercar is a transport vehicle appearing in works of fiction. It is used for personal transportation in the same way a modern automobile is employed. You must steer it, like you would a normal vehicle...
s in an intergalactic Grand Prix at speeds that can reach . 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. The tracks in the game include hills, loops, tunnels, corkscrews, and pipes. Some courses have innate obstacles like dirt patches, tricky jumps, and tubes to navigate. The game introduces 26 new vehicles, and brings back the four from the original F-Zero game. Each has its own characteristics and performance abilities and before a race, the player is able to adjust a vehicle's balance between maximum acceleration and maximum top speed. The game can be used with a Rumble Pak
Rumble Pak
The is a removable device from Nintendo which provides force feedback while playing video games. Games that support the Rumble Pak cause it to vibrate in select situations, such as when firing a weapon or receiving damage, to immerse the player in the game. Versions of the Rumble Pak are available...
, which allows for force feedback.
A normal race in F-Zero X consists of three laps around the track. Each machine has an energy meter, which serves two purposes. It is a measurement of the machine's health and is decreased, for example, when the machine hits another racer or the side of the track. 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 will be restarted. The game introduces the ability to attack the other racers by either utilizing a side or spin attack. Energy can be replenished by driving over recharge strips, called "Pit Zones", located at various points around the track. There are also dash plates around the track that give a speed boost without using up any energy.
Race modes
Difficulty level
In general usage, difficulty level refers to the relative difficulty of completing a task or objective.In computer and video games, the term specifically delineates the ease or difficulty with which an average user may complete a game or a part of a game. Arcade games as well as many early console...
s, with three available at the start: Novice, Standard, Expert, and Master. The higher the difficulty level, the tougher the opponents and less opportunities the player gets to retry. However, there is a Practice mode which allows the player to practice any track with 29 opponents.
Time Attack
Time attack
A time attack is another term for time trial. The term is commonly used in Japan for individual time trial events for motor vehicles that involves a vehicle running around the circuit in lieu of a qualifying lap and the term is widely adopted outside the country for tuner event and...
lets the player choose a track and complete it in the shortest time possible. Racing against a staff ghost or transparent re-enactments of the player's best three-lap performances is possible. In Death Race, the player objective is to annihilate the 29 other racers as speedily as possible on the only course, which is a perpetual straightaway. There is no multiple difficulty levels to choose from, nor is there a limit to the number of laps but the boost can be used right away. Vs. Battle is the multiplayer mode where two to four players can play simultaneously with or without handicap. Those not in use by players can be operated by the computer. If a person ends up retiring before the other players, that person can enter the "VS Slot". A slot machine will appear and depending on what three identical pictures the player manage to match will adversely affect the competitors.
Circuits
F-Zero X has five Cups in total, four of which whose names are based on face cards. Four of them contains six courses each. Initially, only the Jack, Queen, and King Cups are available to choose from and each vary in difficulty from beginner, intermediate and expert respectively. The Joker Cup can be unlocked by coming first overall in Jack, Queen, and King Cups on standard in the Grand Prix. Beating these four cups on Expert unlocks the Master class difficulty level and the X Cup. The "X Cup" is actually a track generator that "creates" a different set of tracks every time when played. The randomized track elements can vary from simplistic and straightforward to highly complex and intricate.The first course in the Joker Cup, Rainbow Road (subtitled "Psychedelic Experience"), is the very same Rainbow Road track featured in Mario Kart 64
Mario Kart 64
is a racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the second installment in the Mario Kart series. It was released in 1996 in Japan and in 1997 in North America and Europe. In January 2007, Mario Kart 64 was released on Nintendo's Virtual Console service for the Wii...
, with a different ambiance to match the whole F-Zero setting and the lack of guard rails. In addition, when played with the F-Zero X Expansion Kit, the background music will change to an alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
remaster of the same song heard in this track in Mario Kart 64.
Development and audio
Initially titled "F-Zero 64", FamitsuFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
magazine revealed the project in mid-1997. Several key Wave Race 64
Wave Race 64
is a racing game for the Nintendo 64 that was released on September 27, 1996 in Japan and on November 5, 1996 in North America. In Wave Race 64 the player races on jet skis in many different weather conditions, on a variety of different courses. The game was sponsored by the Kawasaki Heavy...
programmers including the lead programmer made up the in-house F-Zero X development team. The game made its debut at the Nintendo Space World
Nintendo Space World
Nintendo World, formerly called Nintendo Space World, Nintendo 64 Space World, Super Famicom Space World, Famicom Space World, and , is a video game trade show hosted by Nintendo, typically to unveil new consoles or handhelds...
event in late November 1997 where the public was able to play it for the first time. According to GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
, F-Zero X became the first racing game to run at 60 frames per second
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
with up to 30 vehicles on screen at the same time, but in order to keep the frame rate, polygon counts on the vehicles, textures and track detail are sacrificed. The North American release of F-Zero X suffered from a three month delay due to Nintendo of America's policy of spacing the release of first-party games out evenly. The game is programmed with "64DD hooks", which allow it to detect whether the Nintendo 64DD
Nintendo 64DD
The is a peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console. It plugged into the N64 through the EXTension Port on the Nintendo 64's underside, and allowed the N64 to use proprietary 64 MB magneto-optical discs for expanded data storage...
is connected or compatible software is being used. This allows the cartridge to be compatible with add-on disks such as track editors or course updates; however, none of these were utilized outside of Japan due to the 64DD's commercial failure.
F-Zero X features remixed music from its predecessor. Besides the game's visual detail, another setback in order for the title to run well at its frame rate
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
is the quality of its music. Due to compression, the game mainly features monaural
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
tracks, but ambient effects are generated with stereo sound effects. Two soundtracks were released featuring music from this game onto CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. The F-Zero X Original Soundtrack was released on September 18, 1998. The F-Zero X Guitar Arrange Edition, which was released on January 27, 1999, contains ten guitar arranged musical tracks from the game. Both the original soundtrack and the guitar arrangement are composed by Taro Bando and Hajime Wakai.
| F-Zero X Original Soundtrack tracklist | |
|---|---|
|
15. "Goal Fanfare" - 0:10 16. "Goal BGM" - 1:17 17. "Retire" - 0:12 18. "Game Over" - 0:17 19. "Grandprix Ending" - 1:25 20. "Staff Roll" - 2:46 21. "Win! The Staff Ghost 1 Mute City" - 1:28 22. "Win! The Staff Ghost 2 Silence" - 1:20 23. "Win! The Staff Ghost 3 Devil's Forest" - 1:27 24. "Win! The Staff Ghost 4 Port Town 1" - 1:39 25. "Win! The Staff Ghost 5 Red Canyon" - 1:23 26. "Win! The Staff Ghost 6 Big Blue 2" - 1:13 27. "Win! The Staff Ghost 7 White Land" - 1:43 28. "Win! The Staff Ghost 8 Fire Field" - 1:28 29. "Win! The Staff Ghost 9 Sector-β" - 1:45 |
| F-Zero X Guitar Arrange Edition tracklist | |
|---|---|
|
6. "Climb Up! And Get the Last Chance!" - 4:26 7. "Endless Challenge" - 3:17 8. "Dream Chaser" - 3:43 9. "Grand Prix Ending" - 3:27 10. "Staff Roll" - 5:21 |
Critical reception
Overall, critical reception of F-Zero X was positive; the game has an aggregate average of 86.93% based on 15 reviews at Game RankingsGame Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
, and a metascore of 85 at Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Critics generally praised F-Zero X for its fast gameplay, abundance of courses and vehicles, keeping a high framerate with up to thirty racers on screen at the same time, and track design. However, the game has been widely criticized for its lack of graphical detail. Peer Schneider
Peer Schneider
Peer Schneider is one of the founders of videogames and entertainment website IGN. He is currently Senior Vice President of Content & Publisher at IGN Entertainment...
of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
considered the game to rival Wave Race
Wave Race 64
is a racing game for the Nintendo 64 that was released on September 27, 1996 in Japan and on November 5, 1996 in North America. In Wave Race 64 the player races on jet skis in many different weather conditions, on a variety of different courses. The game was sponsored by the Kawasaki Heavy...
with its "perfectly fine-tuned controls and a fresh approach to racing". The title received Game of the Month for November 1998 from Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
. An editor stated "the graphics may be simple, but they're smooth and the action is fast".
Allgame
Allgame
Allgame is a commercial database of information about arcade games, video games and console manufacturers.Allgame is owned by All Media Guide, along with Allmusic and Allmovie....
called F-Zero X as "certainly not up to Nintendo's usual standards" in terms of detail and texture quality. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
also criticized the games' graphical detail, calling the low polygon count on the vehicles as "particularly uninspiring" and that the "track detail is also very limited, giving the track a spartan feel to it". Despite its visual setbacks, critics exalted the game for managing to keep a steady , which some felt made up for the lack of graphical detail. The Electric Playground
The Electric Playground
The Electric Playground is a daily news television show on the cable TV network G4 that covers movies, TV shows, comic books, collectibles and gadgets...
found the framerate to give "the game a major boost in the feel department" making it "seem like your vehicle is bursting through the sound barrier".
In regard to the music, EGM considered it "really good with some excellent remixes of the old F-Zero tunes", while CVG
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
called the music dreadful. The Electric Playground
The Electric Playground
The Electric Playground is a daily news television show on the cable TV network G4 that covers movies, TV shows, comic books, collectibles and gadgets...
thought it goes hand-in-hand to the simulation of speed in the game, but the reviewer commented "I wouldn't in a million years buy music like this to listen to".
In GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's retrospective review, they gave it a 6.5/10 calling it "the black sheep of the series" when compared with the other F-Zero games in "visual style and technical flair". IGN described F-Zero X as an exceptional update to the original game that "only suffers under its generic look". Peer Schneider believed that unlike the first game, F-Zero X "is not about showing off graphics or sound capabilities -- it's all about gameplay".
F-Zero X sold 383,642 units in North America and 97,684 units in Japan. The game sold 56,457 copies during its first week of sale in Japan, but sold nearly five times less the following week due to the N64 having a small dedicated fanbase.
Disk drive expansion
The F-Zero X Expansion Kit, released in Japan on April 21, 2000, was the first add-on disk for the Nintendo 64DDNintendo 64DD
The is a peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console. It plugged into the N64 through the EXTension Port on the Nintendo 64's underside, and allowed the N64 to use proprietary 64 MB magneto-optical discs for expanded data storage...
. The Kit will only operate in conjunction with the cartridge of the original game, however all of F-Zero X's regular features are accessible plus twelve new tracks, a car editor and a track creator. Since the Expansion Kit has a larger amount of storage than the original cartridge, it includes new soundtracks in stereophonic sound
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
as well as the entire collection of monaural audio tracks from the original game. In addition to the two new cups, it is also possible to create custom cups. The disk can save up to a hundred tracks and up to three ghost racers per course. IGN singled out the track creator as the Expansion Kits strongest feature since it is virtually the same tool the designers of F-Zero X used for themselves to create the original circuits.
The Car Editor offers a variety of options when creating a vehicle. Using a set of pre-existing parts, the player must balance their creations' settings and performance abilities before the machine is finished and named. The Track Editor is a detailed track creator that allows the player to design their own racing circuits. Using a cursor, the player can determine the basic layout of the track and also add points to it to create track elements such as curves and hills. Furthermore, numerous different properties like half pipes and cylinders, as well as numerous road surfaces, such as slip zones, can be added. The player also can test their creation at any time and run practice laps.