The F-Zero games have always been about insane speed and that's what I loved about them. And now with F-Zero Advance, the series is finally going portable.

In F-Zero: Maximum Velocity you choose from four cars, each with their own different style. What I love about this part of the game is that you can really see the differences between the cars. This isn't just some lame cart game where the cars are almost identical. The car selection screen shows you the cars acceleration rates, top speeds, boost time and loads of other car stats. But that's just the beginning. As you go deeper into the game you'll unlock even more great cars!

There are three different cups in the beginning, not to mention three different classes. There's the Pawn Cup for beginners, the Knight Cup for intermediate players, and the Bishop Cup for experts. Each cup has five tracks for you to beat, which is not easy, even on the Pawn Cup. After you beat those three, you'll unlock even more cups.

Now down to the racing. Let me just tell you this game is fast. The controls are a little hard to get used to, but after a couple of races you'll get the feel of it. A is thrust, B is to brake and L and R are for banking. L + R gives you a boost, which you have three of.

The basic idea behind F-Zero: Maximum Velocity is fifteen ultra fast racers (around 450 mph) racing around a track, each trying to be the first to cross the finish line. But you're not only trying to win, you're also trying to survive! Each racer has his own health bar, as well as a rating in body strength. The more bashed up you become from the twists and turns of the course, not to mention the other racers, the smaller your health bar becomes! Once it's gone, so are you.

It looks like F-Zero: Maximum Velocity has been improved graphics wise from the Super NES. It's still not the prettiest of the launch titles but who's going to care? I sure don't!

Well it looks like this is going to be one of the best of the US launch titles and a great game to pick up! Don't miss out on one of the greatest racers of all time!

Now Playing in Background: F-Zero: Maximum Velocity Intro

-NGN.com

Go to F-Zero: Maximum Velocity Screenshots Page