F-Zero GX - Critical Reception and Sales

Critical Reception and Sales

Nintendo's announcement that the next installment of their F-Zero franchise will be developed by Sega's Amusement Vision development studio came as a surprise to some critics. When F-Zero GX was released, the game was well-received overall by reviewers; the title has an 89% average on aggregate web sites Metacritic and Game Rankings with some considering it as one of the best racers of its time and the greatest racer on the GameCube platform. It was listed "Best GameCube Racing Game" in the E3 2003 IGN Awards and "Best Racing Game of 2003" by IGN. F-Zero GX was awarded "Best GameCube Driving Game" in GameSpot's "Best and Worst of 2003" feature and was nominated for "Console Racing Game of the Year" in the 7th Annual Interactive Achievements Awards held by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

The game has been credited for its visuals; arcade/home connectivity; plenty of longevity; sharp controls; tough challenge; fleshed-out single-player modes. The game's most common criticism is its difficulty, specifically in the game's story mode. It earned fourth place in IGN's and GameTrailers' toughest games to beat. GameTrailers mentioned F-Zero GX demanded players to master the "rollercoaster-style tracks required hairline precision" to avoid falling off-course. Electronic Gaming Monthly criticized GX's sharp increase in difficulty and GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann agreed stating it "will surely turn some people away before they've seen the 20 tracks and unlocked all the story mode chapters". Bryn Williams of GameSpy mentioned that "purists may find it too similar to N64 version" and criticizes the lack of LAN play.

1UP.com stated that the F-Zero series is "finally running on hardware that can do it proper justice". Eurogamer's Kristan Reed pointed out that, graphically, "it's hard to imagine how Amusement Vision could have done a better job". Matt Casamassina of IGN praised the developers' work commenting they have "done a fine job of taking Nintendo's dated franchise and updating it for the new generation" and summed up the general opinion by stating that "For some, GX will be the ultimate racer. For others, it will be flat out too difficult." In Japan, F-Zero GX sold 100,981 units and became qualified for the Player's Choice line in both Europe and North America by selling at least 250,000 copies.