February 2003 is a month where dreams come true for Japanese Nintendo fans. One week ago, the GBA SP was released and gamers will never again have to be in uncomfortable positions to play their GBA or worry that their screens will be scratched. One week later, gamers that dreamed what it would be like to handle an F-Zero machine are able to do so at the AOU 2003.

In the earlier update, I explained the tracks and drivers available in the AOU version. So I am going to jump straight into my impressions of the game.

The game resembles the GC version. There are more details and elements in the backgrounds. The graphics are more polished and crisper to give it an arcade feel. They are impressive but not astounding, since the graphics engine is like an enhanced version of the GC game. Of course, if you never saw the GC version, this will blow you away. The sound effects such as the boost were executed well. I could not hear enough of the music to comment on it, but considering how well the GC version sounded, the arcade version music should also be top-notch quality.

The sound and graphics were important, but I was anticipating the controls and handling the most - would I feel like I am really driving an F-Zero machine? The controls are basically modeled after a cockpit. (Click here to see the image.) You turn the yoke to steer the machine left and right. When you perform a jump, you can flip the yoke to tilt your machine upwards or downwards. The boost, which can be used after the second lap, is executed by pressing a big blue button in the middle of the yoke. The L and R triggers that help you make sharper turns are mapped to levers behind the yoke. There are two pedals, which are used for acceleration and brakes. Unlike regular racing games, which just tilt a bit when you perform a turn, F-Zero AC practically swings the driver from side to side. The swinging should work really well in tube and tunnel stages. This is also probably why the unit requires the driver to fasten a seat belt.

The controls feel very much like an arcade racer. Initially, I was having some trouble with the loose controls, but after one lap, I got used to it. The handling definitely has the F-Zero feel, and the tilting of the seats complements it quite well. The game is solid and looking good for being only 50% complete. As for minor complaints, at times I found the boost button out of reach, especially when you are executing a turn. The unit also does not reflect the boost action. For example, the seats could have rumbled or shifted backwards to produce a physical boost action. However, these minor issues could all be fixed by the time the game is finalized. The license card and net ranking system will no doubt add more value to the core gameplay. And I cannot wait to see what Amusement Vision will come up with for the memory card interaction. If you ever wanted to know what driving over 2000 kilometers per hour and spinning off tubes feels like, this is the closet you’ll get. I am definitely looking forward to dropping the 100-yen coins Billy gives me into these machines this summer.