F-Zero GX was one of the most popular games in Nintendo’s booth this year, and for good reason. It’s beautiful, smooth, fun, and sickeningly FAST. The gameplay feels very much like F-Zero X: twitch racing topped with oh-so-smooth steering control. Zooming around a corner without hitting the walls is still deeply satisfying. Otherwise, I am a bit disappointed with the controls, namely the button mapping. The spin attack is activated with the Z button, which we all know is not easy to access. The L and R triggers are used to make ultra-tight turns, but as far as I could tell, the degree to which your craft digs into the track is not a function of how far you press the analog shoulder triggers, and the digital click at the end doesn’t seem to do anything. I would prefer that the spin attack in each direction be mapped to the respective digital clicks, so that you don’t have to use Z at all. It would take some practice to get used to, but it would be a more elegant system overall.

The E3 demo contained only a few levels, but they show off the game’s variety quite well. One track is a standard circle, obviously for beginners. Another has significant hills and more unpredictable turns, plus a couple of track splits where you have to choose your path. In classic F-Zero style, the choice is often between an energy-restoring pit zone and a series of “zippers”. A medium-difficulty track features a couple of huge jumps, during which you can angle your craft to gain speed or glide for extra distance. The most difficult track is clearly more than most people could handle, as I watched several players choose it and then fail to complete even the first lap. It was full of 90-degree turns and drop-offs; one wrong move and you could be plunging into the abyss, which means game over.

There were only five machines to choose from, those being the original lineup from F-Zero on SNES, plus the White Cat. I went with my old favorite, Samurai Goroh and his Fire Stingray. It handles just how I expected it to, so I am quite pleased with the faithful updating of these old drivers and their craft. The White Cat has grade-A handling and poor qualities otherwise; if you ask me, its grip is so sensitive that it’s hard to keep pointed straight down the track.

Judging from the demo, F-Zero GX doesn’t differ greatly from its predecessors, other than its jaw-dropping graphics. This will be the first time in the series that F-Zero has competed with the best looking games on its platform, and it seems that Amusement Vision has pulled off this feat without sacrificing any of the gameplay. The cars, tracks, backgrounds, and special effects all look fantastic, yet the game still moves at a blistering pace and a perfect frame rate. Unfortunately, the F-Zero surround sound room was equipped with that damn Logitech steering wheel, which made the game totally unplayable. Playing on the kiosks out in the booth, I couldn’t hear the music very well, but I have high hopes (and high demands) considering the franchise’s reputation for awesome music.

F-Zero GX is definitely one of my most-wanted GameCube titles; playing it at E3 neither helped nor hurt its status in that regard. If you look at the screens and watch the trailers, you’ll have a very good idea of how the game plays. It doesn’t stray too far from the formula, at least from what was playable at the show, but the fact that we now have a great-playing F-Zero game that also looks smashing is something to be excited about.