"Nintendo and Sega team up!"

Introduction- F-Zero AX is one of the first fruits of the arcade partnership with Nintendo, Sega, and Namco. F-Zero AX is also the first game for the Triforce arcade system and was developed by Sega under Nintendo's supervision. One little perk of this arcade machine, is that you can put in your GameCube Memory Card with saved F-Zero GX data into a slot in the machine and transfer data between the Card and the game. This is a neat gimmick which would then be repeated again later in Mario Kart: Arcade GP.

Gameplay- You pick from a roster of new and old characters from the F-Zero universe and pick your cup. Once you're ready, you race on a futuristic track with hovercraft that go really, really fast! All while trying to survive against 25+ racers on the track at the same time. Unlike Mario Kart, this is pure dangerous racing and at speeds of well over 1800 km/h, it can get very chaotic in a blink of an eye. Obviously placing first is key to winning, but you may have to knock people out of the way by means of destroying their vehicles. But, be careful, because if your craft blows up, it's game over for you. You can also use a manual boost to gain speed, but using it takes power away from your craft and it's not a good idea to overuse it. The game has 3 cups and 5 tracks for each one. With high speed and dangerous obstacles, it will be difficult to secure first place on every cup.

Graphics/Sound- The graphics are smooth and clean and even with 25+ racers on the track at high speed, do not chug at all. Brilliant effects are everywhere from electrivity jutting from a boost or an explosion when someone crashes. Sound is excellent as well with lots of futuristic music and some heavy metal music inserted in. Sound effects are somewhat muted as the game music is very loud and covers up a lot of sound effects.

Play Time- This is a very expensive game, costing at least a dollar to play, so your time on this game may be limited. It is an addictive game though, so you may find yourself inserting coins over and over again just to ace that one course. As long as you have the time, you will enjoy this game for a good amount of time.

Final Recommendation- Play this game at an arcade if you get the chance. This is a very rare game to find though, so good luck. Be careful though, this game will burn through your wallet if you're not careful! F-Zero AX will push you to the limits in the arcade!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/03/06