"zoooOOOOooooom..... KABOOOOOM!!!!"

We all know what F-Zero is--an intense futuristic racing game with no wheels involved. It has high speeds, dangerous tracks, and sleek vehicles. Maximum Velocity, the first F-Zero game on the GBA, definitely maintained that fact, but to slightly inferior results.

PRESENTATION:
Basically, MV's main purpose is for the player to race. Forget any attempt at a decent story, which is fine by me (there is a story, but it most definitely takes a back seat). Maximum Velocity just wants to cut the chit-chat and get to the action. I like that. You've got only four (very cheesy-looking) characters to choose from in the beginning, which is really unfortunate in my opinion. Umm, can we get at least six? Come on. But if you can put in enough effort you'll unlock some more. There is also more than 20 tracks to race on in MV, which adds a little more depth. Ultimately, a simple interface, a few hidden goodies, and some different racing modes are allow this score to be nice and high.
PRESENTATION: 8/10

GRAPHICS:
This game looks even better than the F-Zero for SNES. Detailed backgrounds, lots of cool vehicles, and very smooth animation make it a winner.
GRAPHICS: 9/10

SOUNDS:
Musically, I'd say F-Zero falls short. Most of the tracks are not memorable like other F-Zero games, and you may even turn the volume down because they're just so bland. Sound effects work as you'd expect them to from the GBA... a little silly and very unrealistic, but what can you do?
SOUNDS: 4/10

GAMEPLAY:
So once we hit the track, how does MV hold up? When it comes actually controlling your chosen vehicle, you can accelerate, break, veer left and right, and boost. All of these are assigned a button, and with enough practice you might actually make it past a corner without hitting the wall! A nice little addition is the strategy you need in actually cutting those corners. Veering, breaking, and accelerating all come into play in a much larger part than ever before in this F-Zero installment.

As I kind of hinted at above, the classic insane F-Zero challenge is back. This game is hard as hell--the learning curve, the opponent AI, and obstacles on the tracks will test your skill and your patience to the limit. At first it may be forgivable, but later, when you're really doing your best, certain little things will just completely PISS YOU OFF. I mean, at times, even when I wasn't making any mistakes, I was still losing. Now granted, there are multiple difficulty levels, but still... The AI is just better than you, whether you like it or not.

I'd also like to just say that even if you are doing well, you'll get bored eventually. The time it takes to finish a race is ridiculously long, and by the end of it you'll want to call it quits. Not to mention how similar many of the tracks are. Kinda dull...

Something that saves this frustrating game from a lower score is the addition of multiplayer. Hopefully you've got at least one friend who also owns this game, because you can play against up to three other people with a link cable, which is pretty sweet. Even if your friend doesn't have this game, you can still have a (very limited) race with him/her with your single cartridge. Be thankful for this... otherwise you'll lose interest in this game soon after your purchase.

I guess what I'm ultimately trying to say is that, unless you've got friends to play with, this game just lacks the fun factor to have you coming back. Hold down A, press some other buttons here and there, explode, retry, blah blah blah. It's great fun at first, and experimenting with a new vehicle is always enjoyable, but you'll be done before you know it.
GAMEPLAY: 5.5/10

LASTING APPEAL:
Unless you love getting bored and frustrated, then this game will tire you out fast. The single player may have you hooked til you unlock all the secrets you can manage, but that is definitely a pain in the ass. The multiplayer, on the other hand, may keep you and your friend(s) occupied for quite some time. I'd recommend not buying this title, but rather trying it out first and seeing if you think you'll get bored soon. In the end, it's just not FUN enough to have a lot of replayability.
LASTING APPEAL: 6/10

OVERALL:
I love the concept, I love the fast action, and I loved this game... at least the first hour of it. I'd say don't play this very limited F-Zero, and rather go for one with higher standards--the other F-Zeros ain't too shabby at all. But hey, that's just me...
OVERALL: 6/10

Thanks for reading =)

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 11/27/06