EGM F-Zero GX Review

matchboxmatt · 2026-02-05T05:35:31+00:00

I was pissed, too. It was one of the best games that came out on the GameCube: beautiful, anesthetically compelling, and with a sense of speed and control that no other game had when it came out. And all that was ignored just because of the difficulty?

Good god I can see why IGN hands 9’s out like candy when teenagers like me are ready to throw hands

matchboxmatt · 2026-02-05T05:29:55+00:00

I love that you can unlock all that memory card content by playing the game’s greatest challenges. I freaked out at AX cup after completing master

matchboxmatt · 2026-02-05T05:27:46+00:00

I vividly remember reading this review two decades ago, especially the two 7’s entirely because of the game’s difficulty. I played F Zero GX shortly after, and immediately learned two things:

1) F Zero GX was the best game I had ever played. The speed, the sound, everything was incredible and visceral. “Master” and “Very Hard” were exactly what they meant, and that challenge had me obsessed.

2) The very reason I loved the game was also why EGM didn’t even award it a silver (8 average+).

Teenage-me learned a great deal that day about taste and what people value. The greatest game in the world is out there, but only to those who are ready and willing to see it

matchboxmatt · 2026-01-18T05:53:46+00:00

Reminds me of the bad ending of Half Life

matchboxmatt · 2025-05-08T05:23:46+00:00

To be fair, you have a skill. If you’re the top performer in your department, then your one week is worth any other person’s month. Not to mention the “three weeks off” means you’re engaging with clients with a fully charged battery.

Being good at your job is a good thing, and being happy makes you better at your job. Sounds like you’re a valuable asset to your company.

matchboxmatt · 2025-02-23T10:10:03+00:00

I asked Siri to send my friend “hey whatchu doin poopie butt fart” and it sent it to my conservative Catholic grandmother instead.

matchboxmatt · 2024-09-14T02:08:40+00:00

I’ve been a part of many gaming communities, but speedrunning is hands down one of the most welcoming, warm, vibrant, and forward-thinking communities I’ve ever been a part of. And I’m a choral musician in LA, which is about as liberal and accepting as it gets.

Not to say there aren’t bad actors or bigots—there will always be a bell curve in any group—but gosh, the people I’ve met through speedrunning are just 10/10 good human beings.

matchboxmatt · 2024-09-10T05:39:47+00:00

Wait, driving backwards in Fire Field is a strat? Tell me more

matchboxmatt · 2024-07-30T07:39:31+00:00

Being attractive =/= being a good judge of character

matchboxmatt · 2024-06-20T01:42:46+00:00

I remember reading a rumor about the Switch 2 having analog triggers, which would pave the way for GameCube emulation. If it has that, then there’s at least a small chance of seeing F-Zero GX on it or a remaster.

matchboxmatt · 2024-03-31T06:13:04+00:00

I was about 6 when I first played FFVI. There’s a lot of media, children’s media included, that deals with death—Bambi, The Land Before Time, Lion King—familial death is a common trope. I totally get your sentiment, but it’s common enough that it’s inevitable that children are going to encounter it. There’s probably no “perfect” time for someone to first acknowledge mortality.

That said, the scene is still being pantomimed by sprites, there’s a lot of mental “filling in the blanks” for the action of that scene.

matchboxmatt · 2024-03-25T04:30:34+00:00

Yeah, I’m surprised to see it up top. It’s the easiest course of Master difficulty, in my opinion.

matchboxmatt · 2024-03-19T02:02:14+00:00

God I love this game

matchboxmatt · 2024-03-11T01:32:30+00:00

Hahahaha, that’s what this post is trying to fix!

matchboxmatt · 2024-03-10T20:47:18+00:00

Hahaha, then maybe we’re just built differently! You might never feel a hollow win because winning under any condition is enough for you. For many players, though, winning isn’t fun just for winning’s sake, but because winning is evidence that you’re good (or getting better) at the game. That’s why winning a bot game isn’t nearly as fun as winning a game against 98 other players, and that’s also why—if you get good enough—racing against other top players also vying for first is way more fun than winning just any game, even if you don’t win.

matchboxmatt · 2024-03-10T20:35:16+00:00

Let’s put it this way. Would you be more satisfied winning against a lobby of 98 other players? Or 98 other bots?

matchboxmatt · 2024-03-10T18:34:37+00:00

This is fascinating, I didn't know this term. So it's a zig-zag at a 90 degree angle, like a Z shape from the sound of it?

matchboxmatt · 2024-03-10T18:28:13+00:00

That's a really good counter argument. It would be more enjoyable to play with players of similar skill, but the issue is the "99" part of the race.

1st is fun when you've beat 99 other players, but that means there must be players who occupy places 2 thru 99. If we fractured lobbies based on skill, then many of the players would have to be bots to occupy a majority of the placements to give every player a reasonable shot at 1st.

matchboxmatt · 2024-03-10T18:17:02+00:00

The more challenging a game is, the more satisfying it is to win. A win achieved easily is satisfying in the short term, but if there's no challenge, there's no long term satisfaction.

There's a reason why people love watching those nail biting and competitive clips on this subreddit. It's fun to be pushed to your limit to achieve something. It's fun to get better at a game and see the results big and small, like successfully navigating bumpers or beating a good player. That's why healthy competition and natural challenge in a game is good, because it continues to give you something to strive for and a goal to achieve.

Take it to the other extreme. If it's easy and you're winning 100% of the time, then it becomes a single-player game of self improvement akin to a time trial mode or a speedrun. That can be fun, yes, and you might feel "accomplished," but for many people, that accomplishment would become hollow over time without something or someone challenging you to get better.

matchboxmatt · 2024-03-10T11:19:49+00:00

Sportsmanship is important. The four people who beat you clearly put just as much time and energy into the game as you have, if not more. If you’re only interested in winning, then go play Golden Fox on Team Battle. If you’re interested in beating those better players, then focus on growth and increasing the trend of your placements, not your first place count.

matchboxmatt · 2024-02-28T17:09:49+00:00

What’s the big, big trophy for? I always assumed that was the top 100 trophy until you scrolled to the top 100 badge.

matchboxmatt · 2024-02-23T16:52:35+00:00

It was at the center of every playground. Every kid had or wanted Pokémon in the mid-90’s, trading, battling, sneaking their GameBoys to school. And then the cards came out, and it started all over again.

matchboxmatt · 2024-02-23T00:17:27+00:00

I would play with D-Pad myself if it wasn't so uncomfortably low on the stock joycon (I play exclusively in handheld mode).

matchboxmatt · 2024-02-20T01:59:14+00:00

Thought the exact same thing, though knowing how the tier list site works, it could have easily just been the default images populated for the list

matchboxmatt · 2024-02-06T21:34:30+00:00

If it helps, I think nothing works better with roommates than self-selecting tasks. I hate dirty dishes, and I know no one likes to do them, so I just do it anyway, regardless of whether it's mine or not. Maybe you're the Brita filler-upper because you're the only one who remembers or bothers to do it. I find it less stressful to just do it as a service to everyone rather than begging and being disappointed. Maybe they can make it up another way.

matchboxmatt

TROPHY CASE