Back in the days when Omaha (Nebraska, of which I preside) still had an amusement park (made way for a grocery store), I would relish the moments in which I had a chance to ride the roller coaster there. Regardless of the fact that it was rather pitifully small, I would wait endless periods of time in pure anticipation of riding it. No matter how many times I rode it, whenever it ended I magically found myself waiting at the end of the line to ride it again. Why? Because of the adrenaline levels that rise when you ride rollercoasters that produce an exciting experience making you long for that high level again when not riding it. Simply rollercoasters are the potato chips of the carnival world, once you eat one you can't just stop and go do something else, you have to go after it again and again.

Imagine a futuristic racing game that has you racing on roller coaster like tracks. Ok now let's get that million down to a manageable number. Imagine a futuristic racing game that has you racing on roller coaster like tracks that actually has the mind blazing speed to keep up with the roller coaster experience. Getting better, we're down to about a dozen or so. Now let's dream the impossible. Imagine a futuristic racing game that has the mind blazing speed of a roller coaster and manages to have tracks designed well enough to keep up with the speed. There we go got down to two. One is Wipeout and the other is F Zero X. Wipeout never dreamed of speed like this, though. F Zero X blazes by at such a speed that it if they added movable seats, it would make a great moving seat rollercoaster (does anyone know what those are called anyway?).

The most important part to a racing game is the balance of the cars and the tracks. One needs to be suitable for the other. (Example of what I'm talking about: All those speedy futuristic games full of windy tracks that are impossible to get through without slowing to halt or bumping into every wall of the track. Bad Balance at work there.) F Zero X's realization of this is its greatest strength.

As much as I'm enthusiastic about the game, there's a few complaints I have. First: I love how this is a futuristic game without weapons, but I think the boost that you obtain after completing a lap needs to go. If this is a game where everything revolves around pure racing, then why are we playing around with petty boost buttons? And why do you get it after completing your first lap? Why not just get it from the start? Second some of the jumps are nicely placed, but the rest are in awkward positions. Third, the character design is rather uninspired and boring. Fourth, while I see that the developers went to great lengths to have thirty racer playing fields, the game is still best played in Versus mode. Fifth, the death race mode is a prime example of an unnecessary feature. Sixth is the most important: TAKE OUT THE FREAKING HARD ROCK MUSIC!!!

Now for a strange but true sort of thing. Although the sum of the parts is definitely great, F Zero X just seems to go stale after a while. I don't know why, but I grew tired of F Zero X faster than usual. Perhaps it's because the game is such a rush, it exhausts you. Oh well. Still good, though.

Overall: 7.9