F-Zero 99

Based on the 1990 Super Nintendo Entertainment System game F-Zero, gameplay is adjusted into a battle royale format by allowing the player to compete with up to 98 other online players. The objective is to outlive other players and finish the race. The player is equipped with a power meter which if depleted through damage will eliminate the player from the race. The player can then get a KO from someone with low power and that can extend their own meter. The player can rack up Super Sparks on the tracks to access a road above the track called the Skyway, allowing the player to speed past other players for a limited time.

• Illustration — F-Zero 99 reuses the graphical style, machines, and tracks from the SNES game. By using the Skyway, players can bypass opposing machines at a higher speed. F-Zero 99 combines the racing gameplay from SNES F-Zero with battle royale elements. Up to ninety-nine players compete to survive and obtain a first-place ranking. Each player selects from the original set of courses and machines from F-Zero. The speed boost and attacking mechanics are reminiscent of what is implemented in F-Zero X and F-Zero GX. The player's machine is equipped with an energy meter, which serves as both a measurement of its health and as an energy reserve for temporary boosts to its speed; collisions and use of the boost depletes the meter, and once empty it will cause the player's vehicle to explode and be eliminated from the race. Pit areas and dash plates are located at various points around the track for machines to drive over. The former replenishes energy, while the latter gives a speed boost without using up any energy. Special golden bumper cars traversing the track and colliding racers drop collectable Super Spark orbs that fill a Super Boost meter. Racers may access the Skyway, a floating road above the racetrack allowing them to speed above the competition for a limited time, once the meter is at full capacity. As races progress, players that are below a minimum safe rank limit that usually increases when laps are completed are automatically eliminated. Slower moving bumper vehicles also spawn onto the track during a race, adding another obstacle for surviving players to contend with. Players can utilize a rechargeable spin move to knock away these cars and those of their opponents. The game's main mode is a single online race with up to 99 players. A rotating playlist of modes includes a Grand Prix mode, a Team Battle mode, and races on more difficult Pro Tracks, as well as a Practice mode. The Grand Prix mode, which sees players compete in a series of up to five consecutive races, requires entry via tickets obtainable through racing in other modes, and points earned in this mode go towards placement on a weekly online leaderboard. Players can also unlock new color schemes for their vehicle and new player profile design elements by completing objectives.

Takaya Imamura served as a graphic designer and Shigeru Miyamoto as producer for the SNES game. Imamura later served as either a supervisor or designer for numerous future games. When F-Zero GX went gold in July 2003, Imamura commented "hav[ing] worked on the F-Zero series, and seeing the results of the collaboration with Sega, I found myself at something of a loss as to how we can take the franchise further past F-Zero GX and AX." Preference within Nintendo shifted over time to create games like F-Zero and Star Fox in-house. "[Nintendo has been working on increasing] internal staff in a way that will allow us to have more projects going at the same time," Miyamoto explained. "[S]o we can create new games and work on additional old [Intellectual Properties] and still maintain the other primary franchises that people want to see." He claimed a small-scale project or full-fledged game necessitates a novel selling proposition when asked by Edge magazine in April 2012. Comments about needing a new concept followed in the years since by both individuals. However, other Nintendo franchises like Kirby or Fire Emblem saw iterative releases over the years, which Imamura believes is due to sales numbers. He explained Mario Kart is Nintendo's most popular racing game, and "a new F-Zero would cost a fortune." F-Zero 99 was first revealed in a Nintendo Direct on September 14, 2023, and was released later that day. Developed by Nintendo Software Technology, it is the first F-Zero game since Climaxs 2004 release. In a similar vein to the NSO Pac-Man 99, Super Mario Bros. 35, and Tetris 99 games, F-Zero 99 takes the original concept its based on and re-contextualizes it as an online multiplayer battle royale. Digital Trendss George Yang response to F-Zero 99s announcement called F-Zero "Nintendo’s most neglected series" with no proper sequel since then. As a result, critics stated that series fans may end up disappointed with its non-traditional gameplay. Ash Parrish of The Verge dismissed it as "a simple [NSO] 99 game", preferring a remake or remaster instead, while GamesRadar+s Dustin Bailey expressed optimism since Tetris 99 was entertaining. Giovanni Colantonio of Digital Trends agreed with Bailey's sentiment. The post-release content featured tracks and their Grand Prix modes from the original game. Original content such as quality of life improvements, limited-time events, and vehicle rebalancing released over time as well. Five tracks from the "Queen League" were released on September 29, 2023. This was followed by three tracks from the "King League" on October 18. A few Grand Prix tracks were previously available in the Pro Tracks mode. A Classic mode was introduced on November 29 to recreate a similar gameplay experience to the original game by reducing course size, limiting player count to 20 and the aspect ratio to 4:3, removing the Skyway and spin attack, and reintroducing the original boost mechanics. The January 2024 update applied private lobbies accessible via 4-digit pass codes and hidden tracks that occasionally appear while horizontally-flipped tracks were added two months later. Five tracks and machine designs from BS F-Zero Grand Prixs Ace League were released in October 2024.

* • F-Zero 99 at Nintendo