F-Zero Maximum Velocity Joins Nintendo Switch Online Tomorrow
The latest addition to Nintendo Switch Online will be F-Zero Maximum Velocity: a sequel to the SNES original. The first game was mainly built to show off the SNES’s Mode 7 background scaling capabilities, which were new for a game console. Likewise, it was also new for a handheld in 2001, and served a similar purpose.
F-Zero has been one of the more dormant of Nintendo’s properties, to the annoyance of its fans. The last real title in the series was developed for the Gamecube by Sega’s Amusement Visions; an arcade version of the game, F-Zero AX, debuted at the same time and would accept Gamecube memory cards. The early 2000s were the most fruitful time in F-Zerr’s history with an arcade game, a console game, two handheld games and even an anime. Since then it’s just been silence.
Well, unless you count F-Zero 99, the latest of Nintendo’s battle royale makeovers for NSO. 99 players are beamed onto a track at once and the ones who don’t crash earn points, with the first-place finisher getting the most. Additional content for F-Zero 99 will be added today: Mirror Grand Prix, Mirror Tracks for Knight League, and the Classic Mini Prix. A new feature called Steer Assist can help slippery players guide their vehicles better, and the Practice Mode has been expanded. Timed Challenges, Recommended Challenges and new Achievements have also been added. A future update is planned that will add Mirror Tracks for King League and Queen League.
As for Maximum Velocity, we’ve still got a few hours to wait. The game will be added to the NSO Expansion Pass March 29.