Gameplay progression
At the outset of the game, you can select any of the three racing series: Pawn, Knight or Bishop. You can then choose from three different difficulty modes (Beginner, Standard and Expert). The default color for a selected mode is yellow. Once you clear said mode, it will turn green to remind you that you've already finished it. You can of course play a completed mode again, but it won't unlock any new features. A fourth difficulty mode, Master, is unlocked when you beat the Expert difficulty for each respective class.
The Queen Series (with five additional courses set on Crater Land, Tenth Zone East, Epyrean Colony, and two tracks on Fire Field) is unlocked by beating all Pawn, Knight and Bishop tracks on Expert difficulty.
The tracks don't actually change on the different difficulty settings. It's the drones that get tougher and tougher to beat. Especially the Master difficulty opponents can be a real pain in the butt as they tend to bump into you and knock you into obstacles. There is only one way to deal with them: leave them alone. Stay out of the way (don't always drive in the middle) and pay attention to the indicator mark that lets you know a craft is behind you.
Expert Technique 1: Rocket Start
F-Zero's quick start is a bit different from most Nintendo racers -- so forget about trying to hit the A-Button when the lights turn green. To get the fastest start possible, hold down your accelerator prior to the start and rev the engine to the point where your fuselage(s) begin to light up. Now listen to the engine sound. You want it to be in the mid-range, not the high-pitched sound that occurs when you continue to hold down the accelerator. If the engine is in the mid-range when the race starts, you will get a fast start that propels you in front of the pack. If you rev the engine too high and overheat it, you will also boost ahead -- but then lose power and slow down for a few seconds.
Expert Technique 2: Correct Cornering
Even though the physics in a hover racing game are a bit different than those in regular racing games, the cornering rules are very similar. Try to get as close to the apex (the inner portion) of the turn as possible. Looking at the illustration to the right, follow the read arrow from the outside of the track to the first yellow dot. As you turn left into the curve, your craft will begin to skid. To minimize the loss of speed and drift more effectively, you should always turn left while holding the L shoulder button, and right while holding the R-Button. To stop your craft from skidding too much, use the Blast Turn technique discussed below.
It will take some practice, but you should almost always follow a standard racing line when going into a turn. Force yourself to move to the outside of the track before turning, even if the turn is not very sharp. Once it's become second nature, you can always alter your approach for slight curves and chicanes.
Expert Technique 3: Blast Turn
Like the Rocket Start, the Blast Turn is another expert technique. To successfully maneuver tight corners without bumping into the guard rails, take your finger off the accelerator (A Button), then press it again to stabilize your racer. Combine this with the L and R drifting to get the best times.
Some curves only require you to tap A once or twice when you're drifting too close to a wall (to stabilize your trajectory), but 180-degree turns, icy patches, and sharp corners require constant tapping to make it through unscathed. The alternative, tapping the brakes, causes you to lose too much time and won't work against the tougher opposition on higher difficulty leves.
Expert Technique 4: Perfect Landing
Many of F-Zero's later tracks contain shortcuts that let you jump ahead of the pack by using jump plates. Be sure to look at the track layout in the lower left corner of your screen to see potential shortcuts. But knowing where they are isn't enough. You also need to know how to properly land without losing speed. If you just touch down on the track, your craft will bounce and you will slow down. You can avoid this by pressing down on the pad just prior to landing.
Expert Technique 5: Watch the Mark
On the higher difficulty levels, your opponents will become more and more... well, nasty. Nothing is more frustrating than racing a perfect race, only to see your victory turn into a disaster because you got knocked into a wall by a CPU driver. This is why youhave the "Mark" indicator. This helpful little feature lets you know when an opponent is right behind you. If you see the indicator, moveto the side (at least on the higher difficulty levels). Don't risk a collision that could ruin your race.
Linking Up
As you know, F-Zero supports the link cable for great multiplayer battles for up to four players. While it's possible to play a limited one-track, one-machine four-player challenge with only one cartridge, it's nowhere near as cool as the four-player multipak races. The best thing about the four-player battles is that every player's best times for that track are transferred to the other GBAs after the race. This way, you will be able to get "mixed rankings" that contain the names of your opponents -- which gives you another incentive to compete for even better times and send your buddy a long-lasting reminder who the real F-Zero champ is...
