F-Zero: Maximum Velocity review (Game Boy Advance)

While it isn't be most visually astonishing Game Boy Advance launch game, Maximum Velocity's visuals improves upon the SNES version in almost every respect. The hovercraft are now animated so that their flaps that break and steer can be seen adjusting on the fly. The backgrounds that scroll side to side as you jettison around corners feature a nice variety of colors, but the offtrack environments are stark and barren with only a few discreet animations like blinking lights and shorting circuits. The ramp-infested track surfaces have been upgraded from the flat colors of the original F-Zero but still repeat fairly often. Mode 7 scaling and rotation is used to simulate 3D, and the effect is quite convincing. You can see far enough ahead in the track to prepare for wickedly sharp turns--making the already impressive sense of speed all the more titillating. While not the cream of the Game Boy Advance crop, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity's visuals have enough oomph to make you instinctively jerk the GBA around while playing.

An F-Zero game without wailing Japanese guitar rock just wouldn't be worthy of the name, and Maximum Velocity does not disappoint in this regard. The few songs included sound a bit tinny through the Game Boy Advance's tiny speaker and aren't all that great to begin with. Playing through headphones enhances the aural experience considerably. During the short cinemas that occur at the end of each race, the sounds of passing hovercraft will accurately track from one side of the headphones to the other, and during races you can hear which side a rival hovercraft is trying to pass on. While the music can be annoying at times, it can be muted in the options menu, and the location-specific sound effects pick up a bit of the slack.

While not revolutionary in any regard, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity is a challenging yet addictive racer with speed to spare. With plenty of tracks to unlock, vehicles to master, and multiplayer modes to explore, it won't be headed for trade-in anytime soon. Anyone who has disliked the mechanics of previous F-Zero games won't be converted by Maximum Velocity, but this pocket-sized nitro boost will more than satisfy players who can appreciate its simple elegance.