Extremely rare, there were less than 20 deluxe models imported into the United States. F-Zero AX Deluxe takes you to the 26th century to experience the thrills of challenging race courses in an amazingly realistic sci-fi world. Racing on massive tracks inside plasma-powered hover cars at speeds approaching 1000 mph you had better not blink! Better have your seat belt tight too as the motion-based cabinet provides the physical feedback for the impressive visual speed effects.
F-Zero AX, released in 2003, was the second game from Sega that utilized the "Triforce" hardware which evolved from a business alliance between them, Nintendo and Namco. Developed by Sega's Amusement Vision department, this hardware provides connectivity between the Nintendo GameCube and arcade games. Nintendo released the GameCube counterpart, F-Zero GX at the same time.
This game continues the F-Zero series' difficult, ultra-high-speed racing style, retaining much of the gameplay from the Nintendo 64 title. There are unique tracks, vehicles and vehicle parts as well as different numbers of vehicles and tracks for the AX and GX versions of the game.
The 39" monitor vividly displays the brilliant effects that make the visual fabric of the game and help provide the intense sense of speed.
There are ten different vehicles plus the four pilots and with their own vehicles from the original F-Zero game; Captain Falcon, Dr. Stewart, Pico, and Samurai Goroh. Each vehicle has its own top speed, acceleration, cornering, and boost characteristics.
Each of the six courses in F-Zero AX span three laps which include loops, cylinders, half-pipes, and jumps. There are obstacles like dirt patches, mines, magnetic tubes, etc. to successfully navigate around or through. There are two different modes of play available. In Race mode, players chooses a cup and race against twenty-nine opponents through each course in that cup. In Time Attack mode, the player chooses a course and completes it in the shortest time possible.
With speakers built into the headrest of the arcade cabinet chair the games audio experience is as intense as its visuals.