Prerelease:F-Zero X

This page details pre-release information and/or media for F-Zero X.

To do: There is early footage and early material present in magazines, such as different course designs and five laps.

Versions

E3 1997

E3 1997 took place from June 19th to 21st. This build of the game was shown there and was titled F-Zero 64. According to the July 1997 issue of Nintendo Power, the game was considered about 30% to 40% complete at this point. At least two videos and several screenshots are known to exist of this build of the game, most likely all from E3 1997.

General Differences

• This version appears to have had more detailed textures and better graphics in general than the final game.
• It was possible to have multiple of the same machine using the same color in a race in this build, as the preview videos show a clip where Captain Falcon passes himself.

HUD

• Different fonts are used for every HUD element.
• The timer below the power meter is missing.
• The portraits on the left side of the screen are missing.
• The player's current position in the race is not shown.
• There is no minimap.
• The current lap is not present.
• There is a counter for the distance traveled on the course in the bottom left.
• The player's maximum attained speed is shown in the bottom right above the current speed.

Course Designs

Mute City

• 

  E3 Preview

• 

  Final Game

One of the maps is possibly an early version of a Mute City course.

• Its ground texture is very similar to the ground texture used in the Mute City courses in the final game, except it is much less pink.
• The E3 version uses a different barrier texture.
• Its road textures match most closely with the road textures of the final game's Mute City levels.

White Land 2

A second map appears to be an early version of White Land 2, or at least shares the same half pipe design.

Machines

Blue Falcon

• 

  E3 Preview

• 

  Final Game

• The E3 Blue Falcon appears to have a slightly smaller cockpit.
• The arrow on the cockpit's side is larger.
• The number reads "07" instead of the final's "7".

Golden Fox

• 

  E3 Preview

• 

  Final Game

• The E3 Golden Fox has a number on the front of it which the release version lacks.
• The positions of the black and red lines on the sides and top of the machine are inverted.
• The black symbol on the side of the machine is slightly altered, it is more compact in the E3 version.
• There appears to be some red and black trim on the top of the machine's spoiler that the release version lacks.

Wild Goose

• 

  E3 Preview

• 

  Final Game

• The sides of the E3 ship have two red lines instead of four white lines.
• A darker shade of green was used for the E3 version.

Fire Stingray

• 

  E3 Preview

• 

  Final Game

• The number reads "05" instead of the final's "5".
• There is some illegible text on the machine's side and front.
• The E3 model is overall more blocky and angular looking than the final.

November 1997

This version of the game can be seen in the November 1997 issue of Nintendo Magazine UK on page 12, and in several other magazines from the same time. It looks much closer to the release version of the game, but it is still referred to as F-Zero 64.

General Differences

• There appear to be 5 total laps in a race instead of the release version's 3 laps.
• Assuming the screenshots were taken in Grand Prix mode rather than practice mode, boost power was available from the start of a race based on the coloration of the power meter. The power meter could also have simply used different colors than the final game.
• Having multiple of the same machine was still possible like in the E3 version; in the bottom screenshots, two White Cats can be seen near each other, both the same color.

HUD

• The HUD uses the same fonts and almost the same layout as the final.
• The portraits of the top 6 racers on the left side of the screen are missing.
• The player's remaining lives are not shown.
• The player's current rank that is shown on the top center of the screen has a "th" appended to it instead of the "/30" (or however many racers are left) seen in the final version.

Course Designs

There are 2 different courses shown in the screenshots, and neither of their minimaps match up with any of the final game's courses. It's worth noting that both maps shown use what appears to be the Devil's Forest ground texture, and in the bottom right screenshot, the road ahead bears a resemblance to a section of Devil's Forest 1 in the final game (although the textures are different).

• 

  NMUK Screenshot

• 

  Devil's Forest 1

Space World 1997

Space World 1997 took place between November 21st and 24th in Japan, meaning that the version shown there is probably similar to, if not the same, as the Nintendo Magazine UK version. During the show, Nintendo screened a preview reel which included 20 seconds of footage of a prerelease version of F-Zero X. The game now uses its final name, F-Zero X, so sometime between the Nintendo Magazine UK publication and Space World, the name of the game was likely finalized.

General Differences

• The visual effects when a machine explodes were different.
• The exhaust flames do not change color when driving over a boost pad or when boosting manually.
• There are still 5 laps in a race.
• Boost is still available from the start of a race.

HUD

• The HUD is largely the same as the November 1997 version.
• The portraits on the left have been added in.

Course Designs

Silence 1/Sector Beta

• The minimap for this course most closely matches those of Silence 1 and Sector Beta (if it was rotated 90 degrees) in the final game.
• If it is an early version of Silence 1, then the Space World version appears to have a vertical loop (based on the minimap) not seen in the final design.

Sector Alpha

• The minimap shown in one of the clips is nearly identical to the final version's minimap for Sector Alpha.
• The tunnel section has ice on the sides.
• Different textures are used throughout the course.

Unknown Course

• This course is only shown for a split second in the showreel, and its minimap doesn't closely match any from the final game. It looks somewhat similar to Devil's Forest 2's minimap if it was rotated 90 degrees clockwise.

Resources

Footage

• A preview of "F-Zero 64" that was shown at E3.
• A different preview of "F-Zero 64" that was probably also shown at E3.
• A longer video of the E3 preview.
• F-Zero X footage that was shown at Space World 1997.

Magazines

• "Nintendo Power" (US) Issue 98 (Jul. 1997), F-Zero 64 coverage on page 65.
• "Club Nintendo" (Chile) Issue 60 (Aug. 1997), F-Zero 64 coverage on pages 23-24.
• "Dengeki Nintendo 64" (JP) Issue 18 (Nov. 1997), F-Zero 64 coverage on page 17.
• "Nintendo Magazine" (UK) Issue 62 (Nov. 1997), F-Zero 64 coverage on page 12.
• "Club Nintendo" (Chile) Issue 65 (Jan. 1998), F-Zero X coverage on pages 15-16.
• "Nintendo Magazine" (UK) Issue 68 (May 1998), F-Zero X coverage on pages 14-15.

CDs

• Nintendo E3 1997 press kit CD (contains 4 images of F-Zero 64)
• Edge Magazine Issue 50 CD (contains video of F-Zero 64 at E3)