Prospect of a new F-Zero HD Switch Title?

[racketboy]

f-zero-future.jpg (39.87 KiB) Viewed 4246 times

I realize this is a tough subject as, for years, there are arguments that a proper game would...

Be difficult to see a proper return on investment

A portion of a SourceGaming interview with former Nintendo dev, Giles Godfrey...
SG: Are there any series from Nintendo that you would like to work on? How about a Star Fox?
GG: No. F-Zero would be an interesting one. I don’t think they would ever….because the expectations for these old-school games are so high now. The last F-Zero game was…F-Zero GX…and that was really expensive. It has to be bigger and better than F-Zero GX, and that would be a huge risk for them. Having said that…I really like the original F-Zero. I never got into GX as it felt more and more like Wipeout. The faster and more wide angle it got, the more Wipeout it felt. To me, F-Zero is all about those tight courses with the tight bends, and the skidding around and drifting. I’d love to go back and visit that kind of control scheme but make it a smaller experience. I don’t think they would as their current philosophy is just bigger and better.

Need a proper controller (per Miyamoto)

We see a lot of other designers who are kind of making more traditional racing-style games, so we try to focus on something that feels a little bit more gamey. So maybe if we create a new type of controller interface and we find that controller interface is particularly suited for F-Zero, then maybe we’ll do something again with it in the future.

However
A full HD, 60fps version of F-Zero would be amazing
F-Zero GX 60FPS 1440p on Dolphin Emulator https://youtu.be/CEo1D2Y57_U

If new installment is too expensive, what about a remake of GX?
Maybe create some new levels? Create some limited edition sets (maybe even deluxe sets with special controllers) to help monetize the investment.

A darker F-Zero could be a could alternative to the bright and cheerful Mario Kart franchise
Perhaps pull some inspiration for either a new series installment or additional levels from the likes of Blade Runner or TRON Legacy

There hasn't been a 3D portable F-Zero yet
I'm not really looking for a 3Ds version -- the Switch is the perfect opportunity to make both portable and console fans happy.

There have been less non-simulator racers lately leaving less competition
Yes, perhaps the market for non-sims is smaller now, but less competition leaves this as a new opportunity for Nintendo to bring back the franchise with strength.

Here's a nice editorial from a while back on this subject, but obviously the Switch and more time passing since GX makes the case stronger.
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/0 ... onto_wii_u

Thoughts?

[Segata]

Nintendo made an effort on Wii U. They asked Criterion to make a new one but they turned Nintendo down. Shin'en has said they don't want to make one either and are happy with Fast Racing series. I hope we get one but if by darker you mean GX then that's fine. For now, RMX will have to suffice.

[PartridgeSenpai]

Mario Kart just does SO well at eating up any space in the non-sim racing market, I'm not sure the financial investment could ever be worth it if they weren't just doing a port-job of X or GX (tbh I like X the best). It'd be cool to see what they'd do with it, but I'm just not convinced that with FRN out on their system, as well as Wipeout (still?) going on Sony's stuff that it's a market space they'd even be willing to approach again.

[Sarge]

The only way this gets revived (and I'm hoping it does) is to farm it out to a smaller dev on a smaller budget and see what happens. As Segata mentioned, the Fast Racing games are considered quite good, and I don't think they're breaking the bank on development costs.

[Segata]

If I remember right Shin'en is less than 20 people. For some reason 5 sticks out in my head. I could've sworn somewhere in an interview, possibly E3 the whole team was there and it was 5 guys.

[ElkinFencer10]

An HD remaster of GX would be fine with me!

[Exhuminator]

There are a few quotes in recent years from Miyamoto, saying Nintendo doesn't know what to do with F-Zero. He feels the series reached a dead end creatively, and isn't sure Nintendo could make a great new F-Zero at this point. What I believe is F-Zero never sold like Zelda, Mario, or Kirby did, and it's not necessarily lucrative enough to be worth the hassle. It's also possible Miyamoto isn't a personal fan of F-Zero and has some kind of bias against it. So lack of sales and bias from a Nintendo big wig = not an easy path to new F-Zero material. And that's just sad because F-Zero is my all time favorite racing series.

There's plenty of creative things Nintendo could do with F-Zero. Just a few ideas:

• Players can create their own custom pilot, not just choose stock pilots.
• Players can design their own hovercars, at least modifying color, decals, and mechanical load-outs (upgrades).
• Players can create their own race track designs and share them online.
• Players can race local split-screen or competitively online.
• Players can race against the "ghosts" of top racers from the online leader boards.
• A series of cup (jack/queen/king, etc.) races that unlock incremental hovercar upgrades (for competitive racing).
• Captain Falcon's Falcon Punish!; a ladder of 100 short but increasingly hard challenges (to unlock new hovercar colors/decals).
• F-Zero History Circuit; a huge cup that includes every F-Zero track from all previous F-Zero games.
• F-Zero Battle Royale Mode; arena style tracks that let players race while attacking with ferocious weapons.
• A lengthy single player story mode, with boss races, and fun cutscenes.

"I think where I struggle is that I don't really have a good idea for what's new that we could bring to F-Zero that would really turn it into a great game again." (source)

Maybe let someone else behind the wheel, Miyamoto-san?

[Tanooki]

I pretty much like your list, and I remember Miyamoto grudging on it as well lying (to me) there was nowhere to go.

If someone like you who is nothing to them can fire off a list that meaty and we know they're not the idiots ignoring the franchise makes them look to be, it has to have some motivation to bury it outside of dumb Smash Bros nods.

Your idea list is mostly fresh, but on the GBA(Climax) and N64(DD expansion) they already had track creation from nothing, saving multiple courses too including on GBA with a huge save space given and they could be at some level shared, just not tossed around online. I thought FZ GX had local split screen on that while the older stuff did not, but the GBA games did have local between handhelds chained together. Ghosts exist too, just not online shared, which they lifted from Mario Kart.

The idea of making your own character and car has never been touched and makes so much sense and it's crazy they'd exclude it as they have the tools right down to the tweaking of A-D ratings on cars and the slider of speed vs acceleration. The idea of more parts earned like some higher tier normal car games do like Gran Tourismo is not a bad idea either. Aping Mario kart having all the courses thrown in and brought to 21st century polish would be nice if the handling, size, and muscle memory of the courses would be retained (ie: nice coat of paint update only) would be fantastic.

That list works. It seems it's more a money reason and has been. Hell Sega did GX not Nintendo, so they haven't tried since Climax on the GBA and those tools even left that alone in Japan too which is criminal as it's the only excellent one on the GBA (I imported it.)

[alienjesus]

The idea of making your own character and car has never been touched and makes so much sense and it's crazy they'd exclude it as they have the tools right down to the tweaking of A-D ratings on cars and the slider of speed vs acceleration.

You could make your own car in F-Zero GX

[marurun]

I think Nintendo recognizes that Mario Kart is their premier racing series, and that because F-Zero isn't serious simulation-style racing that it sort of puts it in competition, at least in some ways, with Mario Kart. I don't think Nintendo wants to risk any competition with Mario Kart. F-Zero GX on GC just cemented that if you make F-Zero more hardcore it ends up being a bit like Wipeout (not a lot, but enough to worry Nintendo). Maybe the key would be to return to something they tried on the GBA game: incorporate more story. Pick a pilot and follow them through events. Make it RPG-like and let you tweak and power-up your craft. As long as they include an "arcade mode" where you can continue to race all the classic pilots and ships against each other, I don't think anyone would mind having to use a new character with unique ship selection.