F-Zero 99's New Update Is Now Live (Version 1.3.0), Here Are The Full Patch Notes

I get that Nintendo likes to make their games accessible for all players regardless of skill level, but I feel like these handicaps make the game unfair for people who are genuinely good at the game if you don't put them in a separate online queue. It annoys me with Mario Kart 8 as well. Imagine if they did that for Splatoon where if you suck, you can just turn on an auto-aim feature that keeps your shots from missing.

It kind of takes away the satisfaction of ranking up when you know you can just cheese it by changing the settings so it's virtually impossible to lose. Smash handled it the right way by having separate For Fun and For Glory modes, but I'm assuming this will be just like Mario Kart where there is no filter. Adding an easy mode to your single-player games is one thing, but I don't like this practice with online games.

I mean hey, least milking the GBA games will mean at least 2 more updates down the line (GP and the Japan Only Climax.)!

@Not_Soos
If it's implemented anything like Mario Kart it's not a huge advantage. I don't think anyone leaning heavily on the assist functions in Mario Kart is winning races. Short of their opponents being truly terrible or the RNG gods giving them the W. There's a huge difference between generally being on the track and having good lines

With that said, in F-Zero its much harder to avoid the edges. So if this mode removes that entirely then..... it'll automatically be better than a lot of lower level players. But again depends on how they do it. What speed? When does it kick in? It could easily be a disadvantage to the vast majority of players

Any chance of an offline mode so we can at least play the game once the servers are taken down.

i agree having an auto steering function really kills the sense of online competition, i hope it doesnt unbalance the rankings that much.

hopefully this will more so stop low level players from dying as early rather than cheese their way to high ranks, i imagine skilled players will keep this function off and take advantage of off road shortcuts and the general flexibility. i hate how limited MK feels with auto steering, i dont think any top player would have that on

@Not_Soos I agree! But also... I play Side Order with Auto Aim so amd wish it were in the online modes so I could actually have a chance with New Squiffer lol

Mirror mode could be the dumbest idea in the history of gaming, and I'm talking to you, Mario Kart. How does switching steering direction change anything other than be completely annoying? If Nintendo want to add variety without much hassle, reverse mode is the way to go, figuratively and literally! F-Zero would only need a few tweaks, notably zipper direction. Mario Kart could add cannons and zippers to clear gaps or reach higher parts of tracks.

This is excellent. Looking forward to expanded content, achievements could be fun to work towards, and now my girlfriend can work towards her progress on the game with a little help!

If anyone thinks that adding assisted steering means they’re going to beat Misa or Mengsk, I guarantee you that there is absolutely nothing to worry about.

It just helps players who struggle to struggle less - this is not going to cause an imbalance in the ranking ecosystem.

I do wonder how much this game is still being played honestly. Must be enough for Nintendo if they keep updating it like this. Either that or they just toss these updates out when the player base dips more then they would like.

@Yosher I've played F-Zero 99 fairly frequently since it first launched. I can tell you that on average there seems to be quite a bit fewer human players joining each race now than there were at the game's start.

I'm still happy that they are continuing to update the game though.

Great that they're adding more stuff, we really need that offline mode though and even better, what about a physical release a la Tetris 99? What about it Nintendo?

Are CPU players not designated such? If so I've still not seen any in any of my races, although it does seem that the numbers are down from maybe 50,000 users a week when the game first came out to perhaps 5,000 or so now?

Nice, this is good news. I play daily so new content will be very welcome. I'm not worried about these assist functions. If you're the type of player who needs them, you're probably not placing well to begin with. There's strategy and decision making involved in knowing when to hug the barriers and boost through obstacles, dangerous or not.

Mirror tracks are not just Mirror tracks, they have differences from their normal counterparts for obstacles.

@X68000 Tetris 99 eventually got a box release, and that was a success. Ideally, when the game is "feature complete" it will be put in a box with a NSO voucher. Apparently, EO3 is coming with a free week, and we don't have ANYTHING after June this year, so hopefully the "We Refuse to Bend the Knee to the False King Geoff" Summer Direct will include a nice little "H'YES!" for August or September.

The F-Zero love seems to be heating up lately and i love it. I can only hope it leads to a true revival in the near future.

@HalBailman Reverse mode is something I've wanted, even for Mario Kart, for the longest time. Much better concept to me than Mirror Mode.

@Liam_Doolan You have Steet Assist instead of Steer Assist in the article, just wanted to point that out.

@X68000 This is EXACTLY what I’ve been wanting for awhile now. After Mario 35, I don’t trust them with these “99” games, and them being preserved.

I would love a DLC pack with an offline mode, more tracks, more unlockables, and more achievements. I bought the DLC for Tetris 99 and PAC-Man 99, with zero regrets.

@HalBailman What’s wrong with Mirror Mode, especially as an option? It’s a nice change of pace, and it’s nice being thrown off at times.

It’s not racing, but take Ocarina of Time 3D for instance. The Master Quest variant is now mirrored, and everything being flipped gives the over world and dungeons a brand new feel, and a new take on gameplay.

Things feel off from your normal objective, and it’s pretty cool twist. Makes you think things a little differently. I do agree on Reverse Mode, though. Loved that in MKT.

I'm still playing F-Zero 99 daily and I'm very disappointed to see mirror tracks being added. These are objectively worse tracks (otherwise they'd be that way round already) and it's so lazy. It detracts from the game imo. I'll probably stop playing now because I can't be bothered to memorise another full set of tracks which will look and feel exactly the same.

I appreciate most will see it as an overreaction but I truly loathe mirror tracks lol.

@90sRetroGaming let's throw in some local multiplayer and how about some 2-4 player split screen action 👍

@Not_Soos For Glory wasn't for glory

@shake_zula that's literally what they do in every Mariokart, and no one complains.

@MeloMan Mariokart Tour did the reverse thing for every track in the game except GBA Bowsers Castle 4. Just look for the "R" at the end of the name. It's actually quite fun.

@SuperBro64 Has the difficulty changed with less human players?

@batmanbud2 yes mario kart is what made me hate it

@LinktotheFuture Kind of, though not really that much, as the human players still remaining are mostly the really good ones, and the CPUs, though varying in skill level, can be really good too.

Unfortunately, I don’t see them doing these at all, especially since it’d possibly mess with the framerate, especially in races above two players. Who knows. Would love to see it, though.

Downloading it now, hope they keep supporting this game!

@90sRetroGaming Mirror mode is no change. It serves no purpose other than to wreck your mind. The tracks remain the same. It's a cheap, nasty and lazy addition, especially when they might be part of completing a game. When your mind does adjust, then it's just repeating tracks.

I don't know about Ocarina. I'm only talking about racing games.

Love that mirror mode actually can go from minor changes to some pretty fundamental large changes. Mute City 1 is a pretty different beast, which I’m enjoying. Even the courses like Death Wind, which should be almost largely the same, have enough fun small differences to make it feel more refreshed than simply mirrored. Orb pylons and extra dash pads absolutely make each track and boost usage into a different strategy.

Digging it a ton so far.

Add BS tracks, include a proper SP mode and sell it as a full package. Please!

@X68000 so far only practice for regular/classic/mirror tracks with just ghosts, but not bots to emulate the 98 oponents

Steer assist?!?! Seems odd for this type of game.

@Not_Soos First they claim "Nothing will change in your life, an easy mode will not affect you in any way, just don't pick it", then they add an easy mode into the online modes that will totally affect those who don't want to pick it for a bigger challenge, seems they won't even add a speed handicap or something.

Games are all about variety, there are many situations where the whole charm was having only one difficulty mode and no easy option, there are also easy games where I want only one difficulty, I don't want a hard mode.

Next step is those "inclusivity options" not affecting even achievements and trophies, making sure they are worthless for achievement hunters, they are not about including disabled people and young kids, there are people without arms finishing games with their feet, and I managed to beat some hard games when I was a kid, it's all about pleasing people who just suck.

@Not_Soos @silberdamascus play classic mode if you're genuinely good at the game. There is your separate queue. F-Zero is a very hard game, and Nintendo is giving new players these options to help them get into it. As a new gamer, When I first started playing Mario Kart 8 in 2019, having the smart steering option was extremely helpful to me. Would having a separate queue in Mario Kart for "Pros only" make sense? I say yes. I'm sure that there will be something similar to a classic mode in future Mario Kart games.

Whew, that's a hefty update. I'll have to fire it up sometime soon.

@X68000 Just play F-Zero on the NES via NSO?