Throughout my teen years, there was a really REALLY awesome arcade near me that took pride in providing the latest and greatest arcade experiences, and did a great job maintaining all their machines. They would not only keep the big classics in premium condition, but also get the newest in high-profile arcade action. Time Crisis, Tekken, Initial D,, you name it! This place had them all! They were usually imports of the Japanese cabinets, since they would arrive much sooner. People from across the East Coast would hoof it to this humble arcade in New Jersey.
One of those machines was motherfukken F-Zero AX! The premium cabinet with the moving seat, and this was about a month or so before the Gamecube counterpart hit store shelves. I was already a big fan of F-Zero X, so witnessing that big beautiful bastard show up at this arcade was a really significant point of my nerd-ass teens.
I will never forget the first time playing the simplest course for the first time, Mute City. The stunningly gorgeous graphics, the intense speed, the roaring sound design, and that INCREDIBLE remix to the familiar song! Hearing that guitar riff the first time, I want to cry just thinking about the dump truck of dopamine my brain experienced that very moment. It's something I've never felt before, and probably never will again. F-Zero AX still stands as the absolute PEAK of arcade racing goodness, everything about it is perfect.
I even remember getting the Gamecube game immediately when it released. They offered exclusive content if you brought your memory card to the arcade machine and insert it while playing! Unfortunately, the cabinet broke down the day after the game came out, so I wasn't able to even try that. Apparently there was a serious problem with the machine, so they sent it back. Never to be seen in that arcade again. Never did I experience the feeling of heaven-on-earth and then immediate heartbreak like that.
The only other time I've seen this machine was at MAGfest. If you ever go to MAGfest and want to find me, I'll likely be skulking around the F-Zero AX machine because that's all I want to play when I'm there.
One of those machines was motherfukken F-Zero AX! The premium cabinet with the moving seat, and this was about a month or so before the Gamecube counterpart hit store shelves. I was already a big fan of F-Zero X, so witnessing that big beautiful bastard show up at this arcade was a really significant point of my nerd-ass teens.
I will never forget the first time playing the simplest course for the first time, Mute City. The stunningly gorgeous graphics, the intense speed, the roaring sound design, and that INCREDIBLE remix to the familiar song! Hearing that guitar riff the first time, I want to cry just thinking about the dump truck of dopamine my brain experienced that very moment. It's something I've never felt before, and probably never will again. F-Zero AX still stands as the absolute PEAK of arcade racing goodness, everything about it is perfect.
I even remember getting the Gamecube game immediately when it released. They offered exclusive content if you brought your memory card to the arcade machine and insert it while playing! Unfortunately, the cabinet broke down the day after the game came out, so I wasn't able to even try that. Apparently there was a serious problem with the machine, so they sent it back. Never to be seen in that arcade again. Never did I experience the feeling of heaven-on-earth and then immediate heartbreak like that.
The only other time I've seen this machine was at MAGfest. If you ever go to MAGfest and want to find me, I'll likely be skulking around the F-Zero AX machine because that's all I want to play when I'm there.