Fanbase constantly demands Nintendo to bring back one of the coolest franchises ever. At the beginning of October, NIntendo startled everyone by releasing a gigantic update for F-ZERO 99, the game that brought us a crazy 99-player battle royale racing event last year. So, in a way, it was a game alive again for losers who thought it was over.
Indeed, the very first content of the official account of the American Nintendo reported the news: “For #NintendoSwitchOnline members, extra new content for F-ZERO 99 is available now!” The update, named ‘The Frozen Tour,’ comes with lots of stuff. The new tour event, Elite Ranking system, three new mystery courses, and even a BGM player to enjoy listening to the game’s excellent music are all part of the list. It is a bit much for a game that can, in a sense, be categorized as a privilege of NSO subscription.
Reactions like players shocked expressing their surprised feelings took over Twitter. One of the gamers, Sir Blader, perfectly described the typical shock by commenting: ‘I had the impression this game was done. :O’ Yes, I indeed thought the same about the game, buddy. Everybody saw it as a nice little trial, but actually, Nintendo is providing regular support. Another gamer, HiroesX81, just simply said, “The game just continues to get better,” which is indeed the mood.
It was but not surprising the first thing coming up in the discussions about F-Zero was the very thing gamers have been asking for the last two decades: a completely new F-Zero game. People replying to the tweet were sounding like a whole orchestra of begging voices. ‘Pretty please, just make a new F-Zero!!!! 😩😫’ cried biohazardfan07. ‘A new Switch 2 FZero Please! ❤️’ said ReckinBall. Then, Kābī added, ‘This is great but at the same time, could you alongside us provide a new one?’ That is a constant clamor of the F-Zero diehards.
A few gamers pointed out their wishes. User everybody suggested bringing back the classic Game Cube F-Zero GX, saying that Bandai Namco could handle it “as a warmup for a new F-Zero.” Cutlass_Stallion wrote in a comment that he would like ‘GX with 30-player online, 4K/60 fps, and weekly tournaments.’ He argued that Nintendo and Sega ‘wouldn’t have to spend ages in development to make these tweaks.’ Honestly, it’s a really tempting idea, especially when the powerful foundation might have already been laid.
Without question, the most exciting thing about the update is the new introduced mystery courses. Speculation and guesswork about what they could be have already begun among the players. A user with the nickname TrivialLight uploaded a screenshot with the assumption of Sand Ocean and Port Town having a new combined trail and calling it ‘Sand Town.’ ‘It is so beautiful; it is as though the Town of Ports at Dawn,’ was his comment. Another player, Dave Knox, was more than just happy as he tagged ‘Sand Port and Big Red’ as the top-notch tracks and was hopeful for other additions like ‘Metal Fort and a Joker League!’ in the future.
Coupled with that, there is some more speculation about what else might be included. Smashbro67 is hoping for ‘SNES Rainbow Road as a secret track,’ while mike2025 proposing an excellent idea: ‘What if you allow people to share their modded tracks online, just like you did with Mario Maker? A track editor then.’ Just imagine the craziness. 99 players on a user-generated death trap. Count me in for sure.
However, not every comment was delivered with excitement. There’s always one such person. Ingegnere347 merely asked, ‘Is this game still alive?’ Yes, Stefano. Yes, it actually is, and it’s getting more attention than some FULL PRICE games. Besides, there is Neroshade, the typical gamer who would ask ‘You know…120 fps would go really hard.’ We can only dream, Paul. We can only dream.
The update also subtly reassures that Nintendo has recognized this model’s worth. F-ZERO 99 was an unexpected hit, and it turned out that there was a considerable audience for this franchise even with the peculiar battle royale format. The launching of significant content after the release like new tours and rankings is the clearest signal of a commitment to sustaining the audience. This is more than just an emulation release with one-and-done.
So what’s the meaning of all this? It states F-ZERO 99 is still alive. The Frozen Tour is already on for every Nintendo Switch Online member. You are welcome to come, try your luck in climbing the new Elite Ranking, and get wiped out on the three newly introduced mystery courses. For more on exciting new content in other franchises, check out the latest on PlayStation and Xbox platforms.
