I played a lot of F-Zero GX throughout my high school years, and with a Switch 2 now at my disposal, I am free to revisit those years through the Gamecube emulator. The experience has rapidly aged me, as I sound like a high school football star past their prime as I reminisce: “I used to be so good at this.”

In high school, I had cleared all the story content on very hard, unlocked all the AX racers, beaten staff ghosts, you name it. Now, my eyes water as I tear up the track. My hand has an errant twitch and I go careening into a wall, or sailing off into the sparkling cityscape hundreds of feet below the track. I cannot believe that I was ever so competent at this game. I put so much time into it, and some of those skills survive, but many of them have atrophied away from playing more leisurely titles.

I cannot spend the entirety of this entry remembering how things used to be though. How is F-Zero GX in 2026? 23 years (!) later, this is still the pinnacle of racing games. This doesn’t have the big couch appeal of a Mario Kart, or a keen eye for realism that more technical racers bring to the table, but F-Zero GX is the distilled essence of what an arcade styled racer should be. Every second is crucial, and it demands unwavering focus. I am not the most animated person when I play games, especially alone, but I found myself often uttering “Hell yeah” as a final boost propelled me into first place, mere milliseconds in front of second.

F-Zero GX released in tandem with it’s arcade version, F-Zero AX, which are very similar to each other. AX even had a Gamecube memory slot where you could slot a memory card in to unlock the exclusive arcade content back in your copy of GX. I have hazy memories of playing an AX cabinet somewhere ages ago, and I’d love for the chance to get behind that wheel again someday, but aging cabinets full of steering wheels, pedals and intricate parts are likely in disrepair by now. If anyone knows where an AX cabinet is on the west coast, shout me out.

But I digress, the home version is still incredible. The game has a few different modes, but all of them demand the best of your piloting skills. Whether it’s nail-biting grand prixes, time trials, or the aggravatingly difficult story mode, the game is waiting to test your mettle around every corner. Beyond the racing offerings, F-Zero also offers custom machine options, and a small in game shop to spend tickets on parts and new pilots. Even the options menu is to be celebrated: GX is the rare game from 2003 to offer a widescreen mode, which means this game still looks great on modern televisions. (The switch 2’s CRT filter is also pretty nifty!). Whenever I go to fiddle with emulators on my computer, GX has always been one of the first games I test out, but it’s hard to beat the convenience and comfort of finally playing it on a couch once again.

I really want to shout this game out from the rooftops. The Switch 2 had a disproportionately strong first year for racing games. Mario Kart, Air Riders, and even the new Sonic racing game have all received praise, but I think there’s room for GX in the modern conversation. Dig your Wii out of the garage, emulate it on a PC, a Switch 2, or one of those cool emulation handhelds, just find a way to take the Blue Falcon for a spin this year. Rarely do I step away from a racing game feeling so accomplished from the smallest of feats.