If you’re familiar with Shacknews lore, you know the F-Zero franchise holds a special place here. Coming into the year, F-Zero was undoubtedly one of the most dormant franchises at Nintendo, and longtime fans had nearly given up hope that a new installment would arrive any time soon. The community received the most pleasant of surprises during the September Nintendo Direct, where the company not only revealed F-Zero 99–a battle royale spin on the classic racer–but shadow dropped it the same day.
F-Zero 99 is the first game in the series since 2004’s F-Zero Climax for the Game Boy Advance. In the near 20 years since that release, Nintendo has revisited many of its lesser-known properties, but F-Zero never managed to make the cut. In fact, it became a running joke among fans that modern gamers probably think that Captain Falcon is a character that originated from Super Smash Bros.
Not only did F-Zero get an awesome comeback in 2023, it got an unexpected one. If anything, the release of F-Zero 99 is a good reason to never give up hope on that childhood franchise you’d like to see make a return.
Be sure to read over the rest of the Shacknews Awards in our Year of the Games: 2023 feature.
