F-Zero #9 Futuristic Formula 1 Racing

1. Mute City I, Knight League

Size: Medium
Difficulty: Easy

Mute City is a heavily populated fictional city on Earth in the F-Zero series. The over one billion people living in Mute City consist of all kinds of sentient life. Its original name was Mutant City from which the current name is abbreviated. The city is the most famous stop on the F-Zero Grand Prix and has courses in almost every F-Zero game to date. The only exception being that of the Game Boy Advance game, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, where it was replaced by Bianca City. A large deposit of pure titanium was discovered at Bianca City forty years prior to its events. As a result, the village became a boomtown overnight. As it grew, it gradually replaced Mute City as the center of economic, political, and cultural activity in the galaxy.

Mute City I is the very first of the fifteen playable tracks featured in F-Zero and the very first to be featured in the Knight League Grand Prix. It is the only track of the trio to be set during the daytime.

The track begins on a long straightaway, where the only available Health Strip is located along the far left side. A shallow yet sharp turn to the upper-right will then emerge, sporting a thin Grit Zone on the left side. Go straight for a little while and then another, smaller turn similar to the last one will appear, with the Grit Zone remaining on the left side(only slightly thickened). The track will immediately widen following this turn and then throw a wide, curved turn to the right about halfway down it. Follow this new straightaway for a short while and then the track will thin down again. From this point, follow the long straightaway(which offers a Jump Plate halfway through).

At the end of it, the track will drastically widen(triangually)to another right turn, where a large, triangular Grit Zone will show up to your right. As you move on down this turn, a second triangular Grit Zone will be located to your left(while extra-thick Grit Zones inhabit the right-end corner/entire far-right side). At that point, a second shallow-yet-sharp turn to the right will come up, which will then have you driving down a straightaway with thick Grit Zones on either far side of the track! At the end of that section, the now-thick track will make a shallow-yet-sharp turn to the left and then quickly transition into a smooth, hook-shaped turn(with varying thicknesses of Grit Zones on either side of the track the whole time). After completing the turn, the track will noticably narrow down and lose all of it is Grit Zones. Keep up with the straightaway that will follow and the finish line will soon appear.

Practice Mode + Golden Fox as your rival for a double-bump opener. In the S-corner with the dirt, you can cut off the left patch of dirt by driving on the extremely thin line between the rail and the dirt. (Bianca City anyone?). Very hard to do but it will get a few tenths off the opening lap if you managed to limit your speed loss. On the next laps, stick close to the right rail, ignore the jump plate and use your boost when you get at the S-corner. You can now cross the two dirt sections in a straight line without losing speed. Approach the final hairpin from the left and cut it as close as you can with a blast turn without touching the inside dirt.

Mute City I is the first and easiest circuit in the game. No real surprises on the way. Go flat out around turns 1, 2 and 3. Use your turbo here just before reaching the jump plate, then hit the plate, hold down to get more air and speed and avoid losing speed when you land, then cut to the right and cut off turns 4 and 5 going over the light rough. This saves quite a bit of time and yout turbo should just run out as you leave turn 5. Finally you have a short left-hander into a right hairpin. Stay as close to the left through turn 7 then slow down a tiny bit and hold Right + R to go around the hairpin. Avoid the thick rough on the exit and try not to hit the barriers. It takes a bit of practice to get right but this circuit is very simple really.

Turbo: Use before hitting the jump plate about half way around the track and save yourself plenty of time by cutting the next two corners!

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2. Blue City, Knight League

Practice Mode + Golden Fox as your rival (you get the idea) All corners on this track are pretty easy and can be cleared with just a few taps on the accelerator. Always stick as close as possible to the rails while doing so. Again, boost in front of the dirt sections so you can drive over them and cut the corners a bit sharper without losing speed. If you are good enough, try cutting some rail as well to gain those final tenths of seconds.

It is set on a planet made up almost entirely of water. It is fairly simple and can be taken, with practice, entirely flat out. The corners are all fairly easy, but through the last 2 corners a new hazard is introduced: the anti-magnetic coating which causes your car to slide out of control. Go flat out through turns 1 to 4. On the exit of turn 4, just before meeting the straight with rough on either side, use your turbo and cut across the rough on the insides of turns 6 and 7. Go flat out around turns 8 to 13, and you should reach a tight-ish right-hand corner. Use Right + R to take it without losing speed, then move to the right of the track for turn 15. This is a 90-degree left hander which has quite a narrow circuit. Use Left + L to take it flat out, and try not to clip the inside of the corner when going around it. Turns 16 and 17 have the anti-magnetic coating on them, so do not turn too sharply and do not use the L or R buttons.

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3. Sandy Ocean, Knight League

Practice mode + Golden Fox. Have the Fox hit you the first time on your right back side so it will catch up more quickly. It should give you the second bump just before the first right turn. Use a blast turn after the second bump to regain control and get through this corner. Stay in the center of the short zig-zag section and avoid the rails Approach the tricky hairpin that follows from the right and cut it as close as you can (you may want to let go off the accelerator for half a sec) On later laps, boost immediately after you have cleared it. Take the next right turn as tight as possible (try and cut the inside rail) A short tap on the brake can come in handy here. The rest of the corners are easy enough to clear with just a few taps on the accelerator although the last one might give you some trouble if you are not on the ideal line. Avoid touching the rails here at all times!

Sand Ocean is a tricky circuit. It is extremely narrow in places and has some devilishly tight turns. The pits is on the right-hand side of the circuit on this level, unlike in Mute City and Big Blue. Go flat out rough turn 1, then turn 2 is a hairpin right. Use Right + R to go through it as quickly as possible, but beware as there is some rough on the exit of the corner so turn sharper to avoid it. Go flat out through the twisty corners, then you reach turn 8 - a very tight hairpin left. You need to stick to the far right of the circuit on the way in, then slow down and hold Left + L to get around the corner. Try to use as much of the track as possible to go around quickly. Go flat out through turn 9 then into the double open right-hander of turns 10 and 11 - Count them as two separate corners although they do pretty much form one continous right-hander. The track narrows on the way out so be cautious. Then stick to the middle of the circuit avoiding the rough. Now there are lots of open corners which can be taken at full speed. One to watch out for is turn 16, the long, long left-hander. It can be taken at high speed although you may need to use Left + L if your car is understeering too much. Then you will come up to turn 18 - a tough right-hand hairpin. It is narrow on the way in, then the track widens through the middle, and then it narrows again on the exit Use Right + R to turn sharply, and you may need to use some brake to avoid hitting the barriers at the edge of the circuit. Finally go flat out round turn 19 and you are done.

Turbo: This circuit is not very turbo friendly. You can use it after turn 18 when crossing the finish line, or after turn 2, on the way down to the tight hairpin. If you use it here, make sure it will have run out by the time you reach the hairpin or you hit the barriers without a doubt.

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4. Death Wind I, Knight League

Training Mode + Blue Falcon (works better here than Golden Fox). Pretty hard to get it to work: you have to swerve extremely left after the start and hope the Falcon will hit your right back side. It should then catch up again in between the dirt patches for that time-saving second bump. Hitting the 3 boost arrows on each lap is essential. Beware of the wind gusts which throw you off-line: compensate by steering a little bit into the direction of the gusts to keep straight. Avoid touching the rail after a boost arrow or your speed will drop back much faster than normal Boost past the start line in front of the first right dirt patch: that way you can stay very close to the right side going over the dirt and take the first corner very tight , even cutting the inside rail. Try and hug the other right corners as closely as possible.

Death Wind I is a great fun circuit. It introduces the speed arrows which when hit launch your car to speeds of over 900km/h. Also however, a strong crosswind blows our car about making it feel unstable. The wind blows from left-to-right as you start, and the other way around when going down the opposite straight. Go forwards from the start, avoid the areas of rough as best as you can (hard with the crosswind) and go around turn 1 and 2. Around here is the first speed arrow to hit. It is placed dead center of the circuit and you must hit it fairly exactly. Near the end of the straight is another speed arrow to hit, then the pits which is put into the middle of the circuit for no good reason. It is narrow here, so try as best to avoid other cars and then press Right + R to go around turn 3. It widens before turn 4. Take this corner flat out then hit the third speed arrow which is just after the exit of turn 4. The speed will carry you through to the finish line and back to the area of rough again. Use your turbo through here and cut across the rough to overtake people. A simple circuit.

Turbo: Use just after crossing the start/finish line to allow you to drive faster over the rough.

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5. Silence, Knight League

Training mode + Golden Fox. Have it hit you on the right side again the first time or it won't catch up quickly enough for a second bump. When the track splits, take the shorter left path between the mines but be very carefull that you do not miss the jump plate when turning left or you'll be forced to drive over the dirt. In the middle of the track you'll be faced with a very tricky hairpin: Steer sharply left into the first part with a well-timed blast turn, then switch to the right and rail bounce into the left rail as you exit the corner. Boost a few seconds after bouncing back on the short straight and speed toward the final hairpin-section. The best way to get through here is to entirely let go off the accelerator. With the accelerator off you can easily guide the Stingray through the corner and there is no need for rail bouncing. Press the accelerator again once you have cleared the hairpin: the boost should still be active for a few seconds and put you back at max speed, ready for the next lap.

Silence is a bugger of a circuit. It is made up almost entirely of right-angled corners. This is one of the few circuits where the Fire Stingray is not the fastest craft. It has to slow down too much to go around the tight corners. Go through turns 1 and 2 flat out, then you reach a fork in the track. They both lead to the same place so do not worry too much. If you take the right-hand route then you will go around an open left-hander which can be taken flat out. If you take the left route you cut of a bit of the track but there are mines on either side of the road here, and you have to turn sharply left coming out of the corner. Which ever route you take, you come up to a jump plate on the far left of the track, going over some rough. Press down to get more air and clear the rough, or you will slow down considerably. Then use Left + L to go around the next corner. Then slow down a bit to go through the chicane. Then use Right + R to go around turn 7. Next you come up to a horrid, extremely tight, chicane. Go to the far right of the circuit and slow down quite a lot, then use Left + L and Right + R to get around the nasty corner. You will need to take it at about 300km/h or you will crash into the barriers. Then accellarate toward the nasty corner ahead. Go to the far right of the track and then slow down a little bit, to about 350km/h. Turn left, then when you are near the exit of the corner, slow down a bit more as it tightens on the exit. Then accellarate, and go to the left of the track. Finally there is this tricky chicane. It is not too tight so you should be able to take it at fairly high speed. Silence needs a lot of practice to drive well and so I would strongly recommend going for a drive in practice mode before doing a grand prix if you are finding it tough.

Turbo: It best used just after turn 1. There is a long enough section without tight corners for you to use your turbo, but like Sand Ocean, this track is not turbo friendly.

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1. Mute City II, Queen League

Mute City II is the sixth of the fifteen playable tracks featured in F-Zero and the very first to be featured in the Queen League Grand Prix. It is the only track in the game to be set during the evening, on the brink of the sunset.

The track begins on a long, wide straightaway similar to Mute City I, then diverts in an upper-right diagonal direction to another, shorter straightaway. Take another upper-right diagonal turn and the track will slightly widen and carry you on through an even shorter straightaway before taking a sudden sharp, clean turn to the right. Follow a short straightaway from here as the track gradually thins out and then transitions into a perfect circle shape, allowing you to choose two different routes to take: either left or right(both of which will lead you to the same point). After exiting the circle, you'll head straight and into a Jump Plate and take an easy right turn as the entire track gradually balloons in size, making smooth turns a breeze! You'll then take a left turn on this large track, hit another Jump Plate as you momentarily head straight, then make another upper-right diagonal turn onto another lengthy straightaway.

Upcoming from this point will be a sharp, smooth, curved turn to the right at the end of the road(echoing Mute City I again), which will steer you to a final straightaway as the track slightly shaves down again in size, where the finish line will soon follow!

Mute City II is the first circuit in the Queen League, and it is nearly identical to MC1, except that the city below is orange, not blue, and there is a huge loop in the track. After exiting turn 3 you come up to a huge circle on the road. You can go either left or right, both are the same distance and both lead to the same place. After the circle is the jump plate that you used in MC1 to make up time, except it has been shifted furthur down the track. Use your turbo before the jump plate and then use it to jump over the rough at the inside of turn 4. Cut across the rough of turn 5 (like you did before) then hit the jump plate at the exit of this corner and cut off some of turn 6. This is difficult to explain in writing, but when you race on this track it all becomes clearer. Mute City II is great fun.

Turbo: Effectively the same place as MC1. Use after the big oval in the track before hitting the jump plate.

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2. Port Town I, Queen League

Port Town I is a shortened version of Port Town II which can be raced in practice mode. Race the longer circuit and you should have no problems here as the two are pretty much identical. Use your trubo before the first small jump plate on the right of the track, and hold down whilst going over the two jumps to get extra speed. The first 4 corners of this track aren't too taxing, and can all be taken at full speed. Turn 5 is a tricky right-hander.

You may need to slow down a touch and use Right + R to get around it. After turn 6, a new hazard is introduced - magnetic beams, which are on one side of the track and they try to pull your craft toward them. If you touch them you lose power and it is hard to escape once drawn in. The first one is on the left side of the track so stick to the right-hand side of the track to avoid being pulled in. Then go around turn 7 - the easy left-hander and you reach a magnetic beam on the right. Stick to the left side of the track on the way out of turn 7 to avoid being dragged about, then there is a third beam on the left hand side of the track, so move to the right-hand side, to avoid being draged in. The beams are a pain, but once you get used to them and the force they have on your craft, they aren't too hard to avoid. Just needs practice. The last three corners can all be taken flat out with the use of the shoulder buttons.

Turbo: Use before hitting the first small jump plate after the 'pits' then hold down to gain more speed off the following two jumps.

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3. Red Canyaon I, Queen League

Red Canyon I is a tricky circuit to race on. It is all high speed but has some tough corners to get past, and it all goes along to a funky soundtrack! Take turn 1 flat out, then turn 2 is a tricky hairpin right, which you will need to slow down a bit for. There is some light rough on the inside which you can cut off fairly easily without losing speed. Turns 3 and 4 are also tricky hairpins which you may need to slow down a bit for. The next section introduces down-pull magnets. When flying through the air, if you go over these they pull your car downwards, like the magnetic beams on Port Town I. If you touch them then they do big damage to your craft. Use your turbo here, and hit as many jump plates as possible. Be careful not to fly off the track though. Next comes a tough right turn, followed by a tough left turn. Take these as fast as possible, then you will find a straight with rough on either side. Because the rough is patchy you can safely cut across it without losing much time. Then go around the next two right turns flat out to finish the lap. Red Canyon I is probably the most difficult track in the Queen League (except maybe White Land II) so do not be upset if you do not win first time round.

Turbo: Nowhere in particular stands out on this circuit. The best place is probably on the start/finish straight or when going over the jumps and down-pull magnets. Either way no real gain is made on either.

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4. White Land I, Queen League

White Land I is a very easy circuit, mostly flat out and with few tricky corners. You can take turns 1, 2 and 3, flat out and then you come across Turn 4 which is a strange left-hand hairpin. There is rough on the inside and outside and magnetic-block coating on the entire corner, so it is not as wide as it seems. Be sparing with your use of Left+L here as your craft can spin out of control easily. Next comes a straight with patchy rough along the width of the track and lots of jumps and down-pull magnets. Use your turbo here to avoid losing speed but be careful over the jumps as the track is narrow and it is surprisingly easy to fly off the track completely. Next comes turn 5 which is an easy left-hander to be taken flat out and that leads into a series of open corners which is pretty much a bendy straight. That leads into Turn 6 which is a right-hand hairpin with magnetic-block coating. Like Turn 4, be sparing with your use of Right+R and slow down to avoid spinning out and into the barriers. Fortunately there is a wide area on the outside of the corner so it can be taken a little faster than it first seems. Finally there is a series of small corners which can all be taken flat out, leading back to the start line.

Turbo: Use of the straight with all the jumps after Turn 4, just be careful not to jump off the circuit completely.

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5. White Land II, Queen League

White Land II bears almost no resembelance to White Land I at all, except for the setting. The first 4 corners are all easy and can be taken flat out. Turn 5 is a tricky hairpin right which has magnetic coating on it and rough on the outside. Slow down and either do not use the R button, or coast around the corner without pressing the accellerator. Either way you should avoid slipping out of control. Next comes up a hairpin left, which you can cut off a bit by going across the 'barriers' at the edge of the track - you will see what I mean when you get there. Next comes a right-hander followed by another left-hand hairpin which you can cut across. After this come 3 corners which can be taken flat out and then a tricky left-hander. Immediately afterwards comes a big jump across the track. You need to be carrying quite a lot of peed when going over here and you will *need* to hold Down to get more flight over the jump otherwise you won't make it. Also I would recommend using your turbo here if you have got one to be doubley sure to make the jump. Next comes two right-handers which lead back to the main straight again. Personally I hate this circuit as the strange corners and big jump I find just strange and do not let the track flow. Oh well.

Turbo: Use just before the huge jump in the track, no doubt about it!

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1. Mute City II, King League

Size Medium
Difficulty Normal

Mute City III is the eleventh of the fifteen playable tracks featured in F-Zero and the very first to be featured in the King-league Grand Prix. It is one of four tracks in the game to be set during total nighttime hours.

The track begins on a similar straightaway to the previous two Mute City tracks, with the exception of it being the longest of the three, widening out slightly in the middle. The end of this straightaway will turn diagonally toward the upper-right, then lead on down a shorter straightaway before making a repeat of this turn onto a gradually-widened piece of track(with a solid Grit Zone lining the far left side of the track the entire time). You'll then move on for a short ways and then make a shallow, curved turn to the right. With the track at the same length, you'll follow straight for a short ways before the track noticably thins out, offering up obstacles in the forms of large, dents in the track forcing some attentive maneouvering in order to maintain a top speed! After working through this straightaway, you'll enter a wide-open area, with super-thick Grit Zones on either side of the track as you make an easy right turn into a field of hindersome Track Mines.

Successfully swerve through them as you move on and quickly make an equally-easy left turn onto a clear stretch of consistently-thick track, move ahead a short ways, and then make a shallow, upper-right diagonal turn onto a wide straightaway(with the surrounding Grit Zones still remaining). This will eventually lead you into a smooth u-turn that has been seen in every Mute City track so far, which will send you on a final straightaway to the finish line as the track thins out once more and every last trace of the Grit Zones disappear.

Mute City III is just a step harder than Mute City II, although it is probably the easiest in King League. If you follow the advice for Mute City I then you should be fine. Be especisally careful when going through the mines. Stick to the middle of the circuit and make sure you do not hit any flashing cars. When crossing the rough areas that you do not hit any mines here. Try to stick to the same path through this area each lap.

Turbo: Use in the same place as the other two Mute City tracks, just be a little more careful this time when passing the mines.

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2. Death Wind II, King League

Death Wind II is very similar to the first circuit, except there is a twisty part instead of the second long straight. The cross wind is there too which just makes this circuit just harder still. Avoid the rough areas at the start and use your turbo here to cut down the effect of the cross wind. After the second corner there is a left turn followed by a right turn. You will need to slow down here, and there is a Dash Zone on the inside of the right turn. Because the circuit is so twisting, I would strongly advise you to NOT hit this, as it will send your car into the walls at high speed. There is then another chicane afterwards which is more open, but also has a dash zone on the inside of the right turn, which should also be avoided. Go flat out through the next two corners, and then there is a tight right to-left-chicane. You will need to slow down here, and there is a dash zone on the outside of this chicane too, which I would again advise avoiding. Finally an easier chicane which can be taken flat out, and you rejoin the old circuit just before the 'Pits'. Go around the next two corners flat out and this time hit the final dash zone to go over the start/finish line. This circuit is quite narrow, so be careful. I would say this is the second hardest circuit in the game, behind the awesome Fire Field.

Turbo: Use in the same place as DW1, after the start line so you can drive across the rough faster. Anywhere else would spell d-i-s-a-s-t-e-r.

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3. Port Town II, King League

Follow the guide to PT1 here, as the two circuits are identical apart from the end bit which is more twisting and difficult in PT2. Just before the last right-hand corner in PT1, there is a hairpin left. You will need to slow down and use Left + L to take this. Next is a slightly easier hairpin right, but you will still need to slow down a bit. Next comes a chicane which you can easily take at full speed. Just be careful if you intend to overtake anyone here as it is quite narrow. Then the track tightens into a smooth right-hander. Again this can be taken at full speed. Finally there is a tricky left-right chicane. This CAN be taken at full speed, using L and R to help steer, but it requires quite a bit of practice. Finally the track widens and crosses the start/finish straight. As the different part of the track is so twisting, use your turbo down the straight to help you get over the jump plates at the beginning.

Turbo: Exactly the same place as PT1. Use after the 'pits' to get more speed off the jumps.

NOTE: If you leave the menu screen without touching any buttons for a while, it will show a practice lap of this circuit in the Blue Falcon. It is impressive to see how close they cut to the side of the track without hitting it!

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4. Red Canyaon II, King League

This is one of my favourite circuits. It is not that hard to race on, is nice and wide, and there is an impressive shortcut which means you will win almost every time! The beginning bit of the lap is identical to RC1. When you come to the area of jump plates and down-pull magnets, do NOT use your turbo here. Instead go over the jump plates as usual and then just afterwards there is a short straight. Use your turbo here and then you come to a right-to-left chicane. Instead go straight on, seemingly into the wall and there is a jump plate hidden here. Hold down and you will hit a large blue arrow on the side of the track which will launch your craft safely back onto the track. Hold down when you land to avoid losing speed when you come crashing back to earth. Next there is a right turn which can be taken flat out followed by a straight with jagged edges. Then there is another right turn to take flat out, followed by a tricky left-to-right chicane. You will probably need to slow down here, but with practice it is an easy corner to make. Go flat out round the last two bends and you will rejoin the old track.

NOTE: On the first lap you do not have a turbo therefore you will be unable to make the shortcut. In this case take the corner and pick your way through the mines.

Turbo: Read the guide! Just before the shortcut.

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5. Fire Field, King League

This is the last circuit, and it is the only one you do not race, in some form, in an earlier league. Fire Field is very long. It takes a good 5 minutes to complete a full race, and the pit lane is hidden away in a neat corner, but you will almost certainly have to use it as this track is littered with hazards. Immediately you come across mines on the first straight. I find the easiest way to avoid them is to stick to the far left. This puts you in a good position for the first corner too, a tricky hairpin right. Take this as fast as possible and go through turns 2 and 3 flat out too. Then you come across a tighter hairpin right, followed immediately by a hairpin left with rough on the inside. Getting through these two is very hard, but it helps if you slow down on the way into turn 4, and then stick to the inside of the corner on the exit, getting you in a good position for the tricky turn 5. This is then followed by a straight with patchy rough dotted about on either side. This is probably the best time to use your turbo as you can cut across the rough without losing speed, and the next corner is open and can be taken at speed. Next comes yet another hirpin right, followed by a hairpin left. Both of these you will need to slow down for. Turn 9 is a gradual right turn with rough on the outside of part of it. It is a very easy corner to take at speed. Stick to the inside all the way through to put you in a good position for turn 10. Turns 10 and 11 are open corner which can be taken at speed. Next comes a gradual left corner with Magnetic Block Coating on the inside. Stick to the outside of the corner so you do not slide around on the red stuff! Then turns 13 and 14 are fairly easy and can be taken at high speed. Next is a straight where the road splits in two and there are side-pull magnets on the inside of both. It is quite tight through here so be careful. At the end of this straight is a right turn. If you continue straight on through this corner there is a second part of the track where the pits are hidden away. Try to hit the thin strip of pit on the entrance to maximise the effect of the pits, and after it there is a dash zone which makes up for any lost time you sustained going the long way round the last corner.

This circuit is extremely tough to get round. It will probably take more than one go to finish in one piece. The only advice I can give is to be a little more safe than usual. Take the tight corners slowly and use the start/finish straight to do most of your overtaking. Good luck!

Turbo: Hmm, tricky one this. Fire Field does not really have any places where a Turbo is particularly beneficial. The best time is probably after Turn 5 on the straight as it will allow you to go through the patchy rough quicker.

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