Edit this page Zero Racers screenshot from Nintendo Power / Zero Racers screenshot first published in Nintendo Power magazine's 2-page preview. This version restored by the Art of Nintendo Power project and featured in Did You Know Gaming?'s video "LOST Nintendo Games". / Image credit: Nintendo

Zero Racers is a canceled futuristic racing game featuring wireframe graphics and characters from the F-Zero series. Nintendo developed Zero Racers for the Virtual Boy around 1996, but did not release the title due to the commercial failure of that platform.

Company and staff credits

Developer

Platform comparison

Platform Released Interfaces Target FPS Video Sound
Virtual Boy Canceled - 50 - -

Game details

Also known as
  • G-Zero (working title)
Genres

Gameplay and content

The Spaceship racers in Zero Racers can fly up and down as well as steering left and right. This is a departure from the F-Zero series, in which vehicles cannot fly.

Zero Racers gameplay was described by Nintendo of America localizer Jim Wornell as being like "F-Zero in a tunnel".

Story, characters, and setting

According to Nintendo of America localizer Jim Wornell, Zero Racers was to feature characters from the F-Zero series including Captain Falcon, James McCloud (a human version of Fox McCloud from Star Fox), Jody Summer, as well as alien that Wornell believed was Pico.

Development and pre-release

Development of Zero Racers was complete according to Nintendo of America localizer Jim Wornell, who told DidYouKnowGaming?: "Zero Racers was done. We had a complete manual, package and label done for the game. It went through LOT check, it had an ESRB rating. It was complete."

Publishing

Zero Racers was created as part of a re-launch of the flagging Virtual Boy platform, but was never published. Nintendo canceled Zero Racers and abandoned the Virtual Boy in 1996.

Graphics and visual design

Zero Racers featured 3D wireframe graphics and the Virtual Boy's signature red and black colour palette.

References

  1. McFerran, D. (2022, February 28). Mythical Virtual Boy F-Zero Spin-Off Was 100% Complete, According To Former NOA Staffer. Nintendo Life. Hookshot Media. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/02/mythical-virtual-boy-f-zero-spin-off-was-100percent-complete-according-to-former-noa-staffer.
  2. Gill, S. (2022). LOST Nintendo Games [video]. DidYouKnowGaming?. . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rMVsAZpLMc.
  3. Planet Virtual Boy (n.d.). Zero Racers. https://www.virtual-boy.com/games/zero-racers/.

Written content in this article ©2024 by Dbljump Editors is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. You are free to share or adapt this work, but you must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. View the license

Last updated