![F-Zero](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.timeextension.com/7873ab209473b/f-zero.900x.jpg)
F-Zero fans are in for a treat! Over the weekend, it was revealed (via DidYouKnowGaming) that members of the game's community have released a new patch for the original Super Nintendo game that successfully restores courses and other data from two lost F-Zero titles for the Japan-exclusive Nintendo Satellaview.
In case you're unaware of what the Satalleview is (here's our article on it) or need a quick refresher, it was essentially a satellite-based service that came about after Nintendo invested in a Japanese broadcasting company named St. Giga in the early '90s and allowed users to download games and other data to the Super Nintendo with the help of a peripheral that was attached to the bottom of the console. Two cartridges were required to access these games: a BS-X cartridge (which featured an interactive menu that allowed users to explore a town to access different types of data), and an 8mbit memory pack (which could be constantly overwritten with new games).
The service first began broadcasting in 1995 and continued through to 2000 (though Nintendo stopped supplying new software in 1998 after St. Giga's management failed to apply for a broadcasting license and rejected Nintendo's proposal to reduce the firm's capital to wipe out its accumulated debts).
F-Zero BS Grand Prix 1 and BS Grand Prix 2 were just two of the games that were offered on the service and were broadcast between 1996 and 1997. Collectively, they delivered four new machines, 10 new courses, and a "ghost" feature, and included live commentary from radio hosts as well as CD-quality sound at the time of broadcast.
As you'd probably expect, given the rewritable nature of the Satellaview's memory packs and the Satellaview's regional exclusivity, attempting to preserve these titles hasn't been easy, though, fortunately, all four weeks of F-Zero BS-Grand Prix have successfully been found and dumped.
F-Zero Grand Prix 2, however, is a different matter altogether, with video footage from the Japanese user Kukun Kun being pretty much all we have from the Soundlink version of the title (though a dump does exist of BS-F-Zero 2 Practice, a non-soundlink version that featured a small sample of these tracks).
That's why it is so impressive that a team of ROM hackers, including GuyPerfect, PowerPanda, and Porthor, has managed to accurately restore the game, as not only has the team never played it but they don't even have access to the ROM for the Soundlink title. Instead, they had to rebuild the game using the video footage and a set of tools to reproduce the tracks.
You can find out more about how they did this in the video above, or download the hack now from Romhacking.net to experience these lost tracks for yourself as part of the aptly titled BS F-Zero Deluxe.
[source romhacking.net, via youtu.be]
Comments 12
This is pretty cool to see.
What I would really love though is a "simple" SNES ROM hack that adds just a split-screen two-player mode into basically the original F-Zero untouched otherwise.
That would be so sweet imo.
Love to see it, but how I wish Nintendo officially rereleased some if not all of the Satalleview games!
@JohnnyMind THIS! I own a load of bootleg cartridges and have the Satalleview Zelda and BS F Zero Grand Prix 1 carts and they're great fun. (Also have a fan made English language translation of Marvelous Another Treasure Island which is simply wonderful and a crime it never got an official Western release!)
Surely it's so easy with today's digital market places and Switch Online to release these games to the masses. They did it with the first Mother so there's always hope? And why stop at Satalleview games - 64DD as well. Yes I'm looking at you F-Zero X Expansion Pack...
@bring_on_branstons I'd love a BS Detective Club: Lost Memories in the Snow release. I'd even buy the remasters again if it was added as some bonus incentive. As for the 64DD, Mario Artist would be the go-to for me. Talent Studio is such an incredible/fun tool.
The BS stands for ********, right?
The world getting more F-Zero is always a great thing!
@JackGYarwood Somewhat incorrect, BS F-Zero Grand Prix 2 was split into a separate game for each League.
The first League has been dumped and available on the Internet since the '90s.
However, I have only seen the second League through a recording video on the Internet, and presumably there was a third League that also has not been preserved.
@KingMike Thanks for the spot. I've amended things slightly to take into account BS F-Zero 2 Practice.
@bring_on_branstons Absolutely and another thing I'd love to see on NSO which would help making it stand out compared to Nintendo's past, in more than one sense, offerings would be Transfer Pak compatibility between N64 and GBC games - not to mention that it would be even easier than Satellaview and 64DD considering the games themselves are already on the service in that case!
@JohnnyMind Yeah agreed - it seems so obvious doesn't it!
One of the nice things about the GBA Mario Advance 4 (SMB 3) on NSO is the inclusion of the Card Reader only levels which I don't believe were ever released over here at the time?
(I think people who bought a 3DS early on might have got them as a sweetener when Nintendo dropped the price so soon after launch?)
I recently played through them and had a blast and it was a great inclusion and extra incentive to check the title out - otherwise I'm just playing OG SMB3 on the NES which I prefer to the All Stars version.
Quite why they're not making these extra features available for all games is a mystery and classic Ninty sitting on cool things but doing nothing about it despite having the perfect platform to do so...!
@bring_on_branstons As far as I know the eReader levels were included when they rereleased Advance 4 on Wii U but yeah, couldn't agree more, that's another great example of what I'd like to see Nintendo do more: include content that was originally difficult to access due to requiring additional hardware etc. - other than of course seeing more systems, not only Nintendo ones, come to NSO!
This is incredible. They rebuilt at least one of the two BS F-Zero games using video footage!
Hats off to the people who worked on restoring these games. They did amazing work.
If this isn't the quintessential video game preservation story, I don't know what is. This proves if there's a will, there's a way.
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