F-Zero 99 - ??? (White Wind)
3I was trying to get all four vehicles featured in this video, but by this point, the ??? courses are no longer fixed to the week and turn up randomly. Most commonly, I run into “Fiery Field” and “Big Bluish” whenever I try, so as far as I’m concerned, this video is incomplete, and I’m not satisfied with it. I did get three races though; all I was missing was the Fire Stingray.
This one was the first of the ??? courses introduced, and while it might look simple from the map itself, it’s a real doozy, and people have reported really struggling with this one. I named it “White Wind” (none of the mystery courses have official names, at least ones that have been revealed) because it combines Death Wind and White Land. Perhaps a better name might be “Deathly Wind” or “Death Windy,” as Death Wind I was the basis for this one, with various elements from White Land I and White Land II added in. Enough is taken out of Death Wind I, though, that I feel it’s better described as a full hybrid. The music combines the two themes too, moreso than any of the other ??? courses, even “Fiery Field.”
Death Wind I is the base for this course, with the background used for the Frozen Knight League used for this ??? course. You’ll see two major differences on the map: one is a chicane, done in the style as seen in White Land II, about two-thirds through. Another is a very large gap near the end of a lap, one that you’ll need to either boost at, be at your vehicle’s top speed, or tilt the nose of your vehicle up to get enough distance to cross that gap. At two points in this course, there are also the series of jumps alternating on the left and right over offroad and electrified ground, as seen in White Land I. So while it looks like Death Wind I, it doesn’t play a thing like it, and people get tripped up majorly here.
00:00 - Race #1
Course: ??? (White Wind)
Mode: F-Zero 99
Vehicle: Blue Falcon
Rivals: ちこくして (Chikokushite!), mamimichi, Eli Rara, Phoenix
That was a close call! When your vehicle is in a Power Down state, your top speed drops, allowing people just behind you to ram into you and inflict a Crash Out. And since the game gives anyone who KOs a player in this way a full refill to their Power gauge, plus a small expansion to it, this is what a lot of players are inclined to do. I was able to duck into a pit zone just in time—though there IS a short period between when you enter and when you actually start regaining power, during which someone could still crash into you and take you out of the race. (This was my first time racing on this course, so I didn’t really understand it yet. Hence, I’m very surprised I placed as high as I did.)
03:26 - Race #2
Course: ??? (White Wind)
Mode: F-Zero 99
Vehicle: Wild Goose
Rivals: YucciDuck, ヒロ (Hero or Hiro), Nin(diamond)コール (Cole), Fajita
I don’t know if the first rival’s name is pronounced as “Yucky” or as “Yoochy” (like it’s Italian), but if it’s the former, it may be a reference to Yucky Duck, a series of animated shorts by Patrick Ventura from the What a Cartoon! Show. As for this one, I remember that the WIld Goose is a sturdy machine and both takes little damage from getting hit, colliding with walls, or going over damaging terrain (which I could confirm in this race) and also doesn’t get bumped very far when colliding with another vehicle. Well, as I realized in this race, not very far is not the same thing as none at all, and I missed some boost pads early on. As long as I avoid crashing out or ranking out though, I’m fine.
06:53 - Race #3
Course: ??? (White Wind)
Mode: F-Zero 99
Vehicle: Golden Fox
Rivals: Adam, でっていう (Detteiu), BUG_Z, GoldCast
Whereas the Wild Goose doesn’t get bumped around a lot, the Golden Fox DOES get bumped around like crazy. Missing one of the booster pads in the pre-race part put me in the mid-70s in rank, but over the course of the first two laps, I clawed my way up into the top 10. Granted, I dropped below that afterwards and had a supremely hard time getting back there, but I do like that feeling of climbing so many positions in a single race, and most of the people I overtook to get there never caught back up to me.