Regional Differences

This is a sub-page of F-Zero GX.

This page or section needs more images. There's a whole lotta words here, but not enough pictures. Please fix this. Specifically: #Aeropolis Needs a proper texture dump. The image is black and white, but the screenshots are translucent with green highlights. #Other Differences Pictures of these differences can be found here

To do: #English Prototype Remnants Set up comparison table between English lines.

Exclusive Custom Parts#

GX has 15 "special" custom parts which could only be unlocked through Japan-only promotional events in 2003 and early 2004, shortly after the game's release. However, all versions of GX have these parts, although the only alternative to unlock these parts nowadays is to use cheat codes.

The special parts were distributed in two ways:

• With special AX License Cards. Bring the License Card, along with a GameCube Memory Card with GX data, to an AX machine. Insert the Memory Card and License Card, then play a round of AX. When the race is over, the License Card's specified parts will be unlocked on the Memory Card's GX data.
• Through download stations at particular events or shops. Bring a GameCube Memory Card with GX data, insert it into the station, and follow some instructions. The parts available in the download station will then be unlocked on the Memory Card's GX data.

The 15 special parts were given out in five groups of three. Each group of three parts formed a machine with a special name:

Machine Name	Body	Cockpit	Booster

Here were the events that offered the special parts:

The tournaments seem to have involved 2-player or 4-player simultaneous matches of F-Zero AX. It's worth noting that El Dorado was only given out to tournament participants, and as a result only up to 320 people could have gotten it.

English Prototype Remnants#

The Japanese release loads an incomplete English translation when region lock is broken to let foreign consoles run it. Missing elements include the title screen as well as various text, HUD elements, and menu graphics. There's also some "Engrish", but the issue does not occur with the game set to boot AX content.

The game defaults to using English subtitles for Story Mode scenes, which is different from the normal Japanese mode (which normally uses Japanese subtitles) and the final US version as played on a US console (no subtitles unless Z is pressed).

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Bonus Disc#

The GX demo on the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Bonus Disc as well as Interactive Multi-Game Demo Disc 12 contains the same graphics as the Japanese version outlined below. This includes everything from the sign textures to Mute City's and Story Mode 7's backdrops - it even has the dummy aur backdrop neatly hidden in bmp_stg.arc. The main menu uses the Japanese "PRESS START BUTTON" as opposed to the English "PRESS START/PAUSE".

Speaking of menus, the demo loads the all-caps "Engrish" menu options that would display should the NTSC-J version boot in English: for instance, "EXIT" appears instead of "Quit".

Notice how the final game, there is no way to turn off first lap energy boosts in Practice mode, but also no way to turn off lives counter in Grand Prix mode, without cheat devices. In other words, the preview mode is an impossible mode combination in the final.

Bonus Disc Preview	Japanese Final	English Final

Graphical Differences#

Most of the edits to the textures were for localization purposes, though some are blatant censoring of foreign content. Closer inspection of the graphics indicates that some images were altered significantly, as some backgrounds were reproduced. They were quite thorough: even the texture from Story 1 have been edited, having passed through a similar filter as the originals. Comically enough, they forgot to censor one of the largest images in the game.

Mute City & Story 1#

Japanese	International

If it weren't in English, how would we know to 'GO FAST'? In the Japanese image, "減速注意" is pronounced "gensoku chuui" and literally means "Deceleration warning".

Japanese - Mute City	International - Mute City

Japanese - Story 1	International - Story 1

"Mute Dinner" was changed to "Mute Diner" in subsequent releases of the game. The reworked sign is noticeably dimmer.

Japanese - Mute City	International - Mute City

Japanese - Story 1	International - Story 1

Can't read Japanese? No worries, you can't read fake alien language either. The kanji in the Japanese image (寿, kotobuki) means "long life".

Japanese - Mute City	International - Mute City

Japanese - Story 1	International - Story 1

Once again, the localization team changed the Japanese characters into fake text. Its background is ill-recreated, though somewhat less obvious on Story 1's copy. There are four kanjis in the Japanese image: 大 (dai), meaning "big"; 田 (ta), meaning "rice field" and "酒家" (shuka), meaning "restaurant". The characters are read together as "oota shuka".

Japanese - Mute City	International - Mute City

Japanese - Story 1	International - Story 1

More of the same. Tampering of the image is also quite noticeable. The kanji on the Japanese image (電, den) means "electricity".

Japanese - Mute City
International - Mute City

Japanese - Story 1
International - Story 1

Because the Japanese equivalent of "Galaxy Diner" is shorter than the English text, the Japanese version has two extra arrows after "24H". In the Japanese image, "好吃飯店" (kouchi hanten) means "Friendly Hotel" and "銀河酒家" (ginga shuka) means "Galactic Restaurant".

Aeropolis#

In Aeropolis Multiplex, the Japanese version has the sign "超解桁" while the international versions have the sign "PROCESSING F-ZERO FILE".

Japanese	International

Fire Field#

Japanese	International

Japanese	International

For the sake of in-game legibility, the Japanese text was removed and "Cource" was corrected to "Course".

Casino Palace#

Japanese	International

The Japanese version calls the venue Vegas Palace while the international versions call it Casino Palace. Interestingly, the venue's short name is cas for casino, even in the Japanese release. For instance, take the background model archive file for the venue ./bg/bg_cas.gma.

Venue Backdrops#

Mute City#

Japanese	International

The Japanese venue backdrop for Mute City uses the older, unused track texture seen at E3 2002 and replaces the misspelled "Mute Dinner" sign with "Mute Diner" and is identical to the one seen in AX. The course's textural "error" itself is most likely a result of Amusement Vision deciding to use the com (Sonic Oval) track texture on all Mute City stages late in development. Much like Story 3's backdrop, it was an oversight left in the game. When the North American localization team went through, they updated all backdrops for Mute City related stages only to correct the sign images, simultaneously and inadvertently updating the track texture.

Story 7#

Japanese	International

The Japanese version once again depicts the AX mut track texture and "Mute Dinner" sign, although GX does in fact use the old track texture for about 80% of the starting pad in Story 7.

Sonic Oval#

Japanese	International

The localization team was seriously determined to eliminate all traces of Japanese text; they went so far as to blur the sign graphics in this backdrop.

Interviews#

After successfully completing a Grand Prix, the player gets the chance to interview their selected machine's pilot. Depending on which difficulty is completed, the selection of questions change. Of those, some were censored or removed once brought over from Japan. The following lists those cases.

Baba#

In the western release, Baba's first Expert difficulty question was replaced with another previously asked question from Master difficulty. His last Master difficulty question was removed with no substitution.

Black Shadow#

Completing a cup on Standard difficulty with Black Shadow originally had a question in which he proclaimed he would "send you straight to hell!". They simply took an existing question from Master difficulty to take its place.

Digi-Boy#

Digi-Boy's final Master difficulty question was removed with no substitution.

Pico#

Pico's third Novice difficulty interview made a possible Superman reference. For the western release, it repeats a question from Standard difficulty.

Roger Buster#

One of Roger's Expert questions had an instance of "Beer", now replaced instead with "Drink".

Options#

Japanese	International

Controller#

Japanese	International

Calibration#

Customize#

Controller Rumble#

Japanese	International

Memory Card#

Japanese	International

Manage All Forms of Game Data#

Manage Game Data#

Screen Mode#

Japanese	International

Other Differences#

Japanese	International

In the Japanese version, the title screen has a text that reads "PRESS START BUTTON" as opposed to the international versions having a text that reads "PRESS START/PAUSE". Additionally, the Japanese version lets you proceed to the main menu on the first visible frame of the title screen, while the international versions require you to wait about 3 seconds before you can proceed.

In the menus, the top-left of the screen, the Japanese version likes to put "SELECT" at the end while the localization likes to put it at the start.

Japanese	International

In the speed settings menu, on the top-left of the screen it says "Machine Setting" in the Japanese version. In the international versions it says "Machine Settings".

Japanese	International

"LAP X" instead of "X LAP(S)".

Player indicator has the number and P switched.

Japanese	International

Japan got "MAXSPEED" while international it is "MAX SPEED" after a race.

On the results screen after completing a grand prix cup, the text "Point" and "Total Point" was changed to "Points" and "Total Points" in the international versions.

Japanese	International

In the emblem editor menu, there's an emblem exclusive in the Japanese version with the kanji text 激 (violent, get excited, enraged, chafe, incite). The international versions had the emblem changed into a dragon.

Japanese	International

In the Japanese version of Port Town: Aero Dive, there is a particular section of track where the rail prematurely culls (isn't rendered) when you get near the dive. This happens due to how the model is configured to cull. This graphical oversight was fixed in the international versions.

For unknown reasons, the ability to further exit into the main menu from the cup/course selection menu was removed in the international versions.

In Time Trial, if you complete a course under 20 seconds in the international versions, you will not be able to see your lap splits like you normally would. Your record won't be saved. The Japanese version, on the contrary, behaves normally when you finish under 20 seconds (you see splits and can save the record).

Japanese	International

The Japanese version doesn't have the ability to turn off the subtitles during the story cutscenes and racer interviews. This is most likely due to the fact that all versions of the game has English voice acting. In the international versions you can toggle on/off the subtitles during the story cutscenes and racer interviews by pressing the Z button.

Whenever you collect a capsule in Chapter 1 and 5 of story mode, the text "GET" appears in the Japanese version and "OK" in the international versions.

Japanese	International

The timer after you clear a story mode chapter doesn't show up in the Japanese version, but they do in the international versions.

Chapter 5 "Save Jody!" has minor differences in how it handles the timer expiring between regions. In the Japanese version you de-spawn instantly once the stopwatch reaches 40"016, but in the international versions you explode instead once the stopwatch reaches 41"016 which gives you 1 more second to make it to the goal. The visual time-out is also different between versions, where in the international version the screen slowly turns red when time expires. Further, the announcer says "Off course!" in the Japanese version when time is up.

Japanese	International

Slight alignment differences when looking at a pilot machine up close in Pilot Profiles mode.