F-Zero is a futuristic racing video game franchise originally created by Nintendo EAD and has been continually published by Nintendo although the company has let outside development houses work on some installments. The series premiered in Japan on November 21, 1990, with F-Zero (エフゼロ), which later was released in the North American (August 1991) and PAL (1992) regions. An original installment has appeared on nearly every succeeding Nintendo video game console and handheld with the exception of the Game Boy Color, Wii, and Nintendo DS. Excluding Japan, the series usually has landed on a video game system once in its lifetime. F-Zero: GP Legend marks the first time the franchise has hit a gaming system twice in its lifetime in the United States. Currently the series includes eight released video games, a television series, and video game soundtracks released on audio CDs. F-Zero and F-Zero X were re-released for the Virtual Console service through software emulation.
Gameplay consists of racing in futuristic hovercrafts and using their speed-boosting abilities to navigate through the courses as quickly as possible in settings like the recurring Mute City, Big Blue and Port Town. The first game was labeled by critics as an influential video game that created the futuristic racing subgenre as well as inspired the creation of numerous racing games such as Daytona USA and the Wipeout series. The series casually centers around the F-Zero racer Captain Falcon and his talented racing and bounty hunting abilities as well as his encounters with the other F-Zero characters.