F-ZERO GX CAMEO GUIDE By Tei Sama Version 1.20 UPDATES: 12/6/2003 - Added [2.5] Billy, and [3.9] Pink Spider. Updated [2.4] PJ / #38 Groovy Taxi, and [5.0] Legal Mumbo-Jumbo. Touched up some mispellings and grammar shit. CONTENTS: [1.0] Intro/Basic info [2.0] Definite Racer Cameos [2.1] Mr. EAD [2.2] James McCloud [2.3] #10 Little Wyvern [2.4] PJ / #38 Groovy Taxi [2.5] Billy [3.0] Possible Racer Cameos [3.1] Octoman [3.2] Billy [3.3] Leon [3.4] Zoda [3.5] John Tanaka's Theme [3.6] Digi-boy [3.7] #32 Cosmic Dolphin [3.8] Spade [3.9] #33 Pink Spider [4.0] Other Cameos [4.1] In-series cameos [4.1.1] Mute City: Twist Road [4.1.2] The Sounds of BIG BLUE [4.1.3] Red Canyon Theme [4.1.4] Challenge of the Bloody Chain [4.2] Emblems [4.3] ROB the Robot [4.4] Casino Palace [4.5] "Famicom" [5.0] Legal Mumbo-jumbo [6.0] COntact Info --- [1.0] Intro/Basic info Blah blah blah. I don't like writing introductions. Pretty much, this FAQ covers cameos in Nintendo and Sega's F-Zero GX. There won't be many story spoilers, but there will be stuff dealing with things you have to unlock, including secret characters and whatnot. If you don't want to know about any of that, then this FAQ is not the place for you. Anyway, let's get on with this thing! --- [2.0] Definite Racer Cameos These are the cameos from other games that have enough conclusive proof to be solid cameos. This stuff is only about the racers and their machines, and any other solid, non-racer cameos will be listed later on in the FAQ. [2.1] Mr. EAD CAMEO OF: None other than Super Mario, of course! PROOF: In F-Zero X, Mr. EAD's face looked roughly like Mario's, especially with the curly mustachio. While the mustachio's changed a bit for GX, it's still safe to say that Mr. EAD is a Mario cameo--the proof resides on the Starman belt-buckle Mr. EAD is sporting. And, while this may be reaching a bit, beating Master mode on any cup with Mr. EAD will give you a short FMV about him eating cake--which could be a throwback to Super Mario 64, where Peach invites Mario to her castle because she's baked him a cake. [2.2] James McCloud CAMEO OF: James McCloud, the father of Fox McCloud from the StarFox series PROOF: It's fairly easy to tell that James McCloud's design is based on what you see from StarFox 64; bearing the SF James' trademark shades as well as the Team StarFox uniform and a similar hairstyle to that of Fox from StarFox Adventures, the connection isn't hard to make and has definite solidity. Furthermore, F-Zero GX's pilot profiles point out that James McCloud is part of the space team Galaxy Dog--a clever play of words on "Star Fox." [2.3] #10 Little Wyvern CAMEO OF: The StarFox series' ARWING ships PROOF: The Little Wyvern has the same silver-gray with light-blue undertones possessed by the ARWINGs from StarFox, and also bare a similar, although not wholly identical design. Furthermore, James McCloud pilots the machine; James' profile explains that the Little Wyvern used to be his air craft on Galaxy Dog (see above description if you don't get it). [2.4] PJ / #38 Groovy Taxi CAMEO OF: Sega's hard-rocking arcade smash-hit, Crazy Taxi! PROOF: First of all, Sega made the game, and as they've added eleven all-new characters, there's a very high probability that SOME of them are cameos of popular Sega guys. It's also been confirmed that a few Sega patches are available in garage mode (see section [4.2] for more details) and AiAi appears on Billy's belt Buckle (section [2.5] for those curious). As only one other character in any F-Zero game had a theme with their machine, the fact that PJ is in the game with a Taxi- based theme is rather stand-outish. Based on that evidence alone, PJ and the "Groovy Taxi" machine he drives can be called definite throwbacks to Crazy Taxi. But further evidence cited on the F-Mode website (see section [6.0] for hyperlink) makes mention of this quote from the Official F-Zero GX/AX Player's Guide: "However,wreckless driving isn't tolerated in the taxi industry, and so the naturally the Groovy Taxi lacks superior boost capability." The reference to "wreckless driving," which is a trademark in Crazy Taxi, is very deliberately placed. [2.5] Billy CAMEO OF: AiAi, from Super Monkey Ball PROOF: http://f-zero.jp/download/wallpaper/f-zero_wp_m11_billy_800.jpg Need I say more? CREDIT TO SONIC PHOENIX FOR FINDING THE PICTURE AND BRINGING THE CAMEO TO MY ATTENTION. [3.0] Possible Racer Cameos This section covers all the POSSIBLE or PROBABLE racer-based cameos, meaning that there is some evidence to support the claims of cameo-dom, but none of the information is really solid and is largely based on assumptions. This is where Sega manages to screw with your minds, as those eleven new racers previously mentioned in this FAQ may or may not be throw-backs to Sega franchises. [3.1] Octoman POSSIBLE CAMEO OF: The old-school Legend of Zelda Octoroks--not the new ones found in Ocarina of Time or Wind Waker, we're talking the first game here! PROOF: Like all possible cameos, what proof we have is minimal at best; for this, we can only base the assumption on how Octoman looks. If you were to say "Octoman is an Octorok cameo!" and someone were to ask "Why do you say that?" you'd be left with nothing to explain yourself with except "Um...because he's red." [3.2] Billy POSSIBLE CAMEO OF: DK! Donkey Kong, huh! DK! Donkey Kong is here! PROOF: There's not much. Billy's a monkey. Ook Ook. Most of the proof comes from his Master Cup FMV video--throughout most of it, Billy is followed by a smaller monkey whom can be assumed to be Diddy Kong. There is also a point where Billy climbs a tree for a large bunch of bananas that look surprisingly more vivid than any normal bananas should; either this is Sega playing on the stereotype of monkeys and bananas, or implying that Billy is a Donkey Kong cameo through the relation, as every DK game since Donkey Kong Country has been about collecting bananas. If only they'd given Billy a necktie... [3.3] Leon POSSIBLE CAMEO OF: StarFox series' Wolf O'Donnell using the name of another StarFox character. Both of whom are on the same team in the series: StarWolf. PROOF: This cameo is the one I'm least sure about, as Leon appears to be more feline than lupine or canine. All there is to really go by is the vague similarities between Wolf and Leon, and that Leon is the name of another member of StarWolf--all the same, there's that slight possibility of coincidence. I wouldn't really stake anything on this one. [3.4] Zoda POSSIBLE CAMEO OF: Zoda, the villain in Startropics PROOF: Aside from the name...not much. "Zoda" is an odd name in itself, even for a fictional one, but there's nothing more you could base this on. [3.5] John Tanaka's Theme POSSIBLE CAMEO OF: An old Nintendo song PROOF: None, really...I'm just going on instinct here, as Tanaka's theme song sounds really old-school gamey, which is very standalone compared to the rest of the themes in the game. I might be wrong as I never got the chance to play a lot of older games, but if you think you have something let me know (see section [6.0]). NOTE FROM FRYGUY64: "The name could be a reference to Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka, a sound and music composer at Nintendo... The 'classic' sound effects in his theme are possibly from his early Nintendo arcade titles, Space Firebird or Radar Scope." [3.6] Digi-boy POSSIBLE CAMEO OF: Beat, the leader of the GGs in the Jet Grind Radio series PROOF: Again, the main proof comes in how the character looks--I feel that there's ALMOST a sufficient amount of evidence enough to make him a definite cameo, but there are two things holding me back: the character's name (Digi-boy, or Terry Getter--neither of which have any relevance to the Jet Grind Radio series), and that Jet Grind Radio was not a really popular game in either the US or Japan. Either way you want to look at it, Digi-boy looks incredibly like Beat--Digi-boy's enormous glasses and ear pieces resemble Beat's goggles and headphones, and both characters have a similar smile; furthermore, Digi-boy's boots (which look LOADS like Megaman boots, but since Capcom didn't make this game, you can't look too far into that) have wheels on them, like roller-skates; those few who have played the JGR series know that it's a game about roller-blading. And, while this may be a bit TOO analytical of me, Digi-Boy's yellow shirt is the same tone and color of Beat's, and his shorts loosely match Beat's pants. [3.7] #32 Cosmic Dolphin POSSIBLE CAMEO OF: Project Dolphin! You know, the GameCube's pre- release name. Remember that? PROOF: Any time something resembling the word "Dolphin" in GameCube games pop up, it's pretty deliberate and easy to pick up. That alone makes for some good cameoage, but what stops me from putting it with the "definite" cameos is that it belongs to Digi-boy. And again, Digi- boy may be a Sega cameo, so with that knowlege in mind you can't really proove the Cosmic Dolphin. [3.8] Spade POSSIBLE CAMEO OF: A mish-mashing of various NiGHTS into Dreams villains, most notably Reala. PROOF: Once again, not very much; this is just another flight on instinct and looks. Spade does, undeniably, look like he could fit into the NiGHTS universe, and as NiGHTS is Sonic Team's second-most-known project (after Sonic the Hedgehog himself), it wouldn't be a surprise if this were the truth. But again, the evidence is very flimsy, so there's no way of telling. [3.9] #33 Pink Spider POSSIBLE CAMEO OF: A famous song by Japanese Rock Artist "Hide" of X Japan PROOF: Ding Shi writes: "DaiSanGen's Pink Spider is a reference to famous (and dead) Japanese rocker hide from X Japan. His anthem and one of his most popular songs was called Pink Spider. Not a coincidence." Sorry, Ding Shi--I stuck it in possible cameos because I really have no proof connecting it to F-Zero, Nintendo, or Sega, and most F-Zero machines are named after some kind of animal, combined with a random word in front of it. CREDIT TO DING SHI FOR PROVIDING THE PROOF AND BRINGING THE POSSIBLE CAMEO TO MY ATTENTION. [4.0] Other Cameos Basically, if it's nothing to do with a racer, it'll go here; and there are plenty of other cameos to find outside your racer and machine selection. Some of these cameos require no proof, as they're just there and rather self- explanitory. [4.1] In-Series Cameos [4.1.1] Mute City: Twist Road CAMEO OF: Mute City: Figure Eight, from F-Zero X and Super Smash Brothers: Melee PROOF: Well, just look at it--aside from the giant loop near the end of the X track, Twist Road and Figure Eight are identi- cal. [4.1.2] The Sounds of BIG BLUE CAMEO OF: The Big Blue theme [4.1.3] Red Canyon Theme CAMEO OF: The Red Canyon theme from the original F-Zero. PROOF: In the opening and closing FMV for Chapter Two: Goroh: The Vengeful Samurai in the story mode, if you listen to the music, you'll hear that it's the old Red Canyon theme. [4.1.4] Challenge of the Bloody Chain POSSIBLE CAMEO OF: Death Race mode, from F-Zero X PROOF: In F-Zero X, the Death Race mode had one goal: Kill all 29 other racers before they kill you. While there are obvious differences, Chapter Four: Challenge of the Bloody Chain is based on a similar premise where you have to defeat 28 members of the Bloody Chain, and their leader, Michael Chain, before crossing the finish line. Although the similarities are duly noted, there's still no official proof if Sega intended it that way, which is why it's only a possible cameo. [4.2] Emblems CAMEO OF: Several characters and items PROOF: In Garage mode, you can edit a custom vehicle--or even one already in the game--by adding emblems to it. Aside from every F-Zero racer in the game, you can also get emblems of the Super Mushroom, One- Up Mushroom, Mario, Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, Peppy Hare, Tingle (from Legend of Zelda), Kirby, an NES/Famicom controller, Sonic the Hedgehog and AiAi (from Super Monkey Ball). Many of these emblems need to be unlocked somehow; the F-Zero racers are unlocked as you buy the machines, and you start with the Super and One-Up Mushrooms by default. I don't know how you can get the others--if anyone has any information on such, please contact me. Information greatly contributed by Fryguy64 and the Nintendo Database. [4.3] ROB the Robot CAMEO OF: ROB the Robot, of course! PROOF: Go into any Port Town course and there's a heavy chance you'll spot ROB somewhere in the background--possibly more than once per course! ROB was a peripheral for the NES, made in 1985--not to be confused with the toy robots that were popular in the mid-nineties. [4.4] Casino Palace POSSIBLE CAMEO OF: The Casinopolis Zone, from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. PROOF: Aside from the roulettes and spin-tables and generic casino effects, the name of this set of levels is highly suspicious; "Casino Palace" isn't exactly a quantum leap away from "Casinopolis," especially in the pronunciation. Just take out the space between the words and change the syllables you stress and you've pretty much got it. Casinopolis is one of the few recurring levels in Sonic the Hedgehog games, if you set aside all the variations of carnival levels and some level starting with a synonym of the word "Green" in it. [4.5] "Famicom" CAMEO OF: The Famicom, and nothing else! Unless you call it the NES, Nintendo Entertainment System, or like I do, just plain "Nintendo." PROOF: In Story Mode, Chapter Three: High Stakes at Mute City, Silver Neelsen has Captain Falcon register under a false name and identity so that he may win the bet money the race is bringing in. On the score- board before the race begins, a new racer is added to the list--that is one "Famicom." And as the rest of the names on the list are well-known (Dr. Clash, The Skull, etc) and Neelsen wants Falcon to race disguised, it's clear that "Famicom" is an alternate alias for Falcon so nobdoy will think to bet on him. --- [5.0] Legal Mumbo-jumbo F-Zero is the soul copyright of Nintendo. F-Zero GX was produced by Sega and Amusement Vision. Information regarding #38 Groovy Taxi was provided by the F-MODE website and Ryan Painter, who got it from the Official F-Zero GX/AX Players' Guide. (C) to himself and Nintendo respectively. Information regarding emblems, "Hip" Tanaka, and ROB the Robot from the Nintendo Database and Fryguy64, which is (c) to him as well. Information regarding Billy's belt from Sonic Phoenix. Information regarding the Pink Spider from Ding Shi. FAQ made by and copyright Anthony Summo, 2003. Do not repost anywhere without my permission. The FAQ may be used by the following sites: GAMEFAQS NINTENDO DATABASE F-MODE This FAQ must be posted in its entirety, or not at all. --- [6.0] COntact Info - Due to the large amount of SPAMbots picking up my email address from god-knows-where and burying me with nearly thirty spams a day, I'm going to post all email addresses in my special Sluggy Freelance (tm) E-mail code! Any "(at)" represents the @ sign, and "(dot)" is the . sign. Just remove the spaces and you're set! Nintendo Database: http://www.planetnintendo.com/nindb/ F-MODE: http://tideblue.neogodless.com/temp/index.htm GameFAQs: www.gamefaqs.com Fryguy64: Fryguy64 (at) hotmail (dot) com Ryan Painter: Arson_Winter (at) yahoo (dot) com And lastly, me: TeiSama (at) Snet (dot) net. PLEASE do not contact me with mindless praise. I don't like checking my email. But if you have any corrections, comments, flames, etc--please feel free to gimme a shout.