Car Setup Tips
Pay attention to the Machine Setting graph before racing. Each F-Zero racer can be customized by moving the slider to the left or the right.
Acceleration / Left-Balanced:
Move the line to the left to balance the car for quick turning. This setting is appropriate for technical courses with many sharp turns and few long straights. The car will boost off the start much faster and perform better while drifting. When using a car balanced for acceleration, use the drift turn technique (press L and R while turning) to prevent speed loss in corners.
Top Speed / Right Balanced:
Move the line towards the right to balance the car for faster top speeds. This setting is best for courses with long straights (or pipes) and few sharp turns. The car doesn't drift as well and has lower acceleration after impacts or from the start line. Use the slide turn technique to navigate around corners (press R while turning right, L while turning left) and follow the apex of the curve for best results.
Unlock Dark Schneider
To unlock the Dark Schneider, beat all of the chapters in Story Mode.
Unlock Diamond Cup
To unlock the Diamond Cup, come in first place in the Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald Cups (on Standard or Expert).
Unlock Master Class
To unlock Master Class, come in first place in the following Cups on Expert: Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire.
Unlock AX Machine Parts
To unlock the AX machine parts, beat Story chapters on the Hard difficulty.
Unlock AX Pilots
Beat the Story Mode chapters on Very Hard to unlock AX Pilots.
Unlock AX Tracks
To unlock AX Tracks, get first in AX Machine Tracks or beat all the grand prix on Master.
Unlock Diamond Cup
To unlock the Diamond Cup, come in first place in the Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald Cups (on Standard or Expert).
Garage
When you are in the garage, don't pay attention to the part rating. What you want to pay attention to is the chart at the bottom right. The larger the section graphed, the better the vehicle. I have found that what you want to go for is max speed and grip. With these settings, you will be ahead of the crowd.
Unlock qqq
To Unlock qqq you must defeat Chapter 3 in Story mode on Very Hard.
Unlock Ghosts
To Unlock Time Attack Ghosts, come 1st in the records in random Time Attack stages.
New Mute City Music
In the F-Zero GX Shop, enter X, X, X, Y, X, X, X, Y, Z, Z, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT.
Sonic Oval
To unlock the AX Mute City Sonic Oval, beat the AX Cup.
Lateral Shifting
This tip is best achieved on the "lateral shift" level. While driving, aim at the inside of any of the blind corners, just to the outside of the posts. You would normally fall off, but if you push back towards the middle of the track at the last second, you will fly across the gap and receive a large boost when you land on the road. When you first try this, instead of turning back towards the middle of the track, use the L and R buttons to drift in the right directions. This is easier than actually turning the ship, but the boost will be slightly smaller. This trick can be done on any course with any vehicle, but the custom "scud spider z" seems to be very fast and not too difficult, whilst some are nearly impossible. This trick can knock about 5-7 seconds off the first lap alone on this particular course, hence the trick's name.
Toggle the Subtitles
When you Beat Any Cups on any difficulty in Grand Prix mode when Mr.Zero is going to interview you Press Z to toggle the subtitles to hear the spoken dialogue. This also works on the CGI FMV sequences in Story Mode.