Fast Racing Neo | Geekscape

Geekscape Interviews: FAST Racing Neo Developer Shin’en Multimedia!

by J.C. MarquezJanuary 13, 2016

The Wii U eShop offers some of the best video games on the market today. Games like Runbow, Mutant Mudds, Pushmo, Gunman Clive HD Collection, and Shovel Knight expand an already impressive lineup of quality titles offered on Nintendo’s home and handheld consoles. Last December, Shin’en added to the list with FAST Racing Neo–a futuristic racing game which has received critical acclaim from numerous media outlets.

JC got a chance to ask Shin’en a few questions about their latest game, their influences, and what fans can expect in the future.

Geekscape: First off, congratulations on the overwhelming positive reaction for
FAST Racing Neo. From concept art, development, to seeing the game hit
#1 on the Nintendo Wii U eShop—how satisfying is it to see a game
received so well?

Shin’en: We are very happy how the game turned out and about the players reactions. Many of our previous titles also topped the WiiWare or eShop charts but no game sold so FAST 🙂 So from the business side, we are very satisfied. From the development side we are also very pleased.

We never worked so long and hard on a single game, but in the end everything came really nicely together!

Geekscape: What were some key areas the team wanted to focus on in FAST Racing Neo
that perhaps weren’t implemented or explored fully in FAST Racing League?

Shin’en: Our main focus was to make the game very accessible from the beginning while still being a good challenge. We think we really nailed that part. Another big topic was the feeling of speed. We almost needed a year to find the perfect balance to make the players believe that they never played any racing game that fast, while still being fully in control. That was a big challenge.

Geekscape: FAST Racing Neo looks and plays like a beautiful marriage between F-Zero GX and Ikaruga–while still being able to maintain its own identity.

What were some of your favorite racing games growing up, and how much of
an influence, if any, did those games have on the FAST series?

Shin’en: Our favorite racing game is still Wave Race 64. It has a perfect blend of great gameplay, great tech and marvelous audio. Of course, we played all racing games from the past when we started with FAST Racing Neo, but we learned quickly we would need to do things very differently.

So in terms of physics and vehicle handling, I don’t think we have much in common with previous sci-fi racers. Also graphically, besides some obvious nods, we think FAST does really stand on its own.

Geekscape: We here at Geekscape are extremely competitive when it comes to racing games. Have you held any kind of ‘friendly’ tournaments at work, and if so, who is the best Fast Racing NEO player among you?

We played almost every day a tournament. Peter, who did the game testing, is usually on top of the pack followed by Martin. Bernhard is also quite good, although he still refuses to use the ‘leaning’ controls 🙂

Geekscape: What can we look forward to from Shin’en in 2016?

Our first release is planned for January 2016. It’s an update for FAST Racing Neo which will add new features and a much improved and stable online experience. We also really look out for Nintendo NX.

IndieCade 2015: ‘F-Zero’ Meets ‘Ikaruga’ In ‘FAST Racing NEO’

by Josh JacksonNovember 11, 2015

While Nintendo has been better over the past year with revisiting some of their seemingly forgotten franchises like Star Fox and Chibi Robo, one much sought after series that is nowhere to be found is F-Zero. Looking to fill that void, the developers at Shinen Games, (the folks behind the Jett Rocket and Nanostray series of games,) have turned their attention to the race track with FAST Racing NEO, a futuristic, high speed competition that pits the galaxy’s greatest drivers against one another across a series of tracks. At this year’s IndieCade, we got a chance to check out what this promising title has in store for Wii U owners.

Opponents are relentless

Obviously modeled after the style of Nintendo’s own racer, NEO manages to replicate the sense of speed, and the punishing difficulty of the games that inspired it. Keeping up with each turn, figuring out when the best times to boost are, and fighting off opponents who will take the first chance they get to run you off the road all comes off as a seamless, adrenaline filled experience that comes off as if it were a sequel in a long running series as opposed to the developer’s first try at this type of game. Putting all of these pieces together as you zoom through the track is vital if you want to win, because once you fly off the road or end up getting your vehicle destroyed, chances are you can say goodbye to that first place position. The CPU in the runs that I played was relentless, ensuring that I was on top of my game each time.

Not content with just being an F-Zero clone however, NEO manages to pull away from the pack thanks to its unique boosting meter mechanic. Replacing the health meter is the boost meter, where driving over certain sections of the track will build up your stored boost for later use. However, these sections are color coated as either blue or orange, and will only reward you with that precious speed if you ship switches its force field to match the color of the track. Much like Ikaruga, changing colors on the fly is achieved with a simple tap of the button, but anticipating when the right time to switch is becomes a challenge in and of itself, adding some depth to an already strong outing.

Split screen co-op, and it still looks great? Who would have thought?

Scheduled for a 2015 release on the Wii U e-Shop, FAST Racing NEO is right around the corner. Complete with online and four player split screen races to accompany the game’s yet to be played single player content, and it’s looking like this indie title will be one to save your points cards for when the holidays roll around.

Are you as excited for FAST Racing NEO as we are? Let us know in the comment below!

Need An ‘F-Zero’ Fix? Try Out Hero Mode In ‘Fast Racing Neo’!

by The_aczSeptember 27, 2015

F-Zero fans have had it very rough.

The last game in the series was F-Zero Climax for the Gameboy Advance that came out nearly 11 years years ago. The worst part about it was that it didn’t even get released in America! (So, stop your whining Metroid fans; it’s only 5 years since your last game.) The closest we’ve got to a new game was in the form of a minigame for Nintendo Land and a couple of tracks, outfits, and cars in Mario Kart 8 via DLC and Amiibo integration. Even Miyamoto himself has admitted that they don’t know what to do with the series anymore.

While we’re not getting a new F-Zero anytime soon, Shin’en Multimedia doesn’t want you to forget it’s legacy. Later this year, they’ll be releasing their own take on the Futuristic Racing genre titled FAST Racing Neo. This weekend, while at EGX, Shin’en revealed that they’ll be adding in a special Hero Mode for the game that’s reminiscent of the F-Zero games of old. This mode can only be unlocked by completing previous speed classes in campaign mode. There’ll be a couple of tweaks to this mode as well, such as having your boost meter function as a shield, and having to finish in first in order to continue.

If you’re interested in how the game plays, check out this excerpt from Nintendo’s Treehouse Live segment from this year’s E3. FAST Racing Neo will be boosting it’s way onto the Nintendo E-shop sometime at the end of the year.