F-Zero: Maximum Velocity is a futuristic racing game for the Game Boy Advance, developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo as a launch title. Set 25 years after the SNES original, it has 20 machines and four cups raced over five laps each. Completing a lap earns a single-use speed boost, and machines explode if their energy runs out.
How To Play F-Zero: Maximum Velocity
Control
Action
D-Pad
Steer left and right; hold down while crossing a jump plate for a longer, faster jump and no landing damage
A
Accelerate; tapping it through a corner helps the machine turn
B
Brake on the default scheme; fires a stored boost on the alternate scheme
L / R
Strafe and drift to that side
L + R together
Fires a stored boost on the default scheme; brakes on the alternate scheme
Start
Pause the race
About F-Zero: Maximum Velocity
Release date
JP: March 21, 2001; NA: June 11, 2001; EU: June 22, 2001
Developer
NDcube
Publisher
Nintendo
Platform
Game Boy Advance
Genre
Futuristic racing
Series
F-Zero; first of three entries on the system
Modes
Single-player Grand Prix, time attack, and training; head-to-head racing for up to four players over the Game Link Cable, each needing a cartridge
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One note on the controls: this game lets you pick a control type in the settings, and the two schemes swap what B and L+R do — hence the two-part wording in those rows rather than a single mapping.
Sheldon has spent over a decade immersed in retro gaming, from NES classics to arcade gems. He's deeply passionate about preserving gaming history and helping others rediscover these timeless titles. When he's not gaming, Shaun writes about the evolution of video games and their cultural impact.
