When comparing F-Zero vs Knightmare (AKA Majou Densetsu), the Slant community recommends Knightmare (AKA Majou Densetsu) for most people. In the question“What are the best and the most revolutionary games of all time?” Knightmare (AKA Majou Densetsu) is ranked 51st while F-Zero is ranked 103rd. The most important reason people chose Knightmare (AKA Majou Densetsu) is:
Just like in Gradius, all tunes used in this game were composed by Miki Higashino. She was a teenager at the time and was working for Konami part-time, everyday, after school.
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Pros
Pro Launch title for the NES
The NES brought a revolution to console gaming, and F-Zero was a part of that by being one of the launch titles.
Pro The first game to use "Mode 7 Scrolling"
The NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) was the first console to allow for what Nintendo called "Mode 7 Scrolling", and as a launch title F-Zero was the first game that took advantage of that feature.
Mode 7 Scrolling refers to the newest (at the time) graphic mode which brought new ways to configure the background layers. Background layers could be manipulated in new ways than what was available before. It allows layers to be scaled and rotated, and for background layers to move in the foreground in front of some sprites.
This was at a time when backgrounds were flat and could only consist of 2D objects. Mode 7 scrolling - and F-Zero as the first game with it - brought a much more dynamic background to RPGs and racing games especially.
Pro Tunes from Miki Higashino
Just like in Gradius, all tunes used in this game were composed by Miki Higashino. She was a teenager at the time and was working for Konami part-time, everyday, after school.
Pro Amazing graphics for the 80's
1986 was the same year that the original Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros: The Lost levels came out. The textures in Knightmare look substantially better than the relatively blocky textures in the Zelda and Mario games of its time.
Pro One of the first games to have a 'bird's eye view' angle
Considered technically challenging back in 1986, Knightmare offered a top-down (bird's eye) view. This made a lot of sense, especially for vertically scrolling games such as this one.