Deep within my local old-school games store, I found this simple little PS2 racer called HSX-Hypersonic.Xtreme. It looked like a generic hovercar racer, but one thing that interested me was that it boasted a track editor. So I picked it up and took it home. Interstingly enough...it's pretty good. It feels very F-Zero-ish; unlike most hovercar racers, there's no weapons and the tracks are very over-the-top and feel like something out of X, especially in that there's a lot of jumps which send you flying. You have a separate boost and health meter, and gain boost (which works by holding the button and draining it on demand, not like F-Zero's "press for one powerful boost at a time" system) by picking up things on the track. The physics are wonky though and the graphics are...not very good. Some nice weather effects though.

But that track editor. Holy crap that track editor. You start by picking any place on the globe (don't expect any cities or signs of civilization though, though many physical features like the Grand Canyon are in the correct area.) and then build a track through an incredibly intiutive interface. You know that awesome editor that F-Zero X had? The one you needed a N64DD just to use? Imagine that but actually in the game for anyone to use. This thing is versatile, man. You can make corkscrews, loops, massive jumps, or spirals (and then angle a straightaway through the spiral!). With some work you could recreate nearly any F-Zero track, except maybe the pipe/cylinder ones (though some dudes have tried out ways to make them). I am seeing myself mess with this for a long time. A long time.

So, if you have a PS2 and ever see this game for cheap...I suggest trying it out. Wherever you find it, it'll be like only three bucks, and for such a deep track editor 3 bucks is definitely worth it.