Attack

An Attack is a special move performed during a race with the intention of retiring a rival on said race. It was introduced in F-Zero X, and, although optional, players who fought against other racers are given certain bonuses, such as a slight energy recovery when retiring an opponent; an extra life when 5 opponents are retired in a race (once), and, of course, the destroyed machine getting a score of 0 in Grand Prix, giving a large advantage to the player. Despite the name, "attacking" is also a defensive measure against opponents because of how attacks work; they increase the speed of the vehicle on a way, thus, the impact deal when crashing against an opponent. However, the attacker is shielded while doing so.

Side Attack

Green Panther side attacking Hyper Speeder.

A Side Attack is a swift tackle to the sides of the vehicle, hence the name. This type of attack is highly effective when gradually surpassing a slower opponent, so you can position yourself on it's side with no complications; it frequently destroys opponents in one hit when done correctly.

F-Zero X

In F-Zero X, a side attack is performed by pressing the Z or R button two times in a row, depending on which direction you wish to attack. The vehicle will coat itself with a red outline if an attack has been executed properly. This will increase the speed, and will regain control of the vehicle, also impeding it to drift, with minimal speed loss in the process, so constant side-attacking is a preference for expert players to take on curves. Side attacking usually kills an opponent in one shot if they are squashed against the guard rails, but, of course, pushing them off the track when rails are not present will also retire them. Take care of not falling off yourself when doing this. Opponents are harder to destroy as difficulty increases.

F-Zero GX

In F-Zero GX, the player performs an attack by pressing the X button while tilting the Control Stick in the desired direction, by default. A red light flashes around the vehicle when an attack is done, circling clock-wise or counter clock-wise, depending on the chosen direction. Side-attacking in this game is way more effective when compared to F-Zero X, and often only a single hit will award the player with a kill, if done properly. It should be noted that this form of attacking has lost reputation as a turning maneuver, however, it's still used by professionals to gain speed while airborne.

F-Zero: GP Legend

In F-Zero: GP Legend, Side-attacking returns. It's done like in F-Zero X: double-tapping the sliding buttons, by default, the L or R buttons. As in GX, a red flash circles the vehicle evidencing the attack, however, the opponents are harder to destroy as how they appear in the screen in a strange manner due to the game being in 2D. Side-attacking is again effective as a turning method, but it reduces the vehicle speed for an instant. Constant side-attacking will eventually bring the vehicle to a stop.

F-Zero Climax

In F-Zero Climax, the side attack reappears as it did in F-Zero GP Legend, and is performed by default, with the same input. A side attack leaves an after-image of the vehicle switching positions quickly, but although being less visually impressive, is still as effective as it was in GP Legend. Again, it loses power as a cornering method.

Spin Attack

Spin Attacking in Death Race.

The Spin Attack is a longer duration move, where the vehicle spins around it's own central axis. It is generally used more as the "defensive" move of the game, because it lasts longer than it's counterpart, shielding for a while against impacting other machines. It also reduces the speed slightly, so the other vehicles crash harder against the attacker, and receive extra damage, as this move is generally less direct, and thus, weaker than the side attack.

F-Zero X

In F-Zero X, to perform a spin attack, the player must hold the trigger button contrary to the desired spinning direction, and then, double pressing the other trigger. For example, if the player wants to spin counter clock-wise, he/she needs to hold the R button, and then, press the Z button, twice. A spin attack drops the speed a lot in this game, so it's rarely performed. However, some players opt to actually brake while spin-attacking, so any opponent crashing from behind takes massive (usually lethal) damage. This kind of strategy proves to be useful in narrow sections of the track, like certain portions Mute City's Technique track, scoring a lot of kills. AI Mad Wolf is the only machine that Spin Attacks after hitting a Jump Plate. Also, if a pilot is moving below 200km/h, the AI will Spin Attack. In Fire Field and Red Canyon, there is slim enough track to abuse spin attacking where the pilot has a high chance of retiring many machines.

F-Zero GX

In F-Zero GX, the spin attack is performed the same way as the side attack, however, the Z-Button is pressed instead of the X-Button. (again, by default) While spin attacking, the vehicle becomes somewhat uncontrollable, gaining momentum when steering to the sides. This kind of attack is effective when you're behind a lot of racers; Boosting and then performing this move will clear a path so you can move forward, and it may even score you a kill.

F-Zero Climax

In F-Zero Climax, the side attack has a new style, after the non-security mode of a vehicle, shown in the F-Zero anime. By pressing both the L and R buttons, by default, the vehicle will perform a spin-attack, covering itself with a light-blue energy tornado. How this attack looks like it's a hint on how to perform a special move of great importance in the TV series: the Boost Fire. To do so, the player must Boost while a spin attack is active. Doing so, will make the narrator shout the move's name (or Black Fire, in case of villains like Black Shadow, Zoda, or Blood Falcon) It is unknown if doing this adds a speed boost over the normal boost, but you must remember that, as you're already performing an attack, you won't be able to side-attack, wich reduces your turning options. Also remember that while Boost Firing this way, the Spin Attack will last longer; it will last as long as the Boost does. Also, different from past games, you cannot Spin attack while boosting (in F-Zero X and F-Zero GX, it was the contrary)

F-Zero 99

In F-Zero 99, the spin attack can be performed by pressing ZL or ZR. If the Nintendo Switch SNES controller is used, it is performed by pressing L and R simultaneously. The spin attack has a cooldown after being used, marked by an indicator that is colored white when ready, and yellow when cooling down. Once the spin attack becomes ready, a beep plays.

Hitting a Jump Plate will automatically recharge the spin attack, allowing it to be used as soon as the plate is hit.