Star Wars: Episode I - Racer
Description official descriptions
Based upon the Pod Racing scenes of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, your mission as young Anakin Skywalker or as one of a collection of strange characters from around the Galaxy is to compete, survive and win in the high speed challenge of Pod Racing.
Each character has a unique Pod that can be upgraded with the credits you win after each race. Finish first to gain the most prestige and compete in greater and more challenging tracks, including the now famous race along the sand dunes of Tatooine that determined the destiny of many lives.
Spellings
- スター・ウォーズ エピソード1 レーサー - Japanese spelling
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Credits (Windows version)
142 People (134 developers, 8 thanks) · View all
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 79% (based on 62 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 148 ratings with 9 reviews)
Great sci-fi, high speed racer
The Good
I think that this game is a good reproduction of the podracing sequence in "Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace". Each of it's tracks are detailed fairly well, and it's characters look pretty good. My fingers fell right into place with it's controls, but finding out what they were took some time in the manual. The scenery was great, and the moving objects off the track Definatly a good addition to the Star Wars universe.
The Bad
The computer opponents were terribly detailed. Some had black squares in the front of there podracer. Their movements were jerky, and their speed wasn't constant. The screenshot option was not as good as I had expected. Some of them came out blank, others made the podracers disappear, but left their shadows. I think that some other sort of multiplayer option would have been in order. Something like the Nintendo 64 version (split-screen) would have been nice, but that would have required another input device. The sound was strange, because the sounds of the engines in each podracer each sounded the same. Even then, the engine noises would get quiet, then loud, then quiet, then loud. I didn't here any of the fans cheering unless I stopped.
The Bottom Line
This game is a good addition to any racing gamers collection. If you like Star Wars, you should this game on any platform. I would recommend it to just about anyone.
Windows · by Mullet of Death (592) · 2005
The Good
25 levels, 23 podracers to choose from, start with 6 and get another one after almost every level you beat. From Sebulba to Anakin, Bullseye Navoir to Slide Paramita, win them all as you race through all the levels, on all the different worlds, until you get to the ultimate challenge - the Boonta Eve Classic. With great graphics even by todays standards and great sound, this game will test your skill, patience and to beat it you must be the best, the elite, and each time you beat a level or improve a time you feel great satisfaction that is indescribable. You won't want to miss this action-packed once in a life time thriller!
The Bad
It gets frustrating at time but if it was easy it wouldn't be fun, right?
The Bottom Line
This game is a must-have.
Nintendo 64 · by darthsith19 (62) · 2006
A maddening rush of speed--and a maddening control system.
The Good
Speed. There's always a problem in computer games that try to convey a sense of speed when you race, and that's not their fault--you, the player, are doing exactly what you don't do in a race. You're sitting still. And your surroundings are stationary as well. So computer games essentially have to go way over the top in order to convey a rushing sense of speed, and many don't because that takes away from the 'realism'.
Star Wars: Episode I Racer gleefully goes way over the top, because it can. It's set in the Star Wars universe, so piloting a pod racer (two jet engines and a piece of string, essentially) that can reach speeds in excess of 750 MPH is... well, over the top. It definitely gets your adrenaline pumping. (A decent 3D accelerator helps, too.)
The tracks are large and varied. They aren't as large (and sneaky) as the tracks in, say, Carmageddon 2, but they are much nicer in appearance and represent their homeworld well with plenty of detail.
The Bad
Frankly, I'm a bit annoyed at the control system. You'd expect in any racing game that you would need to slow down, speed up, move left and right, brake, and hit the turbo. That conforms very nicely to a two button joystick. But Pod Racer introduces additional elements that I view as 'featureitis' -- hard air braking (why is regular braking and turning not enough?), rolling your craft sideways, moving up and down slightly, and reparing your engines on the fly are features that come to mind. They don't significantly enhance the gameplay, other than the ability to roll sideways allows you to fit through a verticle slot on one level easily (although you can fit through it normally anyway if you go straight through the center).
A two-button joystick doesn't cut it, and it's distracting to keep one finger near the keyboard to perform in-race functions. An obvious criticism of this is "Why don't you use a joystick with more than two buttons?" To that, I answer "Why do I need a joystick with more than two buttons?"
An 'obvious' solution is to use a gamepad or keyboard. But any true racing fan knows that keyboards and gamepads are 'total-on, total-off' devices that make subtle steering adjustments impossible--you're either turning as hard as you can, or you're not turning at all. Another solution, then, is to use a multi-button digital joystick. This reviewer had marginal success using Microsoft's popular force-feedback joystick, except that it didn't feel natural at all, since it's a flight throttle.
I would imagine that a multi-button steering wheel or yoke would be best.
The Bottom Line
If you're looking for a mind-numbing sense of speed, look no further. But be sure you have the right input device for the job!
Windows · by Trixter (8952) · 2023
Trivia
Title
Lucas Arts wanted to call this game Pod Racer, but an older game already existed with that name and legal stupidity prevailed. According to Racer project lead Jon Knoles, the other game was Ubisoft's 1997 futuristic racer POD, "Planet of Death.".
Voices
Some actors from the movie also appear in the game, including Greg Proops (Fode, race commentator) and Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker).
Awards
- Total! (Germany)
- Issue 01/2000 – Best N64 Futuristic Racing Game in 1999
Information also contributed by James1 and Johnny Szary
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Related Sites +
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Lucas Arts: Episode 1 Racer
Official site. -
Star-Wars web site.
The official Star Wars web site for all Star Wars products.
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Brian Hirt.
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch added by Rik Hideto. Dreamcast, Nintendo 64 added by Kartanym. Macintosh added by Jason Savage.
Additional contributors: Trixter, Apogee IV, tarmo888, Hawklord, gamewarrior, Patrick Bregger, GenesisBR.
Game added September 16, 1999. Last modified March 15, 2024.