STAR WARS™ Episode I: Racer

As crazy as it seems in retrospect, Star Wars Episode I: Racer is not only one of the best racing games of it's time, but, aside from the two KOTOR games (and the SNES trilogy), it is also just flat-out the best Star Wars game period. You can look at the pod racing sequence from The Phantom Menace as both a tribute to Ben-Hut and that movie's Mos Eisley Cantina scene, where the variety of aliens on display was most eclectic. What this game does is take those characters and puts them into an Intergalactic pod racing circuit that spans multiple planets, each with a more hazardous enviroment than the last. The controls are tight, you actually feel like you are flying around at 600 mph, and best of all, this game IS mappable on modern controllers and can be played in 1080p. This game could have been an absolute joke of a cash in like so many Star Wars tie-ins were at the time, but instead, even 20 years later, is an amazing example of what you can do with a off-the-wall concept.

Short game (bought and started it yesterday, took ~3-4 hours, though I played it before) Good gameplay and controls (I recommend remapping a couple of keys though) Could not play with a Nintendo Controller (don't know if it's possible) Crashed several times!!! GOG Galaxy often backed up my data when I saw it crashing. Don't know if it's the cause of the crash or its follow-up. A handful of times I got destroyed by invisible obstacles or passed through ghost textures. This game isn't perfect, but it's still fun, has good large stages, epic music, and intended floaty speedy feeling. Definitely recommended.

Fan of podracing from Phantom Menace, especialy the extended version of it? If so, welcome to paradise - this is the game you allways wanted to have and even possibly used to have some time in past. And yes to have the only map you actualy want to play (full size Mose Espa Price on Tattooine) you need to win the third planetary championship. So, take the stopwatch, measure the delay Anakin is stuck at the start and let's put him in shame by doing better with your favourite podracer.

One of the few good things to come out of the Star Wars prequels. This along with Mario Kart remains of the games that's awesome even for those who usually don't like racing games.

One of several games released in a blitz of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace tie-ins, Episode I: Racer is one of the best anti-gravity racing games of all time and one of the most accessible. Themed after the movie's signature scene, the Boonta Eve Pod Race on Tatooine where deuteragonist Anakin Skywalker demonstrated his expert piloting skills, Episode I: Racer expands on this premise by having the player pick from one of many different Racers (including Anakin himself) and race their way to fortune and glory in several intergalactic racing tournaments. Although a Joystick is beneficiary, I find that the basic keyboard controls feel so good, that it's easy to pick up, pick a Racer, and play. Speed and course wise, Episode I: Racer is unmatched. Not only are the various locales that the player visits in their quest for glory and fame expertly designed and very much built around the "ancient, yet familiar" artstyle that The Phantom Menace embodies, but the tracks in these locales are easy to learn, and yet hard to master. And thankfully, the Podracer craft the player has access to are more than up to the challenge, with exquisite movie-like sound design, a wide field of view and intense velocity making you FEEL like you're a speedster cruising through The Galaxy and avoiding the various traps and pitfalls therein. Are there faults? Yea, you might find the fastest routes possible eventually and the game will end up losing its lustre, but overall, Star Wars Episode I: Racer is a must play racing game and worth looking into if you're a fan of The Phantom Menace and larger Prequel trilogy as a whole. It is speedy, intense, and a blast to play.