I have had a love affair with this game since I first played it on N64. I don't think it's a stretch to say it's one of the best racing games ever made, and probably the best game to be based on the prequel trilogy (although there are some tight contenders). It is incredibly fast, high reflex, and requires great concentration. The pace is similar to modern Wipeout titles, and it doesn't hesitate to punish you for flying into a wall (usually by annihilating you in a fiery explosion, and then respawning you immediately), just like Motorstorm. The sense of speed really is awesome and is unmatched by either the PS2 remake (Racer Revenge), or really any other racer. The sound design is also top notch, and really showcases the SFX and music used in The Phantom Menace. The levels are all unique and visually interesting, and Sebulba is still a dick. The game really does fantastic justice to the Pod Race in the movie. The only major flaw with this game was that it was originally written for DirectX 6 with a 16 bit installer and launcher. This basically made it impossible to run on modern hardware with modern graphics drivers and operating systems, and not for lack of (many hours) of trying. GOG have gone and done a feat of absolute wizardry and modified the game for DirectX 9c, and it now runs flawlessly. Cheers GOG, you have made my year.
