Star Wars Episode 1: Racer
Arguably one of the only good things to come of the Star Wars prequels was the fantastic Pod Racing sequence. Thankfully, LucasArts was smart enough to run with this and created the best selling future-racer to date. Which is great, because I didn't feel like watching the movie over and over again just for the pod races. Now, I'm not necessarily clear on why Episode 1 racer outsold the likes of Extreme G, F-Zero and Wipeout, each of which I found to be better racing games with an even more formidable pedigree. But nevertheless I did enjoy this game a great deal and it stands as one of the few racers that I enjoyed thoroughly on the PC. In fact, considering how impossibly fast paced the game is, keyboard controls seem like the least capable for the job. And yet, I still managed to make them work.
Episode 1 Racer was released for a couple consoles including the Dreamcast and the Nintendo 64, but at the time I only knew it was available for PC. I remember being excited about the possibilities that lied within the property, but I was pretty certain that like most movie tie-ins this would end up somewhat lacking. You know, that unpolished 'cash-grab' feel that so many tie-ins have due to having been reworked and rushed to match elements of the movie and still launch it within the same release window as the film. With all this against it, LucasArts won by simply focusing on the important elements -the racing- and leaving any story elements or major Episode 1 tie-ins by the wayside. The pod racing felt like any other racing game. You made your work you way through a series of courses to earn trophies, money to buy upgrades and other unlockables like extra tracks and additional pilots/pods.
Episode 1 Racer really succeeded in recreating the pod racing experience as best they could at the time it was released. Speed was of utmost importance and it was most definitely not lacking in that respect. Careening through chasms, twisting your engines through narrow gaps and blasting out full-throttle across a short open stretch, all the while your engines blare that fantastic sound they established within the film. Direct ties to Skywalker Sound and LucasFilm in general meant this game was full of all the best sound FX and music scores straight from the movies which went real far in helping sell the overall experience. It was also quite impressive that they managed to make a whole series of tracks so that you weren't only racing within the Tatooine desert the whole time. It's pretty exceptional when a company can make a bunch of new content that still feels tied to what has already been established.
It's been about 15 years since I've played this, but it sure seems more familiar than that. Sega ported this into the arcades and you can still find it there. An amazing cabinet that resembles a pod, including the dual-engine power controls like in the movie. Which is, in the end the most difficult way to control a high speed racer ever. Still, it's got that really cool gimmick to it that makes you want to try it at least once. Having just got a new PC (finally), I'd love to see if I can track down a copy of this and see if it still looks as great as I remember.
Arguably one of the only good things to come of the Star Wars prequels was the fantastic Pod Racing sequence. Thankfully, LucasArts was smart enough to run with this and created the best selling future-racer to date. Which is great, because I didn't feel like watching the movie over and over again just for the pod races. Now, I'm not necessarily clear on why Episode 1 racer outsold the likes of Extreme G, F-Zero and Wipeout, each of which I found to be better racing games with an even more formidable pedigree. But nevertheless I did enjoy this game a great deal and it stands as one of the few racers that I enjoyed thoroughly on the PC. In fact, considering how impossibly fast paced the game is, keyboard controls seem like the least capable for the job. And yet, I still managed to make them work. Episode 1 Racer was released for a couple consoles including the Dreamcast and the Nintendo 64, but at the time I only knew it was available for PC. I remember being excited about the possibilities that lied within the property, but I was pretty certain that like most movie tie-ins this would end up somewhat lacking. You know, that unpolished 'cash-grab' feel that so many tie-ins have due to having been reworked and rushed to match elements of the movie and still launch it within the same release window as the film. With all this against it, LucasArts won by simply focusing on the important elements -the racing- and leaving any story elements or major Episode 1 tie-ins by the wayside. The pod racing felt like any other racing game. You made your work you way through a series of courses to earn trophies, money to buy upgrades and other unlockables like extra tracks and additional pilots/pods. Episode 1 Racer really succeeded in recreating the pod racing experience as best they could at the time it was released. Speed was of utmost importance and it was most definitely not lacking in that respect. Careening through chasms, twisting your engines through narrow gaps and blasting out full-throttle across a short open stretch, all the while your engines blare that fantastic sound they established within the film. Direct ties to Skywalker Sound and LucasFilm in general meant this game was full of all the best sound FX and music scores straight from the movies which went real far in helping sell the overall experience. It was also quite impressive that they managed to make a whole series of tracks so that you weren't only racing within the Tatooine desert the whole time. It's pretty exceptional when a company can make a bunch of new content that still feels tied to what has already been established.It's been about 15 years since I've played this, but it sure seems more familiar than that. Sega ported this into the arcades and you can still find it there. An amazing cabinet that resembles a pod, including the dual-engine power controls like in the movie. Which is, in the end the most difficult way to control a high speed racer ever. Still, it's got that really cool gimmick to it that makes you want to try it at least once. Having just got a new PC (finally), I'd love to see if I can track down a copy of this and see if it still looks as great as I remember.
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