Star Wars Episode I: Racer Reviews
In an alternate universe somewhere we'd be lamenting why the studio didn't make a Pod Racing game instead.
Star Wars Episode I: Racer is a product of its time. Although its gameplay remains fast and fun even when compared to more current titles, its content and graphic presentation denounce that this is a game of the last century, and the remastering does little to mitigate that fact. How much it will matter, honestly, is a personal matter for each player.
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Star Wars Episode I: Racer may not be the prettiest game when you’re static, but you’ll be moving too fast to even notice! Presented as a hybrid of the original PC version but with the N64 local multiplayer and a boost in clarity with the HUD, this is the definitive way to play the 1999 classic racing game right now. Although not a very difficult game, you’ll easily sink around six to eight hours into the game as you tackle the four tournaments and strive to collect all of the additional racers by coming first in every race. If you’ve not played this game before, you’re in for a treat; if you have played it, time to get out those nostalgia goggles and take your Pod Racer for a spin!
Despite its occasional quirks and missed opportunities, Racer delivers on a consistent, mostly-bug-free performance that made me pine for both LucasArts’ heyday, and the golden age of high-speed futuristic racers, which have all but disappeared as a sub-genre.
Star Wars Episode I: Racer takes the classic Nintendo 64 game and brings it to modern platforms with some nice improvements.
As mentioned at the beginning of the review, your appreciation of Star Wars: Episode I: Racer appearing on the Switch will heavily depend on the rose tint of your glasses. On the one hand, the presentation is especially rough, and the lack of difficulty for most of the campaign makes the task of unlocking everything a chore — at least until the final few races become competitive. On the other hand, the sense of speed in races is still present, and the track design isn't bad when you consider how fast things are going. While those who have played the game before might get a kick out of being able to play it again on a modern, portable machine, others may be fine leaving this one alone.
Star Wars Episode 1 Racer brings back a simplistic nostalgic racing game that captures the joys of podracing.