Developer: Lucas Arts Publisher: Lucas Arts Release: 05/18/99 Genre: Racing
When the prequel trilogy was announced I was overjoyed. Not only because it meant new Star Wars movies but also new games to go with them. The Nintendo 64 was the proud recipient of Star Wars Episode 1: Racer, based on arguably the best part of that move. I will admit as a N64 owner at the time when the Episode 1 PlayStation game was an action-adventure I was jealous. There is nothing wrong with racing games. But to say the Nintendo 64 was drowning in the games is an understatement. But after playing that game I have to say we got the better end of that deal. Episode 1 Racer is a solid game that has a few flaws but does a great job capturing the thrills of the movie.
Tournament is the game’s career mode. Here you compete in circuits around the galaxy for cash to buy parts, repair droids, and to unlock tracks and racers. Higher ranks reward more money but you can also gamble to either double your earnings or winner takes all. The various parts you can buy have tangible impacts on performance but can be pricey. If you lose often you can always visit the junkyard to purchase welfare upgrades. In this way you have many options to claw your way through the three circuits and over twenty tracks to challenge the Invitational Circuit and Sebulba.
The pod racers are what make Episode 1: Racer unique. Each pod racer has two turbine connected to a cockpit. With this setup the handling feels unique with the closest comparison being Wipeout. However the controls are tighter and not as punishing as the early entries in that series. There are separate buttons for sliding and twisting and mastering these mechanics is important to clearing the harder courses. Thrusting is another critical mechanic. By tilting upward and accelerating the indicator will turn yellow. Releasing it at that point engages the thruster for a high speed boost. Keep it going too long however and your engines will overheat. The sense of speed is impeccable and one of the best aspects of the game.
There is some element of strategy as you race and what to consider when upgrading. As you crash in to walls and other racers your pod will sustain damage and slow down. With repair droids you can fix your ship on the fly. This slows you down while it happens and is almost the equivalent of a pit stop. Technically a destroyed ship is replaced during the race but that costs precious time as it respawns. Knowing when to deploy the droids can be as crucial as mastering the handling mechanics. With skill you might not need to upgrade your craft for a while and avoid the confusing shop interface. I do wish this element were better. There are a wealth of options but comparing and simply navigating is a mess.
Since the movie sequence was only twenty minutes and a single race Lucas Arts expand it significantly. The tracks span a number of planets and environments, from the industrial factories of Mon Gazza to the snowy fields of Ando Prime. It is a diverse bunch; you’ll race in swamps, prison colonies, and of course on Tatooine. Because of the makeup of the pod racers the terrain and gravity affect the controls. In conjunction with each racer’s stats you get a unique experience every time. As a whole the track design is excellent. The game is keen to take advantage of its various mechanics with tight spaces, razor sharp turns and zero gravity. There are few shortcuts so it forces you to memorize the layouts. I had a blast mastering the various mechanics and adapting them to each track. The problem is it was over too fast.
What kind of ruins the game is the ease with which you can plow through its content. Anakin is an above average pod racer whose beginning stats dwarf nearly every other competitors by a wide margin. With him in the cockpit you have room for errors as crashing and burning poses little drawback. You can easily catch up by the final lap. That means you have little reason to engage with the multitude of systems outside of unlocking new tracks. It is not until the final circuits that the difficulty ramps up significantly and that comes more from confusing track design than anything else. For even the most casual of racing fans most of the game’s content can be unlocked within a few hours. It kind of kills its longevity.
Visually the game is incredibly pretty and perfectly recaptures the speed and visceral sense of danger presented in the movie. Each of the game’s planets has its own track with varying weather and terrain that heightens the visual presentation. In the film the lone race took place on Tatooine. Yet the game has tracks that would not have looked out of place in the movie through clever art design. These worlds feel alive as they are bustling with activity. There are trams and other flying ships taking off and flying within the backgrounds; a cool touch. The draw distance is pretty far with pop-in hidden through constant tunnels, hills and turns. The game makes use of the Ram expansion for a high resolution mode and thankfully the frame rate does not take too big of a hit, with the game still playable even by today’s standards.
Sound is the one area that I found lacking. The music as you race is so muted it is almost non-existent. The focus is squarely on the engine sounds and various taunts and exclamations from rival racers. These sound effects and voice clips are sharp and try to mimic the film as best as they can. They succeed somewhat but the sounds of the pod racers, the most crucial element does not stack up. They also do not make up for the lacking score. It is only during the final lap that music picks up in tempo to add some tension to the race. This is a huge blow and comes across as uncharacteristic; nearly every Star Wars game has an incredible score. Seeing this aspect of the game seemingly half assed is weird.
In Closing
Star Wars Episode 1: Racer is a solid and accessible racer that provides some of the best racing thrills of that era. The wealth of extra content will keep you coming back in spite of its easy difficulty. This is apt as this is a better single player game than multiplayer. This is probably the best game based on the Phantom Menace but, uh, the competition is not exactly stiff.
