Star Wars: Episode I: Racer Reboot
Wel, I guess it’s not quite a reboot. It’s a re-tool. But the good news remains: one of the best Star Wars video games has new life.
This week, “Star Wars Episode 1: Racer” returned to consols via Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.
Racer Returns
Polygon’s Petrana Redulovic wrote the story on June 23:
The classic pod-racing simulator was announced for Nintendo Switch back in March and was originally given a May release date, but that was pushed for unspecified reasons. The retool of the Nintendo 64 game lets players commandeer different characters and podracers across a wide variety of tracks, managing the finicky vehicles throughout the race. Star Wars Episode I: Racer features both a single-player campaign and multiplayer split screen options.
The game originally came out in 1999, alongside the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. While this isn’t the first re-release — Star Wars Episode I: Racer released on GOG.com back in 2018 — this is the first time it is available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Last year, Disney and LucasArts approved a re-release of the game on replica Nintendo 64 cartridges as a collector’s item.
Star Wars Episode I: Racer is available for $14.99.
This is an excellent video game, and I am so psyched to try it out with the kids this weekend. Heck, I was 24 when it first came out, and I still play it on my original Nintendo 64.
Star Wars Episode 1 Racer Review https://t.co/NMEvbQI0EN
— FANdemoniumNetwork (@FANdemoniumNet) June 23, 2020
It is an authentic re-creation of the Tatooine podrace from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. And it doesn’t stop there.
There is an entire podracing circuit to conquer and, of course, Sebulba is often in your way.
The Verge concurs, and Sam Byford added:
Racer spins Episode 1’s podracing scene out into a galaxy-spanning motorsports league, where you travel from planet to planet playing either as Anakin Skywalker or one of the many alien competitors who got a couple seconds of screen time in the movie. Its breakneck speed and wide, well-designed tracks are broadly comparable to F-Zero, though there’s a twist where you need to keep an eye on the condition of your individual pods and slow down to repair them when they’ve taken too much damage.
Check out the re-launch trailer: