Very fast, very dangerous; this feels to me less like a kart racer or even an F-Zero or Wipeout-like, and more like a fantasy Gran Turismo or other "light simulation" racing game. While other sci-fi racing games tend to focus on level gimmicks like boost-pads or power-ups, Racer is pure execution. From my experience the main thing that sets apart the player from the computer racers in a game like Gran Turismo is that the computer will drive well, but it won't take risks. In Racer the risk/reward that the player has to contend with each turn is no longer whether they can maintain their speed or position, as these things come relatively cheap, but whether they can survive at all. The degree of concentration required, combined with the sheer length of many of the later tracks, leaves the player with unblinking eyes. If Doom set out to match F-Zero's sense of speed, Racer succeeds in reincorporating Doom's visceral violence in a way that many racing games struggle to.

I played this on an Xbox Series X and I have never played the Nintendo 64 version. This was my first time with the game so no nostalgia goggles.

For it’s time it has a great sense of speed and surprisingly the pods feel how you would expect them to.

My only real problem with the game is the length of some of the tracks. A few of them can end up being up to 9 minute races with their 3 laps! Also there is one track that I had to look up a guide for because without a certain character it was very frustrating. “Abyss”.. that’s all I’ll say.

Besides that though I enjoyed my time with this game and I really like the mechanic where you can go to the Junkyard, trade your high-end pod part for the same part but more damaged for a profit and then your pit droids repair the damaged part. I would actually really like to see this mechanic in another modern racer.

Overall I recommend completing this game and going for all the achievements.

I bought this on sale, completely fueled by thirst for nostalgia. Growing up this was always a game that was out of reach for me, only playing it for half an hour at a time when at a friend's house. Each time I picked it up it was exciting enough to pique my curiosity after all the years.

Growing up in the early 2000s, Episode 1 is in engrained in my brain. From the lego sets, to the random plates and cups, it was one of the first mass media events I remember as a child, and it has helped cement the movie as one of my favourites. To say it has flaws is being generous, but I still get that feeling of being a kid whenever I turn it on.

Unfortunately, this game does not seem to have the same nostalgia blinders that the film gets the courtesy of receiving. The tracks are too long, and you are either blazing past every opponent, or at the back of the pack with no hope of regaining your places. The difficulty starts off being painfully easy and combined with the length of each race it's a snore. Some tracks are nine minutes long. Paying attention is the greater challenge than actually completing the race.

After you complete the first set of tracks the difficulty does a 180 and any mistake made in a race is met with the punishment of needing to restart. You are able to upgrade your pod, but I found this barely makes a difference because the performance of your pod is not the problem, it's the unfair NPCs and rubber banding. Some courses have decent challenge on their own and the driving feels good, but between the length of some tracks and the NPCs it made the experience feel incredibly frustrating or boring.

The only problem now is that I have zero G racing itch. Maybe it's time to go back to F-Zero X or give Wipeout a try.

Star Wars: Episode I - Racer holds a special place in my heart as it was my very first game and the only one I had for almost three years when I was a child. Despite that, I was never able to finish it because I always found it too difficult and impossible for me to complete, especially with a Nintendo 64 joystick at such a young age.

Many years later, I revisited this game when it was released on new platforms. Now playing on my Nintendo Switch, I see it as a regular racing game with many influences from F-Zero.

Star Wars: Episode I - Racer is a racing game originally released in 1999, coinciding with the premiere of the Star Wars prequels in cinemas. You'll get to play with some racing characters that you briefly saw in Episode I: The Phantom Menace, on courses developed exclusively for the game.

There's not much cosmetic customization here, only upgrades to improve certain aspects of your pod racer. In the end, I don't think it was a critical element of the game since you unlock new characters to continue your campaign.

As a racing game, I'd say it was a good one for its time, but it's not completely outdated. You'll find yourself exploding your pod numerous times, which can be frustrating.

Regarding the graphics, it's pretty cool considering it was originally released for the Nintendo 64. Obviously, it looks like an old game, but I don't see it as a problem like some other games from the third Nintendo console.

In conclusion, it's great to see Star Wars: Episode I - Racer on modern platforms. For years, this game was forgotten on the Nintendo 64. Even with that, I recommend playing it only if you have some nostalgic memories of it, as there are plenty of racing games nowadays that are better than this one.

Me arrependo de não o ter pego no Games With Gold. Um dos jogos mais legais de corrida que já joguei (joguei poucos). Gameplay divertida com todas suas mecânicas que variam de mapa para mapa, boa trilha sonora, mapas grandes e desafiadores, sistema de aprimoramento e desgaste da nave, compra de peças, escolha de personagens e a fluidez satisfatória no movimento foram os pontos que mais me chamaram atenção. Pontos que me desagradaram foram algumas falhas que estragavam uma corrida inteira, como pontos em que a nave grudava dentro de algo, ou explodia ao atravessar algum chão, ao invés de cair para a pista de baixo. Além dos oponentes serem extremamente lentos, sendo somente um deles uma ameaça real. Tirando isso, é um excelente jogo, desafiador por conta de seus mapas e divertido de se jogar.

This was the pack-in game for my N64. As a kid who loved Star Wars, this was pretty awesome. There's a surprising amount of customizability of pod racer parts, so it retrospect it kind of reminds me of an F-Zero game which is a strong foundation to build on. I kinda regret that I never really had a Super Mario 64 experience, but nowhere near the amount of regret I feel for never ending up getting either N64 Zelda games.

I also had to promise my step-dad that whenever I played my N64 I would think of Jesus first. Sure thing step-dad, now hand me the controller.