Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer

Pros • fantastic Episode 1 sounds and music • visually stunning • Huge list of ships and tracks • it's FAST	Cons • It's a lot like other zero-gravity racers
Bottom Line I've never played a game where it felt like I was travelling this fast before. Ducking, dodging, spinning, leaning, flailing and screaming as I blasted over the various landscapes in the game, I felt rejuvenated and exhilarated by the pace It's pretty clear that a videogame based on the exciting pod-racing sequence in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace had to be made. As one of the most visually arresting scenes in a film glutted with visual effects, Annakin Skywalker's Podrace features all of the elements necessary to build an incredible interactive property. These include: A) A complete cast of cool looking characters B) Lots of flashy technology C) A healthy dose of fervent, even deadly, competition and of course, D) The Star Wars theme music. In fact, after watching this particular sequence in the film fly by, the question was how could a game based on Podracing not be made? Thankfully, LucasArts has managed to perform a minor miracle in the videogame world and has developed a movie-based game that does not disappoint. Not only is Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer a sensationally visceral interpretation of the fastest scene in The Phantom Menace, I'm happy to report that it's also one hell of game - comparisons to other great anti-gravity racers out there not withstanding.

It's pretty clear that a videogame based on the exciting pod-racing sequence in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace had to be made. As one of the most visually arresting scenes in a film glutted with visual effects, Annakin Skywalker's Podrace features all of the elements necessary to build an incredible interactive property. These include:

A) A complete cast of cool looking characters
B) Lots of flashy technology
C) A healthy dose of fervent, even deadly, competition
and of course,
D) The Star Wars theme music.

In fact, after watching this particular sequence in the film fly by, the question was how could a game based on Podracing not be made? Thankfully, LucasArts has managed to perform a minor miracle in the videogame world and has developed a movie-based game that does not disappoint. Not only is Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer a sensationally visceral interpretation of the fastest scene in The Phantom Menace, I'm happy to report that it's also one hell of game - comparisons to other great anti-gravity racers out there not withstanding.

WATTO'S JUNKYARD

Star Wars Episode 1 Racer is a generous videogame. Not meant to be completed in a weekend, the disc contains a veritable mountain of features to discover and enjoy.

For starters, the game sports 21 or so different opponents with individualized podracers, as well as more than 25 different tracks to race on. The lengthy tracks in the game are scattered on eight different worlds, which means environments that are dynamic, challenging and visually breathtaking. You'll race over ice, swampland and Tatooine's desert and you'll shoot through ancient temples, floating cities and anti-gravity mining tunnels. You'll see asteroid belts orbiting overhead. You'll witness massive mining machinery toiling away at bedrock. And you'll be pissed off when Sebulba fries your engines with his Flamejet.

There's a fair amount of tinkering with your podracer to look forward to. You'll have to carefully balance your acceleration, air brake and boost button presses and you'll have to keep a vigilant eye on your delicate, heat-susceptible engines if you want to succeed.

If you win a race, you take home prize money. You'll be able to use this cash to supe-up your ride. LucasArts has added a new dimension to the tournament prize pool. Only the top four racers for each track have a chance to earn anything. If you'd like, you can choose to race for all the marbles, give the top finisher a bigger slice of a four-way pie, or share the wealth more fairly among the top four placers. Choosing winner-takes-all is definitely the way to go if you want to earn cash fast but you stand a good chance of placing second and having nothing to show for it. Trust me, there will be plenty of times where you'll miss out on winning a race during the very last seconds. You need those paychecks, so don't get cocky, kid.

You're probably already familiar with the mechanics and mobility involved in piloting a podracer. In the videogame world controlling these vehicles is not unlike riding the jetskis in Nintendo's Wave Race 64. You can lean forward to accelerate or pull back to increase your turning control. Unique to the pods is the ability to tilt sideways on the x-axis to make yourself paper-thin. You'll need to do this when passing through narrow corridors or cracks in cliffs.

Of the many purchases you'll be making in the game, the diminutive Pit Droids prove to be the most necessary. These are the little robots that help repair your podracer as it gets pummeled by the many hazards out on the track.

The interface for EP 1 Racer is set up around locations from the Tatooine city of Mos Espa, which is prominently featured in The Phantom Menace. You'll be able to visit and haggle with Watto in his shop and Junkyard. You'll also spend time in your podracer hanger, where you can inspect your craft before the big race.

IMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF…

It's not hard to imagine an impressed George Lucas looking away from a monitor flashing images of great anti-grav racers like WipeOut or F-Zero X, and muttering to himself, "That's it! That'll look great in my next movie!" Without question Star Wars Episode 1 Racer is a fun videogame but, really, Lucas and the band of digital warriors at LucasArts who designed this anti-gravity, insane-speed racer, have concocted a game (and a movie moment) that treads close to familiar territory.

There are gamers out there who will refuse to buy or even play Episode 1 Racer simply on the grounds that it looks too much like WipeOut or F-Zero or Extreme-G, etc. Frankly, I can't blame them. My first encounter with the game was at a private function celebrating the launch of the game for the Nintendo 64. I wasn't impressed. Unlike the accelerated-PC version, which looks terrific, the N64 version of EP 1 Racer is disturbingly muddy to look at and the frame rate is soupy. "Too bad," I remember saying, "I hope the PC version is better."

The PC version is better. Much better. Not only can you see where you going but because the entire presentation of the game is so much more refined, you absolutely want to hang around and see what's coming up next. On the PC we're talking killer CG intros, nifty visual effects, like crystalline reflections and clean transparencies, and hot-diggity, is that Phantom Menace soundtrack great or what?

I played Star Wars Episode 1 Racer on a P2 233/64MB RAM with a Creative Labs/Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Theater 5.1 Dolby Digital surround system rigged up. I closed the door and cranked it up. Man, did I have fun! With engine whines and alien voices whizzing all around me, earthquake rumbles, waterfalls, fans cheering and the cymbal crashes and orchestral might of John Williams' splendid Phantom Menace score filling the room, I was in absolute heaven. Of course it helped that the actual podracing in the game was so damn fast I could practically feel my big fat cheeks rippling in the wind.

Episode 1 Racer has quite a bit going for it but the game's most important feature is its impressive illusion of maniacal velocity (particularly on later levels). I've never played a game where it felt like I was travelling this fast before. Ducking, dodging, spinning, leaning, flailing and screaming as I blasted over the various landscapes in the game, I felt rejuvenated and exhilarated by the pace. It was as if I was playing my very first racing videogame ever--that's how caught up I was.

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