| Star Wars Episode I: Racer | |
|---|---|
 North American Windows box art | |
| Developer | LucasArts |
| Publishers | LucasArts Aspyr(2020 ports) THQ Nordic(PlayStation 4 and Switch retail)[5] |
| Designers | Jon Knoles Eric Johnston Brett Tosti |
| Programmers | Eric Johnston Mark Blattel Darren Johnson |
| Series | Star Wars |
| Platforms | Windows,Nintendo 64,Game Boy Color,Mac OS,Dreamcast,Nintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,Xbox One |
| Release | May 18, 1999 |
| Genre | Racing |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Star Wars Episode I: Racer is a 1999racing video game developed and published byLucasArts. It is based on thepodracing sequence in the filmStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The game features all of the racers and race course onTatooine fromThe Phantom Menace. It adds several new courses, on Tatooine and various planets. The game has several single player modes, including a tournament mode. The format of multiplayer mode varies by platform.Jake Lloyd andLewis MacLeod, who portrayedAnakin Skywalker andSebulba inThe Phantom Menace, reprise their film roles in the game.
Episode I: Racer received generally positive reviews from critics. Several major media outlets listed it as one of the topStar Wars video games. As of 2011[update], the game holds theGuinness record as the best-selling sci-fi racing game, with worldwide sales of 3.12 million units, followed by series likeWipeout andF-Zero.[6] Two podracing games were released later.Star Wars: Racer Arcade, an arcade game featuring many similar tracks and characters, was released in 2000. A sequel,Star Wars Racer Revenge was released in 2002 for thePlayStation 2.
Twenty years after the release of the game, it received an HD re-release forNintendo Switch andPlayStation 4 in June 2020. It was later released onXbox One in October 2020.
Star Wars Episode I: Racer features a variety of tracks spanning several different planets. It includes all of the racers in the film, plus exclusive competitors. The player character'spodracer is equipped with anafterburner that the player can engage for a boost of speed. While the engine is engaged, its temperature will rise. If pushed for too long, it will suffer an engine fire and explode, destroying the podracer and costing the player several seconds to respawn and continue racing. The podracer will also be destroyed if one or both engines sustain severe damage from colliding into too many walls or obstacles, requiring the player to steer carefully to avoid falling behind. The player can also actively repair the podracer while competing, but doing so slows the podracer until repairs are either complete or stopped.[7]
Three single-player game modes are available. In Tournament mode, the player character competes in a championship. Completing races awards money, with higher-ranked finishes resulting in higher payouts. This can be used to buy parts or repair droids, unlock new tracks, and unlock new racers. Free Race mode allows the player to practice any previously unlocked courses using any unlocked racer. The player character cannot earn money or unlock tracks and racers, but can set the difficulty of the opponents. Time Attack pits the player character against the clock, racing to achieve the fastest time on the given course. This mode is not available in the PC version. Instead, the Free Play mode allows the player to set the number of computer opponents to 0.[7]
Multiplayer mode differs between the PC and console versions. The N64 and Dreamcast versions feature a two-player split-screen mode, and the Windows and Macintosh versions allow play over alocal area network (LAN). This Windows version uses the deprecatedIPX protocol to accomplish this,[8] and the Macintosh version usesTCP/IP. The multiplayer mode can support up to 8 players.[9]
Star Wars Episode I: Racer was developed and published by LucasArts forWindows in May 1999.[10] Development took approximately two years. Upon completingStar Wars: Shadows of the Empire, two of its project leads began initial development. Tools included3D Studio Max,Alias Wavefront, andAutodesk Softimage. Multiple graphicalapplication programming interfaces (APIs) were tested, including3dfx Glide,OpenGL, andDirect3D. Ultimately the game shipped with only Direct3D support because according to project lead Brett Tosti, when testing Glide and OpenGL the developers "didn't see any performance increases so didn't add support".[11] The team had to develop a physics simulation from only a few short film clips given to them. According to Tosti, their approximations ended up very close to the film: "We really didn't get to see how good our estimates were until the very end."[11] Project lead John Knoles emphasized that the team's goal was for a strong sense of speed. He stated they wanted to make it "feel like an eyeball-peeling racing game, where you're going so fast, you're just nervous".[12]
The game was originally titledStar Wars: Podracer; however, the subtitle was changed toEpisode I Racer when LucasArts learned that another company owned the trademark for games with "Pod" in the title.[12] ActorJake Lloyd, who portrayedAnakin Skywalker inStar Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, promoted the game atE3 1999[13] and provided voice-over in the game. The theatrical score and various sound effects fromStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was reused for the game. The podracers were recreated using specifications from the film, and the Tatooine environment was also sourced from the film. Several of the game's other locales had never appeared in priorStar Wars games. Tosti said the varied environments were "to add more depth to the gameplay".[11] During anIGN interview with Tom Byron of LucasArts atE3 1999, the question of online play was brought up. Byron was unsure, citing problems "mostly because of latency issues".[14] Some multiplayer code fromStar Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II was utilized forEpisode I: Racer. Ultimately, Internet play was not included. The Windows version uses the deprecatedIPX protocol to accomplish this,[8] while the Macintosh version uses theTCP/IP stack. The multiplayer mode can support up to eight players.[9] The game was supported by a$10 million marketing budget.[15]
Episode I: Racer was later ported and released for several otherplatforms:Nintendo 64[16]Dreamcast, andGame Boy Color. The announcedPlayStation version of the game was never released.[17] The Nintendo 64 version received a special editionStar Wars Episode I: Racer hardware bundle, including the standard gray and black console and a copy of the game. Though the Nintendo 64 cartridge can optionally take advantage of Nintendo'sExpansion Pak memory unit to display additional textures, the limited capacity of the cartridge resulted in the removal of all pre-renderedcutscenes of the Windows and Macintosh versions. It is the first LucasArts game to be released on the Dreamcast.[18] TheGame Boy Color release features entirely different game play from its console and PC counterparts. The Game Boy Color hardware is technically incapable of rendering the 3D graphics used in the other versions, so the game instead features one-on-one racing duels on abbreviated, linear tracks using an overhead 2D view. The Game Boy Color version of the game has an additional "rumble" feature.
The game was re-released online via theDRM-freeGOG.com store in May 2018.[19] On October 18, 2019, the Nintendo 64 version was officially re-released in both a standard andCollector's Edition set with approval byDisney andLucasfilm in limited quantities byLimited Run Games. On March 26, 2020, theNintendo Switch andPlayStation 4 versions were announced for May 12, 2020.[20] The PlayStation 4 version was delayed by two weeks, with a new release date of May 26, 2020.[21] On May 11, 2020, exactly one day before the Switch version's release, both the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch versions were eventually rescheduled for June 23, 2020 release due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[22][23] The Switch version supportsmotion controls, allowing players to use them to operate the individual throttles of the podracer's twin engines.[24]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | (N64) 75.78%[25] (DC) 75.42%[26] (PC) 73.79%[27] (GBC) 69.44%[28] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame | (PC)   [29](N64) [30](GBC) [31](Mac) [32](DC) [33] |
| Game Informer | (PC) 9.25/10[34] (N64) 9/10[35] (GBC) 8.25/10[36] |
| GameSpot | (PC) 8.2/10[37] (N64) 8.4/10[38] (GBC) 6.9/10[39] (DC) 7.5/10[40] |
| IGN | (PC) 8/10[41] (N64) 7.2/10[42] (GBC) 6/10[43] (DC) 6/10[44] |
| Next Generation | (N64)[45] |
| Nintendo Power | (N64) 8/10[46] (GBC) 5.9/10[47] |
The game was met with positive to average reception.GameRankings gave it a score of 75.78% for the Nintendo 64 version;[25] 75.42% for the Dreamcast version;[26] 73.79% for the PC version;[27] and 69.44% for the Game Boy Color version.[28] It has been featured on several lists of the bestStar Wars video games. In March 2004,GMR ratedEpisode I: Racer the fifth-bestStar Wars game of all time.[48] In 2015,PC Gamer listed it 3rd in their list of top Star Wars games.[49] That same year, it placed 10th inRock Paper Shotgun's topStar Wars games list.[50] InGame Informer's 2016 list of the 30 bestStar Wars video games,Racer ranked 11th.[51] As of 2011[update], the game holds the Guinness world record for the best-selling sci-fi racing game, with worldwide sales of 3.12 million units, followed by other series likeWipeout andF-Zero.[6]
Next Generation reviewed the Nintendo 64 version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Yes, it's fast, it's largely customizable, features a lot of options, and it's fun, but it's tough to shake the feeling that if it weren't for theStar Wars license, it wouldn't otherwise stand out."[45]
The editors ofComputer Gaming World nominatedRacer for their 1999 "Racing Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went toNeed for Speed: High Stakes.[52]
During theAIAS'3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (now known as theD.I.C.E. Awards),Star Wars Episode I: Racer won in the category for "Console Racing Game of the Year".[53]Star Wars Episode I: Racer was also nominated for theBlockbuster Entertainment Award in the "Favorite Nintendo 64 Game" category, although it lost toDonkey Kong 64.[54]
AllGame editor Lisa Karen Savignano gave the Classic Mac OS port a positive review, stating "if you just love racing in general, you will enjoy this game".[55]
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