Star Wars: Episode I - Racer

The Good
Speed. There's always a problem in computer games that try to convey a sense of speed when you race, and that's not their fault--you, the player, are doing exactly what you don't do in a race. You're sitting still. And your surroundings are stationary as well. So computer games essentially have to go way over the top in order to convey a rushing sense of speed, and many don't because that takes away from the 'realism'.

Star Wars: Episode I Racer gleefully goes way over the top, because it can. It's set in the Star Wars universe, so piloting a pod racer (two jet engines and a piece of string, essentially) that can reach speeds in excess of 750 MPH is... well, over the top. It definitely gets your adrenaline pumping. (A decent 3D accelerator helps, too.)

The tracks are large and varied. They aren't as large (and sneaky) as the tracks in, say, Carmageddon 2, but they are much nicer in appearance and represent their homeworld well with plenty of detail.

The Bad
Frankly, I'm a bit annoyed at the control system. You'd expect in any racing game that you would need to slow down, speed up, move left and right, brake, and hit the turbo. That conforms very nicely to a two button joystick. But Pod Racer introduces additional elements that I view as 'featureitis' -- hard air braking (why is regular braking and turning not enough?), rolling your craft sideways, moving up and down slightly, and reparing your engines on the fly are features that come to mind. They don't significantly enhance the gameplay, other than the ability to roll sideways allows you to fit through a verticle slot on one level easily (although you can fit through it normally anyway if you go straight through the center).

A two-button joystick doesn't cut it, and it's distracting to keep one finger near the keyboard to perform in-race functions. An obvious criticism of this is "Why don't you use a joystick with more than two buttons?" To that, I answer "Why do I need a joystick with more than two buttons?"

An 'obvious' solution is to use a gamepad or keyboard. But any true racing fan knows that keyboards and gamepads are 'total-on, total-off' devices that make subtle steering adjustments impossible--you're either turning as hard as you can, or you're not turning at all. Another solution, then, is to use a multi-button digital joystick. This reviewer had marginal success using Microsoft's popular force-feedback joystick, except that it didn't feel natural at all, since it's a flight throttle.

I would imagine that a multi-button steering wheel or yoke would be best.

The Bottom Line
If you're looking for a mind-numbing sense of speed, look no further. But be sure you have the right input device for the job!

The Good
25 levels, 23 podracers to choose from, start with 6 and get another one after almost every level you beat. From Sebulba to Anakin, Bullseye Navoir to Slide Paramita, win them all as you race through all the levels, on all the different worlds, until you get to the ultimate challenge - the Boonta Eve Classic. With great graphics even by todays standards and great sound, this game will test your skill, patience and to beat it you must be the best, the elite, and each time you beat a level or improve a time you feel great satisfaction that is indescribable. You won't want to miss this action-packed once in a life time thriller!

The Bad
It gets frustrating at time but if it was easy it wouldn't be fun, right?

The Bottom Line
This game is a must-have.

The Good
Going +700MPH really gets your blood pumping...Its really fun to see the scenery just rush by you in a blur...does a great job in conveying the speed and excitment in pod racing...

Multiplayer is quite fun...Going head to head against a buddy while travelling at such high speeds is a real thrill

Accurate to the movie, as many of the famous pods are present ie Sebulba, Anakin...Also the tracks are varied, and takes place on many of the familiar star wars worlds...

It runs great even on slower systems...A P300, 16X CD and a nvidia 128x is all it takes to get the game to run as smooth as silk

The Bad
The graphics aren't so hot...but that's okay considering you'll be traveling way too fast to see it anyways...

The contorls seem counterintuitive...and it takes a while to get used to the controls

The Bottom Line
A great racer to attract fans of all genres...I'm not much of a reacing fan, but the action in this game really sucked me in. Hardcore racing fans might cringe at the lack or realism, but I think its a great game even for non-racing or non-Star Wars fans...