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This article is about the console versions of the game. For the Sega arcade game, see Star Wars: Racer Arcade.
Star Wars: Episode I Racer
Windows cover
Developer(s) LucasArts
Publisher(s) LucasArts, Nintendo
Designer
Engine
status Status Missing
Release date Nintendo 64May 1999 (NA)May 17, 1999 (PAL)July 21, 1999 (JP)Windows1999 (NA) May 1999 (EU)Game Boy Color
December 1999 (NA)December 17, 1999 (EU)MacintoshFebruary 2000 (NA)Dreamcast2000 (NA)August 4, 2000 (EU)
Genre Racing
Mode(s) Single player, Multiplayer
Age rating(s) ESRB: E
ELSPA: 3+
USK: 6 (DC, N64, Windows, Macintosh), 0 (GBC)
Platform(s) Nintendo 64, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Color, Macintosh, Dreamcast
Arcade system Arcade System Missing
Media
Input
Requirements
Credits | Soundtrack | Codes | Walkthrough

Star Wars Episode I: Racer is a racing video game based on the pod race featured in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The game features a variety of tracks spanning several different planets and includes all and more of the racers featured in the movie, including Teemto Pagalies, Dud Bolt, Mars Guo, Ben Quadinaros and more.

Game modes

File:Ep1RacerFlamethrower.jpg

Sebulba's Collor Pondrat's secret flamethrower, being used on the Boonta Eve Training Course. (N64 version)

The following is a list of different playing modes featured in the game:

  • Tournament: The primary game mode. Race for money to buy parts or pit droids, and unlock new tracks, racers, and upgrades. You can't decide how hard the other racers are going on you.
  • Free Race: Allows you to practice any previously unlocked courses using any unlocked racer. However, you cannot earn money or unlock tracks and racers. You can, however, set the difficulty of your opponents.
  • Time Attack: The same as Free Race, except you race against the clock, constantly trying to improve your time. In the PC version at least this mode is absent, with the free play mode allowing the player to instead set the amount of computer opponents to 0.
  • 2 Player: Race against another real player on any unlocked course. You can adjust the difficulty, number, and speed of the computer opponents.
  • Multiplayer: Race against other players on a local network on any unlocked course. The PC version uses the deprecated[1] IPX protocol in order to accomplish this, while the Macintosh version uses the TCP/IP stack.

Can support up to 8 players [2]


The Nintendo 64 version received a special edition Star Wars Episode I Racer hardware bundle with the standard gray/black console and a copy of the game. While the Nintendo 64 cartridge took advantage of Nintendo's Expansion Pak memory unit to add additional textures during in-game play, the N64 cartridge memory limitations resulted in all prerendered cinematics and all but one of the movie soundtrack tunes being removed from the game (Duel of the Fates).

Other versions

The arcade and Game Boy Color releases featured entirely different game play from the others. While using a vastly superior in-game graphics engine, the arcade version included just four tracks (unique from the PC/Mac/Dreamcast/N64 tracks) and used separate control sticks for each pod engine as standard. The arcade version featured a full-sized cockpit for the player to sit in while playing. The Game Boy Color system was technically incapable of rendering the high speed 3D graphics used in the other versions, so the Game Boy Color release was instead based on abbreviated tracks using an overhead 2D view. Many versions of the Gameboy Color version of the game had an additional "Rumble" feature, in which you could put a battery into the game card to activate vibration.


Trivia

See also

Reception

  • In March 2004, GMR Magazine rated Episode I Racer, the fifth best Star Wars game of all time.
Review scores
Publication Score
IGN
7.6 of 10
GameSpot
7.1 of 10
EGM
9.5/9.0/9.0/9.0 (N64)
8.0/8.0/8.0 (DC version)
Compilations of multiple reviews
Game Rankings
76 of 100

References

  1. by Microsoft, it was removed in Windows Vista and above
  2. http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Episode-1-Racer-Mac/dp/B00000K599

External links

Template:Episode I fr:Star Wars Episode I: Racer hu:Star Wars: Episode I Racer pt:Star Wars: Episode I Racer fi:Star Wars: Episode I Racer sv:Star Wars: Episode I Racer

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