No matter if you are a Sith Lord, Jedi or a simple Gungan: you love podracing. And you can also cruise through the virtual Tatooine.
Photo credit: LucasArts
The most successful sci-fi racing game
LucasArts published Star Wars Episode I: Racer in 1999 for PC, Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast. The galactic hype surrounding George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise fueled the popularity of the title.
Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace and its racing game were released on the same date, and the legendary movie catapulted the sales numbers of its racing game. Over 3 million copies were sold worldwide – an achievement that was worth an entry in Guinness World Records as best-selling sci-fi racing game.
The rise of Star Wars racing
With this immense success story, LucasArt went for a revival of the game and released a remastered edition for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch early in 2020. But the “Star Wars” letters on the packaging were not the only selling point. There has been a myriad of racing games, but with podracing, the player had the chance to choose something different from a normal car and go for a cruise in an environment other than the usual everyday roads.
A new hope for sci-fi racers?
The original title had great potential for extra content, which unfortunately was not implemented in the remake. While there are plenty of routes on eight different planets, a dedicated track editor to create your own circuits is missing. A great online mode to compete against others is also lacking. If these were implemented, they could form a completely new podracing game with the potential to be even more fun than its predecessor.
Have you played Star Wars Racer? What are your impressions of the game? Tell us on Twitter at @overtake_gg!
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