Scores
Graphics: 9
Sound: 5.5
Gameplay: 8
Replay: 6.5
Overall: 7.2
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Star Wars: Episode I Racer
Review by: Eva00
The thought that, indeed, we have been graced with the first new Star Wars movie in nearly 25 years, is overwhelming on it’s own. Better yet, we are witness to another wave of new Star Wars games, complete with fresh creatures, vehicles, and locations, all as richly detailed and strictly outlined as the previous generation. The first to hit the N64 is Pod Racer, based upon the lengthy segment in Episode I: The Phantom Menace. If it weren’t for the fact that it’s based in the Star Wars universe (the new one in fact), Pod Racer would be easily overlooked, perhaps receiving less attention than even the Extreme-G titles. Still, the fact remains that a Star Wars theme goes a long way.
The front end is nice, with lush visuals and locals surrounding the menu aspect, and familiar characters scattered about. (Even that crazy Jar-Jar) The real meat of the game is perhaps the amount of options available, such as a variety of ways to upgrade a pod with new parts, used parts, and even the purchase of additional droids. Likewise, as more races are won, more pods become available, each with different strengths and weights. The amount of tracks is a plus, with three classes containing seven tracks each, and the master class, with four. Unfortunately, progression through each class is a bit odd, and there is a lack of any real coherent series to hold it all together and keep the player engaged. Every track in each class is raced in an individual manner, and even the hardest class of courses is available to race from the start. (Though don’t expect to win until enough money is made to properly upgrade the pods) On to the gameplay.
No one has really piloted a pod, but I gather, simply by taking in the movie, that it feels pretty tuned to the experience. They move fast, control tight, and explode upon moderate impact. While the early courses are quite easy, the later, more difficult ones require fairly competent practice and skill. (Some a lot of practice) This makes for a play curve that has about as much balance as a drunk on stilts. Since the pods are easily controlled, the difficulty is overcome by memorizing the track--by racing it multiple times. Again, a sign of an unbalanced learning curve.
On the up, Pod Racer is a visual feast. (In high-res mode) Although the framerate suffers (annoyingly so occasionally), the amount of detail and clarity of the textures is a refreshment, especially when recreating the look of the movie is such an incredible task. The only other down is perhaps the tendency of the textures to repeat too often in a given small area, which leads to a cluttered look that can cause collisions simply because the player is unable to tell what is open track and what is an obstacle.
The greatest letdown however comes in the sound department. While recreating the THX experience of a theatre is obviously an unrealistic expectation, anyone who has seen the sequence understands that the distinct drone of each pod is a large portion of the package. Also, with a large base of brilliant classical music to draw from, it’s sad that so little of it is incorporated into the actual racing action. Worse still, everything is in shitty mono (or at least sounds to be), which is a far cry from even the superb stereo setup that is had with Rogue Squadron. Lucasarts surely hasn’t forgotten that Factor 5-like sound is part of their image, and, hopefully, it is an issue that won’t arise in future their Star Wars efforts for the N64.
Episode I: Pod Racer feels rushed, yet still plays competently. Without the Star Wars license it would be forgettable, but the visuals prove enough to adequately utilize the theme. The sound is quite simply as skanky and N64-ish as it gets. Pod Racer, minus the license, is an average racer that moves really fast (this gimmick is starting to grow old), and lacks coherency plus true style to reel the player in. Yet, since it is in fact a Star Wars game, and that accounts for almost an instant tendency to intrigue, fans of the movie, and universe, should be inclined to give it decent playtime. Please Lucasarts, hold in mind just two words from now on, Factor 5.
- We have 1 review for Star Wars: Episode I Racer (1 Staff, 0 Member)
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