TOPIC: Star Wars Episode I Racer for N64

This game was not only one of my favorites for the N64 (along with Rogue Squadron), but my favorite racing game of all time. Besides being a Star Wars game, it was incredibly fast, required quick reflexes, had a great variety of track environments and pod types, and plenty of secrets to be discovered.


Like I said above, the game was incredibly fast compared to other racing games at the time, and demanded lightning quick course adjustments, especially in the later races, if you didn't want to crash into walls or fall off the course completely. At the time, my brother and I weren't the best at video games when we'd play with friends, but we could beat anyone at this one; most people we played against couldn't go more than 30 seconds without crashing. In fact, many racing games I'll play today almost seem a bit easy in comparison.

And what would a racing game be without courses to race on? Tracks spanned the whole Star Wars galaxy; from the flat deserts of Tatooine to the frigid mountains of Aldo Prime, and from the volcanic hazards of Baroonda to the 0 gravity tracks of Oovo IV. Some tracks were fairly straightforward and kept the playing field level (like the Mon Gazza Speedway's simple loop), while others like the invitational circuit's insanely difficult Abyss course on Ord Ibanna had multiple paths to the checkered flag. And most tracks had plenty of secret shortcuts for those who ventured of the beaten path.

The game also featured a wide range of pilots to play as. Some (like Sebulba) were unlocked by completing a set of races, and while there were some pods with poor stat distributions (like Boles Roor, all speed and nothing else), there was nothing wrong with the starting list; each had their own strengths and weaknesses (which could be mitigated with new parts from Watto bought with your winnings).

My personal preference, however was "Bullseye" Navior, whose pod had a great cooling stat (which allowed you stay in turbo for longer), great cornering ability and acceleration, and slimmer engines so you could see more of the track in front of you.

The game didn't have a plethora of cheat codes, but my favorite was one that allows you to control your pod with two controllers, using each of the joysticks to control one of the engines (similarly to how Anakin's is controlled in the movie and the arcade game).

Well enough from me! What did you guys think of the game?

I had this and army men when I got my 64 I remember very well blowing up a whole lot like a lot a lot loved playing but wasn't very good at it

One of my favorites this game.

The racers I used the most was Ebe Endocott or Slide Paramita.

The tracks were always fun and exciting especially the later ones like you said. Used to play this all the time when it came out. Now I have it on my PC lol. I might need to load it up now...

My brother and I have fond memories of this game on the N64. I was extremely saddened when my N64 was stolen along with Racer and all my other N64 games (Turok 2, Goldeneye, and Zelda Ocarina of Time). I was a huge fan of Mars Guo's pod. That thing was freaking fast, but the slightest touch on anything and it was destroyed lol.

Incidentally, this game was also released on PC and is playable online with up to 8 players. There's been no rerelease on Steam or GOG or anything though to make it compatible with modern systems. Indeed, many modern systems have strange issues with the game. I got it to work though and my siblings and I plan to have some tournaments for our weekly sibling gaming nights.

The sequel to this is now on PS4 digitally (added along with Jedi Starfighter, Bounty Hunter and Super Star Wars), and I've been contemplating getting it.