You can control your pod’s direction and tilt it sideways-handy for diving through narrow gaps-and that’s about it. There are effectively two speeds, fast and faster, and only the most basic of controls. The racing in Star Wars Episode I: Racer reminded me strongly of Wipeout. When you start the race, you’ll first get to see some scenic shots of the planet and track area itself with commentary from Fode and Beed, the same two-headed character who commentated in The Phantom Menace. Once you’ve selected your racer and track you can choose to start the race or inspect your vehicle first.
The first track available in the Amateur Circuit is the Boonta Training Course from The Phantom Menace and this is a great place to start. All three circuits contain seven tracks across planets including Baroonda and Malastare that you have to unlock in order. There are three Podracing Circuits: Amateur, Semi-Pro, and Galactic, and these increase in difficulty as you would expect. Once you’ve picked your competitor and pod, you can choose a track. These are all other characters who raced against Anakin in The Phantom Menace. Anakin Skywalker is the default option, but you can also choose from other racers including Teemto Pagalies, Aldar Beedo, Ebe Endocott, and Elan Mak (whose name I kept reading as Elon Musk).
In all but Tournament Mode, you are taken to a cantina where you can select your racer and your pod. Selecting a Pod, Screencap Sophie Brown and Aspyr Choosing Pods and Racers There is no online multiplayer option here, though, so you’ll only be able to race against players who are physically in the room with you. There are four modes available from the get-go:įree Play simply allows you to race against the other competitors in friendly races, Time Attack gives you the track to yourself with your only competition being your previous best time, and Two-Player offers a split-screen mode for you to play against a friend. Additionally, Limited Run Games will launch preorders for physical editions of Jedi Academy and Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast on April 24th.Star Wars Episode I: Racer opens with a classic Star Wars crawl that discusses the popularity of podracing across the galaxy, before throwing you straight into the game. Based on Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace’s podracing segment, the title allowed fans to race across Tatooine (and other various tracks) at full-throttle.Īspyr’s announcement of this forthcoming release comes just weeks after it brought Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy to the PS4. Star Wars Episode I: Racer originally launched over 20 years ago in 1999 as a Nintendo 64 title.
The full list will most likely go live online as the mid-May release date draws near, and there are currently no hints as to just how tough it will be to get. When hopping into a Podracer, then, players should feel something that’s both “natural and modern.”īashaar also noted that “trophy hunters will be happy.” In addition to bringing trophies to the kart racer, players will have the option to become a Podracing champ thanks to Star Wars Episode I: Racer’s Platinum trophy. As such, Aspyr re-mapped all of Star Wars Episode I: Racer’s controls to ensure the perfect fit for DualShock 4.