If you’ve seen your way through Jedi: Fallen Order and you’re missing your Star Wars gaming fix, another title from the galaxy far, far away is making a return.
The definitive version of Star Wars Episode 1: Racer, the 1999 podracing game for Nintendo 64 and PC, will arrive on PS4 and Nintendo Switch on May 12.
Podracing of course, provided some of the little excitement on offer in The Phantom Menace movie, amidst all of that talk of trade disputes and midichlorians.
The experience translated into a fun, fast-paced sci-fi racing game that resembled F-Zero X. It offered a great control system, more than 20 varied tracks and 25 playable podracers (yes, including the boy wonder Anakin Skywalker). Gameplay might have taken precedence over graphics, but this was a highly enjoyable outing in the Star Wars series.
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Now the game, which was a top seller at the time, is making a timely return thanks to the good folks at Aspyr, which recently released the new version of Jedi Academy. The main upgrade to the title seems to be new controls, optimised for newer consoles.
“The beloved game has been modernized for the most optimal gaming experience on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4,” said the company’s VP of publishing, Elizabeth Howard. “Star Wars fans should get ready to steer their racer to victory and leave their opponents in the dust.”
Gamers will be able to enjoy single-player campaigns, multiplayer showdowns and will be able to upgrade the airborne pods along the way.
It’ll be downloadable for $15 (UK price TBC) on May 12. We can’t wait to take down Sebulba and win our freedom. Whether we’ll be able to go to fulfil our destiny and slay some younglings remains to be seen.
In a post on the PlayStation blog, the developer added: “If you’re new to Star Wars Episode I: Racer, the only word you need to know is speed. This game is all about the speed and fans of Star Wars: Racer Revenge will be pleased to see that the original delivered on the promise of exceeding 600 MPH. Racing purists will drift through turns, discover shortcuts, and break lap records, while kart-racing fans will defer to bumping, smashing, or even using Sebulba’s secret flame jets to knock opponents out of the race.”
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
