Star Wars: Episode I Racer is a racing game released by LucasArts for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, Macintosh, and Dreamcast platforms.
It is a racing game that is based on the podracing scene from Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, putting the player in the cockpit of 23 (25 counting cheat code character replacements in the Nintendo 64 version) different podracers on 25 different tracks on 8 unique worlds. Jake Lloyd, Andrew Secombe, Lewis MacLeod, Greg Proops, and Scott Capurro all reprise their roles from the movie.
Contents
Opening crawl[edit | edit source]
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Tournament structure[edit | edit source]
Players can enter the tournament with a character, wherein placing first, second, or third earns the player prize winnings (if chosen) and unlocks the champion of the track. Not all tracks feature unlockable racers; however, winning a race also unlocks new tracks. With the prize money, players can buy upgrades for their podracers.
Amateur Podracing Circuit[edit | edit source]

Sebulba races through the winter terrain of Ando Prime.
- Boonta Training Course
- Mon Gazza Speedway
- Beedo's Wild Ride
- Aquilaris Classic
- Malastare 100
- Vengeance
- Spice Mine Run
Semipro Podracing Circuit[edit | edit source]
Galactic Podracing Circuit[edit | edit source]
- Executioner
- Sebulba's Legacy
- Grabvine Gateway
- Andobi Mountain Run
- Dethro's Revenge
- Fire Mountain Rally
- The Boonta Classic
Invitational Podracing Circuit[edit | edit source]
Planets[edit | edit source]
Starting Racers[edit | edit source]
Unlockable Racers[edit | edit source]
- Aldar Beedo
- Ark "Bumpy" Roose
- Ben Quadinaros
- Boles Roor
- Bozzie Baranta
- "Bullseye" Navior
- Clegg Holdfast
- Fud Sang
- Mars Guo
- Mawhonic
- Neva Kee
- Ratts Tyerell
- Sebulba
- Slide Paramita
- Teemto Pagalies
- Toy Dampner
- Wan Sandage
Cheat Code Racers[edit | edit source]
- Cy Yunga - Replaces "Bullseye" Navior
- Jinn Reeso - Replaces Mars Guo
Upgrades[edit | edit source]
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Other versions[edit | edit source]
PC version[edit | edit source]
The PC version has different cheat codes, as well as additional cut scenes for the racetracks introductions as well as an opening cinematic (scenes of which were re-created with in-game models and tracks in the N64 version). It should be noted that in the PC's opening movie, Gasgano is seen being knocked out of the Boonta Eve Classic by Sebulba, though other sources list Gasgano as having finished the race. The music is vastly superior in the PC version (it plays from the CD and is in WAV format), and the speedometer uses vector graphics instead of raster graphics in the N64 version, for a superior effect. Also, the title screen is different, and the PC version supports multiplayer over IPX, instead of multiplayer on the same platform.
Game Boy Color Version[edit | edit source]
The Nintendo Game Boy Color version of the game is notably different from the other versions. Tracks are played out like Drag Races, as in there are no laps. Players race against a track favorite, and winning will grant the player a new character to play as. In addition, at the game's start only Anakin Skywalker is available. All of the racers appear, but only a handful of the planets remain. However, each planet has four different courses. Upon beating four races on one planet, players may duel Sebulba. If they win, they gain Sebulba's pod. If they lose a future race, they lose Sebulba's pod until they unlock it again.
Gameboy Color Planets and Courses[edit | edit source]
- Tatooine
- Ando Prime
- Ando Prime drag course 1 (vs. Slide Paramita)
- Ando Prime drag course 2 (vs. Fud Sang)
- Ando Prime drag course 3 (vs. Ebe Endocott)
- Ando Prime drag course 4 (vs. Aldar Beedo)
- Baroonda
- Baroonda drag course 1 (vs. "Bullseye" Navior)
- Baroonda drag course 2 (vs. Toy Dampner)
- Baroonda drag course 3 (vs. Wan Sandage)
- Baroonda drag course 4 (vs. Clegg Holdfast)
- Mon Gazza
- Mon Gazza drag course 1 (vs. Ody Mandrell)
- Mon Gazza drag course 2 (vs. Mars Guo)
- Mon Gazza drag course 3 (vs. Ben Quadinaros)
- Mon Gazza drag course 4 (vs. Boles Roor)
- Malastare
- Any drag course (vs. Sebulba)
Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch release[edit | edit source]
Twenty-one years after the original release of the game, it received an HD re-release for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch that added local multiplayer functionality. It was originally scheduled for May 12, 2020, but was delayed and eventually released on June 23 of that same year.[5] The Switch version also supports motion controls, allowing players to use them to operate the individual throttles of the podracer's twin engines.[6]
Xbox One[edit | edit source]
The Xbox One version released on October 27, 2020.[4]
Reception[edit | edit source]
In March 2004, GMR Magazine rated Episode I Racer the fifth best Star Wars game of all time. WatchMojo.com ranked the game as an honorable mention in a Top 10 Star Wars Video Games list.[7]
Publication | Score | |
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IGN | 7.6 of 10 (N64) | 8.0 of 10 (PC) |
GameSpot | 8.4 of 10 | |
EGM | 9.5/9.0/9.0/9.0 (N64) | 8.0/8.0/8.0 (PC version) |
Compilations of multiple reviews | ||
Game Rankings | 76 of 100 |
Continuity[edit | edit source]
In the Episode I novel and movie, Anakin Skywalker's podracer was clocked at 941 kph (about 585 mph), granting it the title "Fastest Podracer in the Galaxy". Episode I Racer disregards this information because podracers, with maximum acceleration, could achieve speeds of 1046.1 kph (650 miles per hour) without boosting.
Also, in the game, Ben Quadinaros's podracer had a boost thrust of +643.7 kph (400 mph), which is double the boost thrust of Anakin's pod, 321.9 kph (200 mph), thus granting Quadinaros's pod a stunning top speed of 1689.8 kph, (1050mph) which is the fastest speed of all podracers, on a flat surface.
Strangely, the game also shows Anakin Skywalker potentially racing on a number of planets, and even being favored for a race track on the planet Baroonda, even though there is very little (if any) indication that he ever raced on any planet other than Tatooine. Therefore, it is likely that any involvement he had with podracing on these other planets would be non-canon in the Legends continuity
Media[edit | edit source]
Editions[edit | edit source]
- UPC 023272653422; April 30, 2001; LucasArts Entertainment Company; LucasArts Archive Series edition[8][9]
Cover gallery[edit | edit source]
Credits[edit | edit source]
Cast | Crew |
Cast
Appearances[edit | edit source]
Characters | Creatures | Droid models | Events | Locations |
Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
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Creatures
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Droid models
Events
Locations
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Organizations and titles
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Sentient species
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Vehicles and vessels
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Weapons and technology
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Miscellanea
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Bibliography[edit | edit source]
"Around the Galaxy: Dark Horse Unmasks The Phantom Menace"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 6
"Around the Galaxy"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 7
"A Celebration For The Ages"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 7
"Jake Toys With Success"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 7
"Around the Galaxy"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 8
"Figure It Out: Podracing Potential"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 8
Race Different - Racer for the Mac on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
New Games Available Now on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
Star Wars: Episode I: Racer Official Website on LucasArts.com (backup link)
The Best Star Wars Games of the 64-Bit Era on StarWars.com (backup link)
Replaying the Classics: Star Wars Episode I: Racer on StarWars.com (backup link)
10 Essential Star Wars Games You Can Play Right Now on StarWars.com (backup link)
The Classic Star Wars Episode I Racer Comes to Nintendo Switch and PS4 on StarWars.com (backup link)
'Good Games Should Never Be Forgotten': Producer James Vicari on the Rerelease of Star Wars Episode I: Racer on StarWars.com (backup link)
Over 20 years after its debut, the Force- and fandom- is still strong with Star Wars: Episode I Racer on StarWars.com (backup link)
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode I: Racer - Nintendo 64 - IGN. IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc.. Archived from the original on May 24, 2020. Retrieved on October 8, 2014.
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode I Racer for Dreamcast. GameRankings. Archived from the original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved on February 20, 2021.
- ↑
Star Wars: Squadrons Reports In, Brand New Star Wars LEGO Sets, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 tar Wars: Episode I Racer for Xbox One. Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved on February 20, 2021.
- ↑ Wales, Matt (2020-6-16). Star Wars Episode I: Racer remaster gets another delay on Switch and PS4. Eurogamer. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved on July 7, 2020.
- ↑ Berger, Josh (2020-06-23). STAR WARS: EPISODE I RACER Has Finally Become Available For The PlayStation 4 And Nintendo Switch. GameFragger. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved on August 19, 2020.
- ↑
Top 10 Star Wars Video Games (Redux) on the WatchMojo.com YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: Racer, LucasArts Archive Series edition
- ↑
LucasArts Archive Series: Star Wars Episode 1 Racer - PC on Amazon.com (backup link)