Star Wars Episode I: Racer

"Average, nothing special"

Nintendo 64 holds the title of having a lot of great Racing games for the console. There are some good ones, there are some bad ones, and there are some that is just unplayable. Star Wars is a little in the middle. Not so good, Not so bad. This game reminds me a little of Aero Gauge. The game developers probably have gotten the inspiration from them.

Graphics 8/10
The graphics are good, not great. The 3d graphics look choppy. This game might have looked better without the attempt of 3d graphics. Although, you have to admit. This was in 1999. Even though games have already gained the power of successfully having great 3d graphics, this was one of the games that was struggling to make the switch from 2d to 3d. So this is just a simple 8/10.

Sound 7/10
Let me just start with the most annoying part of the sound. The characters. I hate hearing their voices when I accidentally hit the wall. It's annoying and annoyinger. I made a word because I'm special. I especially hate hearing enemy racers say, "Destroyer!" over and over. Yes, I realize you want to catch up to me and destroy me. Just shut up about it. The music is pretty great. You hear some nice songs from the Star Wars movies, and some new ones that are shockingly similar to the songs you hear in the movies.

Controls 6/10
The controls were horrible. I keep crashing into walls because the game is just slow at responding to my thumb controlling the lonely non-dual analog stick. Anything else is alright. If I could talk to the game designs, I would ask them to stop having caves with tiny exits when the controls are horrible.

Gameplay 8/10
The gameplay is okay. There's nothing different that I have seen in other games. I see how fast I'm going, choose where I would want to race at, etc. One thing I've noticed are two bars that show how damaged I am. This gets aggravating because they don't work well. Also, I don't like having a racing game where I would die. Maybe having my vehicle get damaged, but not have me die and have to catch up.

Overall 6/10
This game is nothing special. It tries hard to be like Aero Gauge, but has little success. I suggest you to buy this at a cheaper price.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 02/07/08

Game Release: Star Wars Episode I: Racer (US, 05/19/99)