Star Wars Episode I: Racer
Racer, brought to us by the programming geniuses at LucasArts , doesn't pull any punches. I bought the game with, I believed, a reasonble level of expectations. I have floored straightaways in almost every car racing game known to the world, and drive a Mustang GT for fun in real life. Still, my heart was pounding after the first set of pod races - this game was awe inspiring.
Unless you live in a cave, you understand the basic premise of Racer. A full quarter of Episode 1 (or at least it seemed so at the time) was a giant marketing blitz for this game. You're in a tiny capsule, attached to two huge engines, and you are dragged through a race track at amazing speeds. You'd think it'd be hard for the programmers to duplicate that experience on a computer.
They did it.
Right from the first race, you're zigging through narrow passageways in rock, sliding over ice fields, diving through gravity-free tunnels and dodging obstacles and other racers the entire way. I started playing the game late one night and was quickly absorbed in the incredible graphic detail. The worlds seemed real, and each one had its own characteristics that were identifiable, but not monotonous, from race to race.
My favorite world involved underwater tunnels, but every world had something neat to offer - the sliding ice fields were a challenge, as were the asteroids in the mining tunnels. It was fun to be able to choose from different pod racers, although the "unlocking" of special racers as you won each race wasn't as meaningful as it could have been. Since you are enhancing your own pod racer all along, you hardly want to leave it behind to take one of these new vehicles you've found.
The programmers designed the game very well for younger players, as well. My ten year old was very excited that the game had arrived at the house, and started playing immediately. Controls are very intuitive, and when you crash, you don't die completely. You just restart where you were, perhaps losing a few seconds. There were many times that he was able to win despite having crashed a few times. In fact, the crashing was half of the fun for him - smashing sideways into an evil opponent, or driving straight through a nearby rock.
Adults love the game as well. A friend of mine came out to visit us, and while we munched fish & chips at the local brewery, I mentioned casually that we'd just gotten Racer. My friend began raving about how much he loved the game, and the dinner turned into a strategy swap session, discussing the various maps involved, methods for turn control, and benefits of various pod combinations. I've not seen that kind of enthusiastic discussion happen with any racing game in a long time!
I definitely give this game a very high rating, for it occupied both the seasoned adult gamers in the house as well as the younger ones! Truly fun for the whole family.
Pod Racer Walkthroughs
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