Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Star Wars Episode I: Racer revived for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch

By
Add as a preferred source on Google
 

Star Wars Episode I: Racer, originally rolled out for the Nintendo 64 and PC in 1999, will be re-released for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on May 12.

Recommended Videos

The racing game was launched alongside Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and it is based on podracing, one of the film’s most memorable sequences. Aspyr, the developer behind the recent ports of Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy and Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, both for the Nintendo Switch, is also in charge of bringing Star Wars Episode I: Racer to modern consoles.

Aspyr producer James Vicari said that remastering Star Wars Episode I: Racer was an important project for the studio “because good games should never be forgotten and great games deserve to be revisited as much as possible,” he told StarWars.com in an interview.

Vicari also discussed the racing game’s modernized controls, particularly for the Nintendo Switch. The studio made sure that controlling the podracers “feels comfortable in all configurations,” which includes using individual Joy-Cons.

Aspyr “uprezzed” the game’s FMV sequences, with everything natively re-exported into higher resolutions, according to a PlayStation Blog post. Trophies have also been added, so PlayStation 4 players will have something else to chase besides the podracers in front of them.

Players may choose between 25 characters in Star Wars Episode I: Racer, including Anakin Skywalker and Sebulba, with tracks across different planets in the Star Wars series, including Tatooine where the podracing sequence from Phantom Menace took place. Podracers may be upgraded, with races in single-player campaigns or split-screen multiplayer.

Nintendo Direct Mini in March

The port of Star Wars Episode I: Racer for the Nintendo Switch was first revealed in March, in a surprise Nintendo Direct Mini that was jam-packed with announcements of new games and updates.

In addition to the racing game, the presentation revealed a May 29 release date for Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, as well as an upcoming DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from fighting game Arms. Also announced were the third DLC for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 featuring the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom, and a free update for Ring Fit Adventure, for those who were lucky enough to nab one.

Aaron Mamiit
Aaron Mamiit
Former Contributor
Aaron received an NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was four years old, and he has been fascinated…
Topics
The $1300 Acer Predator Atlas 8 handheld is finally US-bound, and its pre-orders are already sold out
Acer’s first gaming handheld to launch in the US arrives November 1 with Intel Arc G3 Extreme hardware.
Intel Arc G3 Extreme Hands On with Acer Predator Atlas 8

Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.

Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.

Read more
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2026) Review: Almost everything I want from a gaming laptop, except the price
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop

Quick Take

Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.

Read more
Google Play is copying one of the Nintendo Switch’s handiest features
Sidekick can now save the previous 30 seconds of an Android game after something worth recording has already happened
google-playstore-sidekick-AI-for-android-games

Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.

Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.

Read more