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

Aaron Mamiit
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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.

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.

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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.

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Aaron Mamiit
Aaron Mamiit
Contributor
Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…
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There are plenty of examples showing why this would be a wise idea. The Age of Empire series' Definitive Edition games showed how well remakes work on subscription services. Several years after their original release, many players are still actively engaged with the first three Age of Empire games. While interested players can still purchase the remakes individually, putting those games on Game Pass for PC on day one ensured that the community didn't have to pay full price for a game they were already playing daily. Instead, they could just get the remake through their subscription and continue.
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The Last of Us Part I will be released for PS5 on September 2, 2022.

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