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| Star Wars Episode One: Racer,
Dreamcast |
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| Games,
Richard Young,
20 January 1999 |
Rating: F3
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For many fans, the Pod Racing scene from Star Wars Episode One was one of the highlights of the movie. Regardless of whether one thought the film was pants or not, it is hard to fault an action sequence with such pulse pounding visuals and storming sound effects. And now, one year later, the racing game based on the same scene has finally arrived on the Dreamcast. : It’s a good blast. Not fantastic, but fun all the same. A bit like the movie, you might say.
Probably the best aspect of the game is the multitude of track designs. From the original Boonta Eve classic on Tatooine, which is based on the actual course seen in the film, to the gaseous lakes of Malastare, these epic courses have hairpins bends, wide open spaces and various jumps and obstacles to navigate. The control system is quirky, but you get used to it (the alternative control setting actually makes more sense) and the graphics are inventive and detailed. Now for the bad news; there appears to be a very slight freeze in the frame-rate every couple of seconds, which somewhat spoils the sense of speed and fluidity. It is hardly noticeable, but you are aware that you are playing something that doesn’t have the slick smooth feel of Wipeout, for example.
Despite being pretty and having practically no pop-up, when you compare this to the arcade version of Racer, which is based on Sega’s Naomi board technology, it leaves the Lucasarts attempt floundering at the starting grid. This is a real shame considering that stunning titles like Dead or Alive 2 (based on Naomi technology) can be ported to the Dreamcast successfully, while Episode One: Racer appears to be little more than a high-end PC conversion. John Williams’ original music is great of course, and there is plenty of mileage in the ability to upgrade your pod from parts bought from Watto’s shop or scavenged from a junk yard. Not a bad title, but you can’t help feeling it could have been a fantastic one.
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