Jeremy B. Fappin Yep. I haven't played it a long time but from what I remember about it the most was i actually felt like if i was in the Star Wars universe. The game had a feeling of if you're in an actual world which is something that most racers even today don't pull off. Underrated classic
this game was very addictive and way better than the sequel. in the sequel there was no intensity to the races because they made it easier so you could slow down to wreck opponents for parts. i had a little bit of fun with racer revenge but it became quickly old compared to this one.
I disagree with the game being too easy. I've played the game on N64 since it came out, & it wasn't till a few years ago that I managed to beat every single race in 1st. I actually think it's a great example of how much harder older games really are to fully "beat", when compared to modern ones.
Yes and no. On later tournaments you are required to upgrade your pod to reach really high speeds to be able to reach the other racers, then the track start to seem harder than it is.
This game is awesome and still holds up today. I love how fast paced it is since it makes you feel like you have lightning reflexes when you race well. The pod racing was probably my favorite part about the first movie also but i loved the movie so i was completely pumped for anything star wars related at the time.
The hardest level in the game has to be Abyss imo. Grabvine Gateway is a close second, but you can still blast your way through it pretty easily. Abyss is a nightmare to try and stay on top of the track so you don't automatically fall back to 8th place from 1st and have Bozzie blast ahead and never be caught. I just played through it again today, and I spent a good three hours trying to get down the turns on Abyss.
@@alexandergreen3753 bro i don't remember the names but the moment you said get the turns and not mess it up omg...those were awful had to use handbrakes on that part
U can clip into the ceiling in the tunnel at the start of the race and jump over a huge gap to skip a good portion of the track, I still don't understand how I found these tricks as kid but it helped me to get first.
This was graphically one of the most impressive feats on n64. True Dreamcast version wipes the floor with it, but with the expansion Pak, this is as good as a racer can look on n64
I disagree with you on this one. I think I'd actually go as far as to say that this was probably my favorite game on the N64. (Goldeneye, this, Rogue Sq and Jet force gemini all fighting for that crown) I remember the moment I bought it in that beautiful black box. I put at least as many hours into this as I did Goldeneye, if not more. I loved it! I only wish the PC version would still run on modern systems, I bought a boxed version a couple of years ago and was left very disappointed. Maybe GOG will help us out with that. In a world of lazy remakes and reboots, this is one game I really would love to see made again. I do agree about the loneliness however, if they do make another, they it would certainly benefit from the some improved AI.
There was actually one weapon in this game and it's on Sebulaba's pod. He as a flame thrower on the side that you can use to set other racer's pods on fire.
@@dekoldrick Ah yes! That's why it was difficult to get a hit - you had to time it so that the second tap would be the time at which you had the shot lined-up.
Man, I remember playing this all the time with my friends when I was a kid. This was one of the first games I got good at and enjoyed playing on a regular basis.
This was my first game that I had. I received this game like gift of christmas in a Nintendo 64 Episode I edition with the Darth Maul face in the box and the Star Wars Racer game with a nice posters of Sebulba and Anakin. This was the best gift that I ever received in my life. This game is amazing. I think that this game had very advanced graphics for the time. The gameplay is well and the roster is perfect because the game includes all of racers of the film. "Bullseye" Navior has a insane speed and I think that is the best character in this game.
It's my favorite racing game, even above UG2. I love how the game's part repair system encourages you to pick a secondary racer so your tourney smasher can rest up. It gives you that option but you can still just spend your winnings to replace broken parts if you don't want to wait. There's alot more depth in manuevering tight corners, and the engine repair is convenient to use if you're in an area that you need to slow to 300-400 mph anyway so you've got fresh engines with a long boost duration once you come up to that adrenaline stretch.
I remember getting the bundle pack from my dad when I graduated 8th grade. I played with my friends for days, they all spent the night at my house and we beat the game within a matter of hours and you're right it got boring and I never went back to it that was 17 years ago but after seeing this review I want to play it again! So thanks and keep up the good work.
This was and still is my favorite N64 game. I thought this game was super hard when I was younger but that never stopped me from playing it. I've went back through it recently to complete it and unlock all the racers and it was a challenge but totally doable. Thanks!
I love this game and played the heck out of it during the era, and still can pick it up and enjoy it thoroughly. It's one that I feel a lot of people overlook on the N64.
In my experience of collecting for the N64 I have concluded that this is the single most common N64 game, at least in North America. Would you agree with that Glenn?
Yeah, it was released right along side Episode 1 the movie AND they also bundled the game with N64's at the time. I used to view random N64 game lots on ebay every day for over 2 years looking for NFR's and Episode 1 Racer was the game I saw most often.
No, I think most sports games (especially the Madden series) are more common here than this game. However, I found and bought a loose copy of it at eStarland yesterday for pretty cheap though so it must be still very common somewhat.
I played the game at Pax South 2019. It was a challenge to get the fastest time on the Tatooine level as Anakin. I won and was impressed even for being way past its release date.
For some strange reason the physics of how the pod and thrusters move strikes me as more realistic and appealing in the N64 version. I can't put my finger on it.
I love your reviews of these old N64 games. They bring back tons of memories! I was never able to beat this. I got to the very challenging level a few ones before the end (but after the very challenging Grapevine Gateway or whatever the hell it was called!).
I remember playing this as a kid, being pretty good at video games then I still didn't manage to unlock the last 2-3 racers and laps though, so easy isn't what i'd call it! Was a fantastic game though, for kids since it really let you into the fantasy of being a podracer. Also some of the maps were very creative for the time. Asteroids zero gravity stuff especially :P
Same i was pretty good at games and racing games, and this one was notably difficult. He's trippin he just doesn't like the game I think... I loved this game, played it so much and don't think I ever beat it 100% 1st i got close.
english its not my native language, when i was a kid i didnt knew that you could upgrade your podracers, so i almost beat the entire game with 0 upgrades.... no wonder why it was so frustating and hard, many hours trying to beat a level that seem imposible.. i feel like a need to get a n64 and this game again, now that i know about upgrades and shit i will beat it
Was looking forward to your review on this one! I remember watching Episode 1 in theatres and a couple face-palm moments - but felt it revived itself during the final scenes. I was pretty excited to play the game - and remember how fun it was to race against friends. I have since gone back to it, and find it very difficult to play, but the memories are always there. Great review man!
thanks! yeah i had better memories of this as a kid before i replayed it for this review....has its flaws but still better than the weird cart racer style playstation star wars racing game!
I loved the tracks in this game... unlocked characters get very good near the end and the challenge really ramps up (although if you take care with your upgrades, you can really take a chunk out of it). I started off "Luke" warm on the game but after a few hours in I was hooked and having a ton of fun. The game was also insanely cheap in stores here in Canada. I also got the game for nearly free with some local retail store club points back in the day!
I'm suprised with lots of criticisism for this game from You. 1 - I don't like Star Wars 2 - I don't like racing games 3 - I love this game. I loved the graphics (man, you should've show the footage with expansion pack), the insane speed!, the great tracks design... and I actually come back very often to this game. And it's not that easy - first few tracks may be, but after that it's all uphill - I still can't finish some of the last tracks after all these years.
Ok, but what does this have to do with my comment? Are you assuming that big fan of racing games has high expectations that this game hasn't met? Well, ok then.
The game being too easy is by biggest complaint, upgrades seem to make your vehicle very OP compared to your AI competitors. Everything else about the game is pretty sweet.
Actually the game does technically have weapons but only with Sebulba, in case you didn't know, Sebulba can shoot flames from the side of his engine and overheat the engines of any opponents, this is a reference to a deleted scene from the movie and Anakin also mentions it as he was once a victim to it
I remember Episode I well. I wasn't exposed to the hate it had until years later and to that I say I got what I wanted (space battles and lightsaber duels). Episode I Racer was a fun experience as a kid. Now that you mention it, Episode I Racer was a tad on the easy side especially once you have a decked out pod but me and my brothers played that game a lot once we got it. Even back then, I knew that Neva Kee's podracer technically had the most sound design to it. It had a fighter-like cockpit that offered great forward visibility and its engines were structurally attached to each other and the cockpit which allowed the podracer to be more controllable. Its design, in retrospect, also indicates how unregulated podracers and podracing was. It became my favorite despite it being slower than other podracers. Fun fact: Qui-Gon wasn't kidding when he said that podracing was very fast and very dangerous. In addition to the obvious potential for collisions at high speeds pods that used jet engines had to worry about FOD or foreign object damage due to their use in close proximity to the surface. One small rock can destroy an engine and put a pod out of the race. Luckily that wasn't simulated in the game but it would have made the Boonta Eve Classic very perilous.
haha great fact! i always used to like playing as sebulba myself! just imagine if this has a design your own pod feature now that would have been insane cool!
Most of his criticisms about enemy AI and the pacing of the races comes from the novice setting. Once you get up into expert mode you'll find yourself having to block and fend off other racers quite frequently. Especially if you've neglected your upgrades and havent mastered the tracks.
This was a game that you could play in the shop for free. At the time I got my fill while playing it there. Multiplayer games with replay value monopolized my gaming money. Another great review GP and I can't wait for the finale!
Thanks for Video! I agree with a lot of what you said, but with this exception. I felt like like a Ninja playing 'Shadows of the Empire' on Jedi Level, you know, one shot -one kill! And searching for the Secrets was bo much Fun! Here, Racers is really fascinating, the Nick Names of Players, then the names of the Avatars, well, it seemed to me that each Vehicle and Avatar drove quite differently. In short, Check the Default Value at very beginning, meaning that if you select a Vehicle with 'Repair' then all you have to do is 'Crash it 3 times on the very first Lap, let all of the other Drivers pass you, take your time and 'Sight See' and when you get to the End all of the Avatars will sit there and wait for you to cross first, then follow behind you to finish because the Default value works, you only need to drive fast if you select a vehicle with 'High Speed'. Again, if you select a car with 'Turning' then turn a lot on first lap and you will win the race, the Avatars will wait for you at the finishing line because you have already Won the Race! (You can't take too long to Finish because eventually they will Drive thru the Finish Line!) Third, they had Rogue Squadron a very beautiful laid out game that worked kind of the same way, the 'Default Values' worked. Now, after that they lost it, my opinion the games were Common Productions, Ha-ha! But you can still like a Common Game. Good Luck
i found this game rather challenging i got this game when i was young. and i hadnt beat it in the 15 years or so i had the game only beat it recently and it was rather challenging for me. unless im just pure garbage or something. I also found that i could only chose one racer that had a particular speed and handle to beat the game.
I loved the newer Star Wars movies, although I watched 4, 5, 6 a million times I still love the newer ones too. Maybe its because I was very young when the new ones came up, but I loved them. Great review btw!!
Lol that double controller looks awesome, hilarious and like an horrible aberration at the same time. This game was AWESOME. I loved the speed, the differentiated damage system and also the mechanic/upgrade part between races. But most of all I was just fascinated by the fact that someone took ONE scene from a pretty crappy movie and built an awesome game with a whole race circuit out of it. I can't really think of any other game that has done this since then. Seems like big gaming companies were more willing to experiment and take risks back in that time, maybe because the budget and team for an AAA game were much smaller in this era. On another note, what happened to the futuristic racer genre?? Pod racing, F-Zero, Wipeout, Extreme G... They're all gone! Was it just a fad of the nineties and early 2000s, like Nu Metal? Do we not care for that genre of games anymore because we basically live in the future now and have self-driving cars and whatnot?
Maybe it's just because I'm a few years younger than you; but I really liked episode 1. I had watched and enjoyed the original series before it came out and was really excited that they were releasing a new one after so many years
For your review, did you play it on the hardest difficulty? I remember having a lot of fun and that it was pretty challenging beating 100% and took quite a while. But that was also almost 20 years ago (ugh) so I could be remembering it wrong...
This was one of the first games I have ever owned and played, alongside Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Sega Genesis. I've gone back and played this game prior to recent (long before the Switch came out), and it still holds up today just fine.
I played the living heck out of this game when I was a kid,Ah, a fun game; at the very least it was satisfying to blow up one of your engines and watch you spin around futility :P It was always so hard to get that secret at the beginning of the snow place,The Dreamcast version was the best version.
I'm surprised you didn't mention 2 player mode. That was half of my experience with the game. Also even as an adult I found a couple of the later tracks quite challenging. In particular, the track that had two levels in a metal scaffolding tube. I wasn't very good at staying on the top level, which gives you an advantage, and I didn't finish first on the track until I was able to pull this off.
I'm not a fan of racing games but love this one used to rent it and play with friends when I was a kid. Ordered it of amazon the other day can't wait till it arrives.
man, how i hate the swamp track and their close curves... but th e rest you just need to learn some corners and know when applied turbo and your will enjoy that blurry effect for speed.
Oh jeez, you must be way better at racing games than I was as a kid. I remember playing this one a lot and finding it extremely challenging. Don't know that I ever beat all the races.
Me and my brothers rented this game pretty often; which was strange because none of us were really Star Wars fans nor racing fans lol. But the game was fun.
I know what you mean about the racing alone for most of the game. I think WipeOut did a much better job as a fly-racing game in part because of the weapons and the more-likely-threat of getting blown up by an opponent but both suffered from the problem of there not being much in the way of close racing.
I actually bought this game twice. I owned it and rather enjoyed it on the N64, and then bought it again for the Dreamcast (rather optimistically) hoping it was a port of the ace Sega arcade version (even though there was no evidence to support this hope). The Dreamcast one is expectedly superior to the N64, but not by much. I still quite like it though, and if you get 2 players with equal skill, its still a fun multiplayer experience
Absolute legend. Not perfect by any means but it truly conveys a SW experience. I gotta disagree with the difficulty comment, sure it begins super easy but later on some races become nightmare fuel, like the good ol' Abyss. I agree with the replay value issue, once you earn 1st place in all races there's not that much to do other than race for fun.
I played this with my friends all the time, but it was always borrowed as were most of my games. Really enjoyed it, but it got harder late on. All the pod racers would zoom past you despite all far ahead you were.
4:13 Player this game since it came out and the idea of powerups NEVER came to mind! Yes having to become familiar with the tracks makes the turbo thing more fun and challenging! Ebe Endicott is my #1
I still have this game on my n64 and I love it. Though I will admit, it's not nearly as good as the arcade version. Also Glen, I have to ask, what happened with the footage on this? it's so bright. Did you forget to color-correct it?
nope i never correct in post its always straight from the cart! yeah star wars racer arcade is cool but i think it doesn't feel as quick as the episode 1 racer games on any platform
I loved this game and played it pretty much all the time. Not being a fan of star wars myself I really did not mind the lack of cut scenes etc. Great game.
Nice review dude. I just reviewed this game not too long ago on my other channel Nintendo64Fanatic64 , I have so many great memories with this game. The movie and this game is so memorable. I'm probably the only one that thinks Phantom Menace is my favorite Star Wars movie in the franchise, but I played this game for hours upon hours. One of my favorite racing games on the n64 and one of the best racing games of all time in my opinion. :D
This was the best game on the N64. I have probably double the hours on this game than any other on the system. After playing Star Wars Squadrons I CANT WAIT for a new podracer game!!!
I really liked it then and it's still decent today. This is one of the ex-rentals I bought from my local blockbuster when they were phasing out the N64 stuff
Back in the time, this was my second prefer racing game on N64, right after f-zero X. I really felt speed, especially after the pod was fully upgraded. Graphics were amazing. This game is the only good memory that I have about Star Wars Episode 1 :)
Oh man I loved this game as a kid. I think I was 10 at the time so it was kind of tailor made for me. I recall the Dreamcast version being much better though
awesome review buddy! I'm really loving star wars month with you. I fall into the group of people that really love this game. It does have a few flaws as you pointed out, but between it being star wars, and the racing/speed/controls being so well done, I just cant get enough of it.
Episode 1 Racer is by far one of my all time favorite racing games I loved the pc version and regularly played multi-player with my family via lan. I have not played the n64 version on an n64 but it lives on my phone full time for pod racing on the go. That said I do prefer the pc version due to it's cut scenes and music scores. it's a shame it's so hard to get it to work on a modern system though.
I had this game when I was a kid. I played it for several years and rembemer there were two races I could never beat. I bought the game last year and played through it again and... I still can't beat those same two races.
It was the Boonta Classic and Abyss. With enough practice, I might be able to beat the Boonta Classic, but I don't think I'll ever be able to beat Abyss. On that one, if you fall to the lower level of the tunnel, you've lost the race because it sends you on a longer track. It so difficult to not fall and maintain speed and you need to do it on all three laps.
+PlayStationMan55 I managed to beat it quite easily after failing a few times, you need to slow down on the turns during Abyss and even though other racers pass you, you'll end up passing them as you continue down the track. Boonto Classic on the otherhand...yeah...really hated that map : P took me a bit to finally beat it, and i used Neva Kee for all my races by the way.
@@n64glennplant hehehe, my secret technique was racing under "winner takes all" prize conditions and buying the most expensive mods for wan sandage's pod at the very end. i played this relentlessly on pc, but now that i have an n64, i'll get. probably rogue squadron and doom 64, too.
Enjoying these reviews so far keep it up but have you, or going to, review Hybrid Heaven? I remember playing it when I was younger and thought it was good.
This was my favorite game on the N64 even though I hated the controller. Nice nod to Kim he is how I found you and I really hate the N64 yet I still watch your videos..
As always a great review. I loved this game as a kid but I gotta say I also really the Episode I movie. Even to this day I can still sit down, watch it, and think it's great. I gotta be the only person who thinks so. Aw well, to each his own. Keep up the reviews.
thank you! i think it could never have lived up to the hype as people had been waiting decades for a new star wars and they needed to set up the rest of the new trilogy which was always going to be tough for any movie
This is the best futuristic racer of the N64 (beats F-Zero by a wisker). And it is (at least) one of the top 5 racers of the console in general alongside Ridge Racer, Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing and F-Zero.
I still have this game, and it's still as good as i remember it. I agree the movie at least wasn't AS good as the fans expected it to be, but it was a new age, and certain changes had to be made. This applies to all the prequels by the way, I like the action, I like Anakin's story arc, the space fights, all of which are expanded upon, and much more realistic compared to the originals. Yes, I know the originals had limits, and no computer technology, but my biggest gripe was the lightsaber fights, particularly in a new hope, it was just soooo boring.
3:18 Star Wars Episode 1 Racer is not easy. You crash about 50 times per race(except the the first set of races where you probably won't crash too many times) and when you do crash you may never catch up to whoever's in first place, because somehow they seem like they've disappeared off the face of the Earth!
This review under sells the game in my opinion. I remember the game to be far superior than he makes it sound.
Yup
I agree. I played this again recently and it still holds up today.
Jeremy B. Fappin Yep. I haven't played it a long time but from what I remember about it the most was i actually felt like if i was in the Star Wars universe. The game had a feeling of if you're in an actual world which is something that most racers even today don't pull off. Underrated classic
this game was very addictive and way better than the sequel. in the sequel there was no intensity to the races because they made it easier so you could slow down to wreck opponents for parts. i had a little bit of fun with racer revenge but it became quickly old compared to this one.
Play it again. Maybe it's Nostalgia blinding you.
I disagree with the game being too easy. I've played the game on N64 since it came out, & it wasn't till a few years ago that I managed to beat every single race in 1st. I actually think it's a great example of how much harder older games really are to fully "beat", when compared to modern ones.
the very same thing for me.
Yeah I mean the first few races are easy but later on in the game it get extremely difficult cause your opponents are so good
personally i find that the difficulty mostly comes from the track design.
Yes and no. On later tournaments you are required to upgrade your pod to reach really high speeds to be able to reach the other racers, then the track start to seem harder than it is.
Dude that fuccking cloud city race was.... insane to say the least.
Actually thought this was a very underrated racer.
This game is awesome and still holds up today. I love how fast paced it is since it makes you feel like you have lightning reflexes when you race well. The pod racing was probably my favorite part about the first movie also but i loved the movie so i was completely pumped for anything star wars related at the time.
The hardest level in the game has to be Abyss imo. Grabvine Gateway is a close second, but you can still blast your way through it pretty easily. Abyss is a nightmare to try and stay on top of the track so you don't automatically fall back to 8th place from 1st and have Bozzie blast ahead and never be caught. I just played through it again today, and I spent a good three hours trying to get down the turns on Abyss.
Just conquered Abyss just now!!! A pain!!!
@@alexandergreen3753 bro i don't remember the names but the moment you said get the turns and not mess it up omg...those were awful had to use handbrakes on that part
@@17Jroach I think I tried “abyss” maybe 20 times a couple weeks ago before I finally conquered it Lolol brought back that childhood anger lmao
U can clip into the ceiling in the tunnel at the start of the race and jump over a huge gap to skip a good portion of the track, I still don't understand how I found these tricks as kid but it helped me to get first.
Its not to bad when you figure out you have to take that one section slow.
Best racer on n64
This was graphically one of the most impressive feats on n64. True Dreamcast version wipes the floor with it, but with the expansion Pak, this is as good as a racer can look on n64
A very very underrated game
I disagree with you on this one. I think I'd actually go as far as to say that this was probably my favorite game on the N64. (Goldeneye, this, Rogue Sq and Jet force gemini all fighting for that crown) I remember the moment I bought it in that beautiful black box. I put at least as many hours into this as I did Goldeneye, if not more. I loved it! I only wish the PC version would still run on modern systems, I bought a boxed version a couple of years ago and was left very disappointed. Maybe GOG will help us out with that. In a world of lazy remakes and reboots, this is one game I really would love to see made again. I do agree about the loneliness however, if they do make another, they it would certainly benefit from the some improved AI.
Favorite n64 game? oh my.
the dreamcast version is good.
@@robertbrehm6651 IKR? Someone who has an opinion about something that differs from your own? Oh my! A shocker indeed.
@@samos8367 Chill, lol. Not too often you see this game ranked #1. There's no right or wrong answer for best n64 game.
This was my favorite racing game!!! On the 64 and in my top 10 of all time
There was actually one weapon in this game and it's on Sebulaba's pod. He as a flame thrower on the side that you can use to set other racer's pods on fire.
Well spotted!
I remember that, it was really awkward to get it to hit though! I can't remember now though, could the AI use against you?
@@mattarnold198 On the N64, I think you double tap Z or R for either side. I haven't tried it on the switch port.
@@dekoldrick Ah yes! That's why it was difficult to get a hit - you had to time it so that the second tap would be the time at which you had the shot lined-up.
Yeah felt like the wanted to have weapons but didn't have enough time to put them in
Man, I remember playing this all the time with my friends when I was a kid. This was one of the first games I got good at and enjoyed playing on a regular basis.
Dude I remember playing this on my old Nintendo 64 thanks man for being in my fyp this is so nostalgic😭😭
Check out the Xbox version it’s great with no slowdown!
This was my first game that I had. I received this game like gift of christmas in a Nintendo 64 Episode I edition with the Darth Maul face in the box and the Star Wars Racer game with a nice posters of Sebulba and Anakin. This was the best gift that I ever received in my life. This game is amazing. I think that this game had very advanced graphics for the time. The gameplay is well and the roster is perfect because the game includes all of racers of the film. "Bullseye" Navior has a insane speed and I think that is the best character in this game.
Bullseye is my guy too but I always enter cheat mode which unlocks Cy Yunga in Bullseye's spot and is a way cooler looking pod! 😁
It's my favorite racing game, even above UG2. I love how the game's part repair system encourages you to pick a secondary racer so your tourney smasher can rest up. It gives you that option but you can still just spend your winnings to replace broken parts if you don't want to wait. There's alot more depth in manuevering tight corners, and the engine repair is convenient to use if you're in an area that you need to slow to 300-400 mph anyway so you've got fresh engines with a long boost duration once you come up to that adrenaline stretch.
I remember getting the bundle pack from my dad when I graduated 8th grade. I played with my friends for days, they all spent the night at my house and we beat the game within a matter of hours and you're right it got boring and I never went back to it that was 17 years ago but after seeing this review I want to play it again! So thanks and keep up the good work.
This was and still is my favorite N64 game. I thought this game was super hard when I was younger but that never stopped me from playing it. I've went back through it recently to complete it and unlock all the racers and it was a challenge but totally doable.
Thanks!
It’s a very fun game for sure!
I love this game and played the heck out of it during the era, and still can pick it up and enjoy it thoroughly. It's one that I feel a lot of people overlook on the N64.
this was my favourite racer on n64.
In my experience of collecting for the N64 I have concluded that this is the single most common N64 game, at least in North America. Would you agree with that Glenn?
perhaps! sure made a whole ton of copies of it so its often easy to find
Yeah, it was released right along side Episode 1 the movie AND they also bundled the game with N64's at the time. I used to view random N64 game lots on ebay every day for over 2 years looking for NFR's and Episode 1 Racer was the game I saw most often.
No, I think most sports games (especially the Madden series) are more common here than this game. However, I found and bought a loose copy of it at eStarland yesterday for pretty cheap though so it must be still very common somewhat.
I thought this was one of the best games on the N64 tbh, the graphics were great and with what felt like crazy speed and game play
N64, rouge squadron, and Ep 1 racer beefed up with the expansion pack, was some of my favourite gaming of all time!!!
I played the game at Pax South 2019. It was a challenge to get the fastest time on the Tatooine level as Anakin. I won and was impressed even for being way past its release date.
The graphics hold up fairly well for it's time, I enjoyed the fast pace and alien trash talk feature during each track.
A solid 7.5/10 from me.
For some strange reason the physics of how the pod and thrusters move strikes me as more realistic and appealing in the N64 version. I can't put my finger on it.
Same!
I love your reviews of these old N64 games. They bring back tons of memories! I was never able to beat this. I got to the very challenging level a few ones before the end (but after the very challenging Grapevine Gateway or whatever the hell it was called!).
This was one of the best games of my childhood, also helps that I loved Star Wars.
I never got bored of playing this game over and over!
I just wish the phantom menace full movie game was on the n64.
no you dont. It would look and play even worse.
I remember playing this as a kid, being pretty good at video games then I still didn't manage to unlock the last 2-3 racers and laps though, so easy isn't what i'd call it! Was a fantastic game though, for kids since it really let you into the fantasy of being a podracer. Also some of the maps were very creative for the time. Asteroids zero gravity stuff especially :P
Same i was pretty good at games and racing games, and this one was notably difficult. He's trippin he just doesn't like the game I think... I loved this game, played it so much and don't think I ever beat it 100% 1st i got close.
english its not my native language, when i was a kid i didnt knew that you could upgrade your podracers, so i almost beat the entire game with 0 upgrades.... no wonder why it was so frustating and hard, many hours trying to beat a level that seem imposible.. i feel like a need to get a n64 and this game again, now that i know about upgrades and shit i will beat it
Man you must be like a Jedi at this!
@@n64glennplant was..i need to get a n64 n this game to get my revenge
Was looking forward to your review on this one! I remember watching Episode 1 in theatres and a couple face-palm moments - but felt it revived itself during the final scenes. I was pretty excited to play the game - and remember how fun it was to race against friends. I have since gone back to it, and find it very difficult to play, but the memories are always there. Great review man!
thanks! yeah i had better memories of this as a kid before i replayed it for this review....has its flaws but still better than the weird cart racer style playstation star wars racing game!
this game was like taking a relaxing stroll through a forest going at 800 mph :D
I loved the tracks in this game... unlocked characters get very good near the end and the challenge really ramps up (although if you take care with your upgrades, you can really take a chunk out of it). I started off "Luke" warm on the game but after a few hours in I was hooked and having a ton of fun. The game was also insanely cheap in stores here in Canada. I also got the game for nearly free with some local retail store club points back in the day!
I'm suprised with lots of criticisism for this game from You.
1 - I don't like Star Wars
2 - I don't like racing games
3 - I love this game.
I loved the graphics (man, you should've show the footage with expansion pack), the insane speed!, the great tracks design... and I actually come back very often to this game.
And it's not that easy - first few tracks may be, but after that it's all uphill - I still can't finish some of the last tracks after all these years.
Ok, but what does this have to do with my comment? Are you assuming that big fan of racing games has high expectations that this game hasn't met? Well, ok then.
You misunderstood me, I was talking about myself "I don't like Star Wars and I don't like racing games,but I love this game"
The game being too easy is by biggest complaint, upgrades seem to make your vehicle very OP compared to your AI competitors. Everything else about the game is pretty sweet.
The track with multiple wall-less sections are painful
Actually the game does technically have weapons but only with Sebulba, in case you didn't know, Sebulba can shoot flames from the side of his engine and overheat the engines of any opponents, this is a reference to a deleted scene from the movie and Anakin also mentions it as he was once a victim to it
That’s actually a very good point and a fantastic observation thank you for highlighting that!
@@n64glennplant I actually discovered it by accident lol
I remember Episode I well. I wasn't exposed to the hate it had until years later and to that I say I got what I wanted (space battles and lightsaber duels).
Episode I Racer was a fun experience as a kid. Now that you mention it, Episode I Racer was a tad on the easy side especially once you have a decked out pod but me and my brothers played that game a lot once we got it.
Even back then, I knew that Neva Kee's podracer technically had the most sound design to it. It had a fighter-like cockpit that offered great forward visibility and its engines were structurally attached to each other and the cockpit which allowed the podracer to be more controllable. Its design, in retrospect, also indicates how unregulated podracers and podracing was. It became my favorite despite it being slower than other podracers.
Fun fact: Qui-Gon wasn't kidding when he said that podracing was very fast and very dangerous. In addition to the obvious potential for collisions at high speeds pods that used jet engines had to worry about FOD or foreign object damage due to their use in close proximity to the surface. One small rock can destroy an engine and put a pod out of the race. Luckily that wasn't simulated in the game but it would have made the Boonta Eve Classic very perilous.
haha great fact! i always used to like playing as sebulba myself! just imagine if this has a design your own pod feature now that would have been insane cool!
Most of his criticisms about enemy AI and the pacing of the races comes from the novice setting. Once you get up into expert mode you'll find yourself having to block and fend off other racers quite frequently. Especially if you've neglected your upgrades and havent mastered the tracks.
This was a game that you could play in the shop for free. At the time I got my fill while playing it there. Multiplayer games with replay value monopolized my gaming money. Another great review GP and I can't wait for the finale!
Always loved this game as a kid. Just got a N64 again finally. First game I bought.
Thanks for Video! I agree with a lot of what you said, but with this exception. I felt like like a Ninja playing 'Shadows of the Empire' on Jedi Level, you know, one shot -one kill! And searching for the Secrets was bo much Fun! Here, Racers is really fascinating, the Nick Names of Players, then the names of the Avatars, well, it seemed to me that each Vehicle and Avatar drove quite differently. In short, Check the Default Value at very beginning, meaning that if you select a Vehicle with 'Repair' then all you have to do is 'Crash it 3 times on the very first Lap, let all of the other Drivers pass you, take your time and 'Sight See' and when you get to the End all of the Avatars will sit there and wait for you to cross first, then follow behind you to finish because the Default value works, you only need to drive fast if you select a vehicle with 'High Speed'. Again, if you select a car with 'Turning' then turn a lot on first lap and you will win the race, the Avatars will wait for you at the finishing line because you have already Won the Race! (You can't take too long to Finish because eventually they will Drive thru the Finish Line!) Third, they had Rogue Squadron a very beautiful laid out game that worked kind of the same way, the 'Default Values' worked. Now, after that they lost it, my opinion the games were Common Productions, Ha-ha! But you can still like a Common Game. Good Luck
i found this game rather challenging i got this game when i was young. and i hadnt beat it in the 15 years or so i had the game only beat it recently and it was rather challenging for me. unless im just pure garbage or something. I also found that i could only chose one racer that had a particular speed and handle to beat the game.
Is nobody talking about the pod he was using at the start? Was it beta only and cut from the final game?
🤐 secrets 😉
Episodes I, II and III are cinematic brilliance and the best in the entire series. And I was a kid in 1978 when IV came out.
Hmm I liked 3 and 2, 1 was always a disappointment to me personally
I played this back then. It was...ok. That custom controller looks insane!
As for The Phantom Menace film, yeah I think it's flawed to.
yeah that mod is insane and their handheld n64s are super amazing!
I loved the newer Star Wars movies, although I watched 4, 5, 6 a million times I still love the newer ones too. Maybe its because I was very young when the new ones came up, but I loved them. Great review btw!!
thank you! i guess I'm just an old git who remembers the originals too well and didn't like change with the new movies :P
One of my all time favourite games!
Wow I remember playing this as a kid. I had alot of fun playing it.
Have you played Racer Revenge on the Ps2? One of my favourite Star Wars games and a great sequel to this one
Best part of the game was Watto grunting the cantina music in the menus
Lol that double controller looks awesome, hilarious and like an horrible aberration at the same time.
This game was AWESOME. I loved the speed, the differentiated damage system and also the mechanic/upgrade part between races. But most of all I was just fascinated by the fact that someone took ONE scene from a pretty crappy movie and built an awesome game with a whole race circuit out of it. I can't really think of any other game that has done this since then. Seems like big gaming companies were more willing to experiment and take risks back in that time, maybe because the budget and team for an AAA game were much smaller in this era.
On another note, what happened to the futuristic racer genre?? Pod racing, F-Zero, Wipeout, Extreme G... They're all gone! Was it just a fad of the nineties and early 2000s, like Nu Metal? Do we not care for that genre of games anymore because we basically live in the future now and have self-driving cars and whatnot?
Maybe it's just because I'm a few years younger than you; but I really liked episode 1. I had watched and enjoyed the original series before it came out and was really excited that they were releasing a new one after so many years
Big props to using the Star Wars medley by Big Head Mode. My best childhood friend exited his wedding ceremony to this recording lol
For your review, did you play it on the hardest difficulty? I remember having a lot of fun and that it was pretty challenging beating 100% and took quite a while. But that was also almost 20 years ago (ugh) so I could be remembering it wrong...
Both the New movie and The game were honestly my favorite when I first saw and played them
I loved this game so much. Played it non stop for ages.
This was one of the first games I have ever owned and played, alongside Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Sega Genesis. I've gone back and played this game prior to recent (long before the Switch came out), and it still holds up today just fine.
I saw it with my friends dad, Phantom Menace was actually my first Star Wars movie, so no expectations at least. I was so stoked for this game.
you didn't get to see star wars as a kid!? i think you can sue your mum for that you know!
I played the living heck out of this game when I was a kid,Ah, a fun game; at the very least it was satisfying to blow up one of your engines and watch you spin around futility :P It was always so hard to get that secret at the beginning of the snow place,The Dreamcast version was the best version.
I'm surprised you didn't mention 2 player mode. That was half of my experience with the game.
Also even as an adult I found a couple of the later tracks quite challenging. In particular, the track that had two levels in a metal scaffolding tube. I wasn't very good at staying on the top level, which gives you an advantage, and I didn't finish first on the track until I was able to pull this off.
I'm not a fan of racing games but love this one used to rent it and play with friends when I was a kid. Ordered it of amazon the other day can't wait till it arrives.
man, how i hate the swamp track and their close curves... but th e rest you just need to learn some corners and know when applied turbo and your will enjoy that blurry effect for speed.
I quite like the swamp :-)
Bought this as a teen with moneys i got from a short summerjob, dont even remember why i wanted it so much. But it was fun anyhow.
Oh jeez, you must be way better at racing games than I was as a kid. I remember playing this one a lot and finding it extremely challenging. Don't know that I ever beat all the races.
I’ve played this recently on Switch. At 60fps in hd, it’s pretty awesome.
Pretty sweet right
Me and my brothers rented this game pretty often; which was strange because none of us were really Star Wars fans nor racing fans lol. But the game was fun.
I don't think it gets much more nostalgic than Episode 1 racer for N64.
Episode 1 racer for Xbox series x is a close second haha
I know what you mean about the racing alone for most of the game. I think WipeOut did a much better job as a fly-racing game in part because of the weapons and the more-likely-threat of getting blown up by an opponent but both suffered from the problem of there not being much in the way of close racing.
I actually bought this game twice. I owned it and rather enjoyed it on the N64, and then bought it again for the Dreamcast (rather optimistically) hoping it was a port of the ace Sega arcade version (even though there was no evidence to support this hope). The Dreamcast one is expectedly superior to the N64, but not by much. I still quite like it though, and if you get 2 players with equal skill, its still a fun multiplayer experience
yeah the dreamcast had the best version...shame the sega arcade game didn't get made on the DC thats what i was expecting too
Absolute legend. Not perfect by any means but it truly conveys a SW experience. I gotta disagree with the difficulty comment, sure it begins super easy but later on some races become nightmare fuel, like the good ol' Abyss.
I agree with the replay value issue, once you earn 1st place in all races there's not that much to do other than race for fun.
I played this with my friends all the time, but it was always borrowed as were most of my games. Really enjoyed it, but it got harder late on. All the pod racers would zoom past you despite all far ahead you were.
4:13 Player this game since it came out and the idea of powerups NEVER came to mind! Yes having to become familiar with the tracks makes the turbo thing more fun and challenging! Ebe Endicott is my #1
I still have this game on my n64 and I love it. Though I will admit, it's not nearly as good as the arcade version.
Also Glen, I have to ask, what happened with the footage on this? it's so bright. Did you forget to color-correct it?
nope i never correct in post its always straight from the cart! yeah star wars racer arcade is cool but i think it doesn't feel as quick as the episode 1 racer games on any platform
I loved this game and played it pretty much all the time. Not being a fan of star wars myself I really did not mind the lack of cut scenes etc. Great game.
Nice review dude. I just reviewed this game not too long ago on my other channel Nintendo64Fanatic64 , I have so many great memories with this game. The movie and this game is so memorable. I'm probably the only one that thinks Phantom Menace is my favorite Star Wars movie in the franchise, but I played this game for hours upon hours. One of my favorite racing games on the n64 and one of the best racing games of all time in my opinion. :D
from all star wars movies or just the new trilogy?!?
New trilogu why?
just wondered :) nothing could compare to the originals!
Yep what would be your favorite original one?
probably episode 5 or 6 :)
This was the best game on the N64. I have probably double the hours on this game than any other on the system. After playing Star Wars Squadrons I CANT WAIT for a new podracer game!!!
I really liked it then and it's still decent today. This is one of the ex-rentals I bought from my local blockbuster when they were phasing out the N64 stuff
Back in the time, this was my second prefer racing game on N64, right after f-zero X. I really felt speed, especially after the pod was fully upgraded. Graphics were amazing. This game is the only good memory that I have about Star Wars Episode 1 :)
It has distinctive mechanics. The lighter pod racers can basically fly, and that doesn't even include the anti-grav sections.
Baigandine L that was one of my favourite features too
Have you played the Dreamcast version? If so how do think they compare?
DC wins hands down, better graphics and controls are even better :) plus i think you can use the VGA mode in it for awesome clarity
Oh man I loved this game as a kid. I think I was 10 at the time so it was kind of tailor made for me. I recall the Dreamcast version being much better though
Yeah it’s a lot sharper and more fluid due to the added power 👍
I loved this game back in the day. If you haven't tried it, the Dreamcast version looks gorgeous via VGA.
Not as hot looking as the rerelease on steam 😬
N64 Glenn Plant True story.
awesome review buddy! I'm really loving star wars month with you.
I fall into the group of people that really love this game. It does have a few flaws as you pointed out, but between it being star wars, and the racing/speed/controls being so well done, I just cant get enough of it.
hehe and i bet now you want the el quadrinaros to play on it!
Going to buy this tomorrow along with Xtreme G2 , NBA Live 99 and GT 64 :)
Episode 1 Racer is by far one of my all time favorite racing games I loved the pc version and regularly played multi-player with my family via lan. I have not played the n64 version on an n64 but it lives on my phone full time for pod racing on the go. That said I do prefer the pc version due to it's cut scenes and music scores. it's a shame it's so hard to get it to work on a modern system though.
I had this game when I was a kid. I played it for several years and rembemer there were two races I could never beat. I bought the game last year and played through it again and... I still can't beat those same two races.
Which courses? There are a few very tricky ones
It was the Boonta Classic and Abyss. With enough practice, I might be able to beat the Boonta Classic, but I don't think I'll ever be able to beat Abyss. On that one, if you fall to the lower level of the tunnel, you've lost the race because it sends you on a longer track. It so difficult to not fall and maintain speed and you need to do it on all three laps.
+PlayStationMan55 I managed to beat it quite easily after failing a few times, you need to slow down on the turns during Abyss and even though other racers pass you, you'll end up passing them as you continue down the track. Boonto Classic on the otherhand...yeah...really hated that map : P took me a bit to finally beat it, and i used Neva Kee for all my races by the way.
+PlayStationMan55 I CANT BEAT ABYSS. ITS LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE.
+PlayStationMan55 I CANT BEAT ABYSS. ITS LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE.
Star Wars episode one is the greatest Star Wars movie made to this date
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
That's not how you spell 'Revenge of the Sith.
But what about that Attack of the Clones?
Not a huge Star Wars fan, but I played this at a cousins house back in the early 00's and it was quite a good game.
It's so cool that you are committed to N64. The last cartridge based, fast loading system! Fork disks!
The Switch is also cartridge based and loads fast. Nintendo likes their carts for some reason.
neva kee was my favorite pod racer
mine to!!
Same
ohh yeah yeah mine too, mine too :)
Never a star wars fan but this came with my n64 bundle my mum bought for my brother and i Xmas '99. Great memories
unlocking bozzie baranta was brutal. that damn ord ibana invitational track was impossible.
I think many will have coded to get the full unlocks
@@n64glennplant hehehe, my secret technique was racing under "winner takes all" prize conditions and buying the most expensive mods for wan sandage's pod at the very end. i played this relentlessly on pc, but now that i have an n64, i'll get. probably rogue squadron and doom 64, too.
Hahaha, love the Kimble Justice refence to the A-Z of licenced games
The reason Pod Racer didn't have all the epicness of Rogue Squadron is because it wasn't developed by Factor 5, baby!
Enjoying these reviews so far keep it up but have you, or going to, review Hybrid Heaven? I remember playing it when I was younger and thought it was good.
Steven hay its on my to do list, love that game too :)
This was my favorite game on the N64 even though I hated the controller. Nice nod to Kim he is how I found you and I really hate the N64 yet I still watch your videos..
As always a great review. I loved this game as a kid but I gotta say I also really the Episode I movie. Even to this day I can still sit down, watch it, and think it's great. I gotta be the only person who thinks so. Aw well, to each his own. Keep up the reviews.
thank you! i think it could never have lived up to the hype as people had been waiting decades for a new star wars and they needed to set up the rest of the new trilogy which was always going to be tough for any movie
What's better SWE1R or WipeOut 64?
SW1R in my opinion, wipeout was good but nothing stellar
This is the best futuristic racer of the N64 (beats F-Zero by a wisker). And it is (at least) one of the top 5 racers of the console in general alongside Ridge Racer, Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing and F-Zero.
I still have this game, and it's still as good as i remember it. I agree the movie at least wasn't AS good as the fans expected it to be, but it was a new age, and certain changes had to be made. This applies to all the prequels by the way, I like the action, I like Anakin's story arc, the space fights, all of which are expanded upon, and much more realistic compared to the originals. Yes, I know the originals had limits, and no computer technology, but my biggest gripe was the lightsaber fights, particularly in a new hope, it was just soooo boring.
3:18 Star Wars Episode 1 Racer is not easy. You crash about 50 times per race(except the the first set of races where you probably won't crash too many times) and when you do crash you may never catch up to whoever's in first place, because somehow they seem like they've disappeared off the face of the Earth!