To conclude my little Star Wars trilogy of game write-ups, we have the Dreamcast's Episode One: Racer. Now this game might at first seem stupid, but in actuality, it's a really great racing game. The pod racing sequence was one of the best parts of Phantom Menace, and the game is a pretty good adaptation.
I played this game a lot, beating it at the normal difficulty, and getting about halfway through of the second difficulty. You race on various tracks around the Star Wars galaxy, some of which are really cool, and some of which are just hard. I think the snow level is my favorite.
This game is all about using your turbo power at the right times. The power recharges after you use it, so the game is really about using it perfectly.
I have good memories of this game. It was fun.
I didn't know there was a Dreamcast pod racer. I remember loving the N64 version.
Yeah, it was really fun! I had low expectations when I got it, but I really liked it.
Fan made remake:
Holy smokes!
You can even download it.
I think I must've played this on Dreamcast way back when. I definitely played a podrace in Lego Star Wars and in Disney Infinity. Eat my dust, Sebulba!
ha ha. Stupid Sebulba.
I wonder if the Dreamcast Pod Racing game is based on the N64 version or the SEGA made arcade version?
I remember when the N64 version was announced at E3. It was the first E3 I went to in LA. Before then, E3 was in Atlanta for a couple of years, and I went to those first. Anyway, this E3 was also the same weekend that you could buy tickets to see Phantom Menace, and we had a hotel near the Chiniese Theater and I could see the line from our window! It was crazy to experience that first hand! The game was pretty hot at the show, too. You could sit down in these Pod Racer seats to play it. R2-D2 was also at the press conference.
that's a fun story. I remember waiting in line to see Phantom Menace. The line was huge. I was living in San Francisco at the time, and it was a famous theater.
What a disappointment.
I don't know which one came first, but the Dreamcast and N64 versions are definitely a lot more similar than the arcade one. The arcade game is so freakin' hard! I finally beat the first track just a couple of years ago. As far as I could tell, the only differences between DC and N64 were that the DC had little cutscenes when you went to a new world/track, and the N64 was naturally blurry as all get out.
I loved this game! I could never really beat that two-level track towards the end. It is really unfair and kinda garbage.
Also, the Gameboy Color version is pretty lame. I randomly bought that a couple of years ago. It's just a mediocre top-down racer.
there was a Gameboy color version? Jeez.
I was pretty impressed with the Dreamcast graphics at the time. Like I said, this game was a pleasant surprise.