May 13, 1999 Web posted at: 11:54 a.m. EDT (1554 GMT) by Nash Werner

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Episode I: Racer by LucasArts

previous next INTERACTIVE Would you buy Episode I: Racer because it sounds like a cool game? because it's a Star Wars tie-in? or both? View Results

(IDG) -- A long time ago, in a galaxy far away a kid named Anakin Skywalker raced odd-looking contraptions called Pods across the deserts of Tantooine. Young Anakin raced for pride, glory, and, most of all, he raced Pods because there wasn't much else to do growing up on a desert planet. This summer, when LucasArts releases Episode I: Racer (PC and N64), we'll all finally be able to race across the deserts of Tantooine in our very own Pods.

The team behind EP1:R have a lot of great plans for the title: There'll be over 20 unique Pods to choose from, over 20 maps to race on, and over a dozen alien opponents to interact with. Much like modern racing games, sci-fi or not, EP1:R will have a progressive event system in place where gamers will advance in rank and earn Pod upgrades as they win more races. Yes, the EP1:R team is taking this racing title very seriously.

EP1:R incorporates some very impressive track design. There'll be active volcanoes, treacherous ice flows, ground-splitting earthquakes, and even zero-gravity asteroids to race on, with each course having its fair share of short cuts for the crafty racers who look hard enough. Certain short cuts are not only hard to spot, they're only opened via player interaction and are very challenging to find. Add this to branching course-options and you have a very promising racing title.

If you thought you'd be stuck on Tantooine the whole time, you're sorely mistaken--there are several different planets, all set in the Star Wars universe, to explore as you eventually become the best Pod racer in the galaxy! And who didn't fall in love with Hoth after watching The Empire Strikes Back? Imagine now, racing your Pod against eight other competitors across the frozen wastelands of Hoth. It may not be a snowspeeder race, but it'll be magnificent nonetheless.

LucasArts is releasing EP1:R on May 24, following the The Phantom Menace movie debut on the 19th. The N64 version will host a maximum of two players via split-screen, whereas the PC version will support up to eight players in multiplayer, require 3D acceleration, and sport higher resolutions than its N64 counterpart. Both will be release simultaneously.