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Star Wars Racer Revenge (PS2) The graphics are weak but the racing is fast in the first Episode 2 videogame.
By - Barak Tutterrow
Star Wars games are a decidedly hit-and-miss affair, but one of the best examples of Star Wars done right was Podracer for the Nintendo 64. Racer Revenge is technically a sequel to the N64 game, but even though the differences will be obvious to a fan of the original, they are not unwelcome. A more 'bang-em-up' focus works well, and the general balance of the gameplay elements works for the gamer, not against.
The story? Somewhere between Star Wars: Episode 1 and Anakin Skywalker donning a black plastic jumpsuit, there was apparently a lot of podracing. In fact, Sebulba (the little green four-legger with the Fu Manchu moustache) was more than a little bitter about his loss against Anakin, and decided that he wanted his revenge. What does this mean for all of us? It means that it is now time to don your crash helmet, strap on your Ewok-fur mittens, and jump back in the seat of your very own podracer.
In Star Wars: Racer Revenge, you can play as one of a select group of Star Wars characters to take part in either a quick single player race, a multiplayer race with a friend, or a full-fledged tournament. The tournament mode is where you can unlock the new tracks, new drivers (including a couple of cool secret characters), and even some art galleries. I started the game as the new more grown-up version of Anakin Skywalker (who is sporting his teenage look from the upcoming movie), and started racing.
The first thing I noticed as I came to the end of my race was that the game was very easy. I beat the first track in first place (you need to place in the top three to continue) on my first try. Race after race continued like this, with barely a retry needed. Near the last third of the tournament things did get appreciably harder, but it would have never proven much of a challenge to a gamer that plays a lot of racing games. Despite the last 25 years I have spent gaming (instead of doing exercise or trying to find a cure for cancer), I still am usually not good enough to breeze through a racing game this quickly.
The gameplay is rather gratifying, as there are a couple of different things that are necessary to balance as you race. For instance, as your pod suffers damage from bumping into walls (or other racers bumping into you), you will need to hit the repair button to slowly fix your vehicle. Holding down the repair button causes your vehicle to lose speed, so an efficient balance of repair use versus forward momentum is needed. A boost button is also supplied (along with its enjoyable screen blur effect), but the danger of overheating will force you to be gentle in your use of that button as well.
The last (and best) twist to the gameplay calls on the player to make a fight or flight response to each race. Just as other vehicles can damage you, you can damage (and even destroy) your fellow racers. Extra credits (used to purchase upgrades to your vehicle) are awarded based on how many podracers are destroyed, and obviously the more podracers you eliminate the better chance you have for success. The fact that whoever bumps first damages others, without being damaged, also encourages the use of this bully tactic. Conversely, it is usually much easier to avoid huge brawls, and use the space between you and your competition, to stay ahead until the end of the race. Either formula makes for an interesting race, but a combination of the two is the most effective way to score big, come in first, and get lots of credits.
