Wednesday - June 30,
1999
Podracer Guide! - Cali @7:45pm EDT
GameSpot
has released an excellent Guide
to Lucasarts' Star Wars: Episode I Racer. You'll need more than the Force to emerge
victorious. Fortunately, you can get all the tips, tricks, and cheats for Racer in their
in-depth strategy guide.
Monday - June 28, 1999
More Podracers Tips
- Cali @10:04pm EDT
Darth Vader has sent a tip
were you can knock out the another podracer:
There are some ways to knock out
another podracer (helps if you're bigger than your target):
1. Swerve hard into it. I mean
really hard. It will either take a lot of damage or blow up.
2. When it's just ahead of you,
turbo boost into it. If done right and if you hit him exactly dead-on, he will explode.
3. On the Tatooine tracks, get a
big podracer like Ark "Bumpy" Roose. At the little crack that you have to scrape
through, just sit there right in front of it. Podracers behind you will start exploding
all around you.
4. Knock him into a wall.
5. When using Sebulba, flamejet him
and them swerve into him. The flame will light him up (which will decrease his
maneuverability) and the swewrve will knock him out.
6. Try boosting into him when he's
on ice.
7. Weak podracers include:
a. Anakin Skywalker
b. Slide Paramita
c. Bullseye Navior
Sunday - June 27, 1999
Pod Game Codes - Cali @10:30pm EDT
RRCYYUN gives
you a new pod in the place of Bullseye Navior.
Discovered by Student
RRDEBUG: To get
Cy Yunga first unlock Bulleyes Navior then enter in an empty game slot for a code RRCYYUN.
It really works. Discovered by Marcus Seevers
GAMESHARKS CODES - For
those of you who want the codes for Gameshark, here is the page for the all of the codes.
It is said that you must have the GameShark Version 2.2 Or Higher & The Game Must Run
In LOW Resolution Mode for the codes to work. If You try to use these codes in in HI
resolution mode, they will not work and the Game will crash.
Podracers Tips - Cali @10:04pm EDT
Philip C. has sent
Podracers.com a cash tips worth checking out.
Extra $1000 Cash: When buying new
parts for your Pod, press Shift+F4+4 to get an extra $1000 cash. This can only be done
five times.
Here is a tip from LHA353
On Sebulbas Legacy follow these
instructions to beat sebulba:
- play as Neeva Kee
- always be holding z,a,and controll
pad up
- experiment with the track
- Do NOT Confront SEBULBA head on!
- When neccecary ram other players
into sebulbas right side
Here is a tip from Josh Beeler:
If you're looking for more money to
upgrade your pod faster, go play the higher-level tracks first off, utilizing your
boosters at every chance to get by your opponents, when you're ahead of everyone else, it
always seems that if you don't slow down a lot, or hit the walls, they never pass you.
Toast has sent a N64 Boosting
Trip. I think we already had this one submitted but for any of you who haven't tried it
yet, here are the details:
For all N64 users, if your old
controller is kinda flabby and you have trouble boosting, try this trick: When you tur on
the console, the analog stick is automatically calibrated. Hold the stick back a little
(mere millimeters/fractions of an inch) while switching on the power. Now when you let go
of the stick and it centers itself, its already in the "nose down/boost"
position. You can check the amount of downward drift when you're in the canteen or the
junkyard and are allowed to browse by pressing the "z" trigger. Your sights
should slowly crawl to the floor. In the race this has practically no effect on your
performance (except on jumps where you should take care to pull back the stick a little)
but greatly supports your boost power up.
Here is a pod background tip from Dodger:
Anyone who has the CD can also find
backgrounds under \gnome\data\images (saving a download) along with a piccy of the
development team and some other bits. All the sound FX from the game are here as
wav files under \gnome\data\wavs (customize windows sounds like crazy!) Some cool
music here as well.
Another Mutliplayer Tip:
If you guys want to play
multiplayer over the net, a really good place to play is at www.heat.net.
All you have to do is download the katalyst program and sign up for free. Just go to the
room "Starwars: Racer".
We have added these tips in our strategy section for future references.
Make It Simple Review- Cali @9:56pm
EDT
Make
it Simple has a review of
Episode 1 Racer. Here is an excerpt:
"Longevity wise, the 4
tournaments provide a lot of racing, with varied tracks and some good challenge later
on. Experienced gamers will feel something is missing though - the racing is all of
the game play. Without story lines or even a nice winning sequence, the game is
quickly relegated to the arcade style genre - games that are great to play often, but not
for long periods of time".
3d Unlimited Review-
Cali @7:02pm EDT
3D-Unlimited
has a review of Star Wars:
Episode 1 - Racer. The review covers all points in the game and features 5 screenshots.
Here is a clip:
The control of the pod seemed
touchy, but after a few races, the pods became much easier to steer. However, using the
keyboard seemed almost an impossibility for me and therefor used my Microsoft IntelliMouse
(3-Button). No matter what view, one will feel the amazing speeds topping at 600 MPH. The
acceleration and deceleration are also well done. I didn't get to try the repair feature,
except the auto repair. And I did not get to feel the affect of my pod overheating.
LiveWire Review - Cali @5:48am EDT
Kyle has sent news that Live Wire has a review of Pod Racer. Here is an
excerpt:
The sound is wonderful, they really
take advantage of 3D hardware. You can tell how close the other racers are judging by how
far away it sounds like it is. All of the racers have different voices, taken from the
movie. When you hit a jump, and you're flying through the air, it almost seems like you
can hear the air rushing by your ears.
Kyle also mentioned a nice and
interesting site which recently launched called Watto's
Pod Racer Website.
Saturday - June 26,
1999
N64 Pod Site - Cali @11:16pm EDT
N64.com has a new Star Wars Racer site. The site includes
features such as; Podracers, History, Strategy, Trivia, Contrest, Gallery, Pod Pit Stop
and more. I have added a link to the site for future references.
Podracer Reviews- Cali @10:29pm EDT
Here are the latest Podracer Reviews
worth checking out.
Friday - June 25,
1999
Podracer Contest - Cali @10:29pm EDT
Computer
Games Online & LucasArts have teamed up to
provide you with an opportunity to WIN FREE copies of Star Wars Episode I: Racer! Thrill
to the famous Tatooine pod racing scene from the blockbuster movie The Phantom Menace in
this great new Star Wars game! You too can roar through racetracks across eight fantastic
worlds as you compete against the galaxy's best pilots. The contest will run until July
12, 1999. Contest winners will be posted in the July 14, 1999 edition of the CG Online
Action Newsletter. The winners will have 48 hours to claim their prize.12 prizes will be
awarded. Check out CDMag
for more details and to fill out the form.
Tuesday - June 22,
1999
Star Wars: Racer - Secrets - Cali @5:59am
EDT
Cheat Empire has updated
their site with some secrets for Lucarts' Star Wars: Racer. Here are the details:
Star Wars: Racer - Secrets
On your second lap in the galactic league snow level, there is a secret entrance to
the left at the start line. A tent opens up. Or, you can trigger this by going backwards
on the first lap, back to the arch in the rocks, then go forward, and the secret entrance
will open. Discovered by S Michael Anderson
High Floating:
On any Oovo IV level just before exiting an anti-gravity tunnel pull up and keep
pulling up away from the ground and if done right, after exiting you will keep floating in
the air hugging the ceiling. Discovered by Speedup82
We have added the these to our strategy section for future references.
Monday - June 21, 1999
Podracer Backgrounds-
Cali @5:18am EDT
Darren was kind enough to send
us some awesome Podracer backgrounds. You can either view them by clicking on them below,
or you can download it
(145kb). Here are some details from Darren:
2 backgrounds of Episode 1 Racer.
For those who have the game, they might recognize these but for those who don't, just a
little eyecandy to hold them off! :-) Both are 800x600 in jpg format.
 
Saturday - June 19,
1999
Avault Review- Cali @1:42am EDT
Avault has released a review of
Star Wars: Episode I Racer.
The Podracing sequence in Phantom
Menace is an intense and visually stimulating experience. LucasArts attempts to capture
its excitement in Star Wars: Episode I Racer, but the game burns hot and bright for a
moment, then fades away.
As always, Avault specialized in
supplying the review with some excellent screens in 3dfx. Here are three of them worth
checking out.
  
Friday - June 18, 1999
MGON
Review- Cali
@9:12pm EDT
MGON has
published a review of Star Wars:
Racer. Here is an excerpt:
The gameplay standard is very high. It is very
hard to find to many faults and my only major gripe was with the need to unlock tracks and
Podracers as you go. It seems that most arcade style games force this and it should really
stay on the more arcade style platforms. There are a few other minor points, which detract
slightly from the game. The voice of Anakin Skywalker and the announcer continually
droning “a new lap record’ quickly becomes nothing short of annoying.
Wednesday - June 16, 1999
More Podracer Money - Cali @3:33pm EDT
Billy over at VE noticed that GameSpot
mentioned a money cheat for
LucasArts Episode I: Racer. For those of you who really want to increase money to give it
a try.
Podracer Quick Take - Cali @6:17am EDT
CD Mag has a preview of Star
Wars: Racer. It includes screenshots. Here is an excerpt:
So, we've spent the last couple of evenings
playing Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace. What a concept this is—not only an
adventure game set in the Star Wars universe, but a chance to play as several of the main
characters from George's latest brainchild. And it's not slow in delivering on that
"be part of the movie" fantasy. Immediately after the game's introduction—a
spiffy PC-rendered version of Episode One's opening scene—you're dropped into the
action as Obi-Wan Kenobi, trying to escape a Trade Federation battleship and warn the
people of Naboo. How cool is that?
Podracer Art! - Cali @5:05am EDT
Magixx.de has
posted a nice painting and an artwork of Lucasfilm's Star Wars Racer. Head on over there
and check it out!
Monday - June 14, 1999
Gamers Central Review - Cali @4:35pm EDT
Gamers Central has just released a review of Star
Wars: Episode 1 Racer. Here is an excerpt:
This game isn't exactly the
Need for Speed even though great speed is involved. In The Need for Speed series, your car
will always cross the finish with a perfect paint-job. Well, this is definitely not the
case in the Episode 1 Racer as the engines can be quite fragile sometimes. But hey, there
is little that will hold its structure properly when it collides with another object at a
speed of over 600-MPH!
Friday - June
11, 1999
More Pod Reviews
- Cali @9:35am
EDT
Here is a quick rundown on the latest Podracer
reviews running around on the net.
CNN
Review - Cali
@5:37am EDT
Jeff Sperry sent word that CCN.com has a review of the Star Wars
Racer. Here is an excerpt:
In a word, this game is fast. Simulating
speeds in excess of 600 mph, it's one of the fastest--if not the fastest--racing games out
there. To this end, the folks at LucasArts have faithfully re-created the essence of pod
racing from the movie. The landscape rushes by at dizzying speeds, and once you've
mastered the game's controls, turning a lap at full speed without hitting everything in
sight is a gratifying experience.
Thursday - June 10, 1999
More On The Demo
- Cali @4:24pm
EDT
I just checked out Lucasarts.com's Spotlight on
Episode I Racer. The site has been updated with the demo. Here are some more details
concerning the demo which was released last night. Here are some more mirrors:
Note: Star Wars: Episode I Racer is a 3D-only game
that requires a 3D accelerated video card to play.
Minimum System Requirements
- COMPUTER: 100% Windows 95/98 DirectX compatible
computer required.
- GRAPHICS CARD: 4MB AGP or PCI 3D Accelerator card
required.
- CPU: Pentium 166 or faster required. Pentium 200 or
higher recommended.
- MEMORY: 32MB or higher RAM required. 64MB or higher
recommended.
- CD-ROM: Quad speed IDE or SCSI CD-ROM drive
required for for the full version.
- SOUND CARD: 100% Windows 95/98 DirectX or Aureal
compatible 16-bit sound card required.
- INPUT DEVICE: 100% Windows 95/98 compatible
keyboard and mouse required.
DIRECTX: Microsoft DirectX 6.1 must be installed
prior
to playing Racer.
NOTE: Your system may require the latest Windows
95/98
drivers for your particular hardware.
HARD DISK SPACE: Installation requires 28 MB free
hard drive space. It is recommended that you have an additional 50 MB of free space
available for the Windows swap file.
Episode 1: Racer Demo - Cali @2:57pm EDT
3dfiles has
news about the Podracer
demo (17 MB) being released. Here are the details:
Climb on, strap in and experience the pure
adrenaline-pumping excitement of the Podracing sequence from Star Wars: Episode I The
Phantom Menace. Take the controls as Jedi-to-be Anakin Skywalker, or any one of over 20
Podracers, and feel the full-force blast of two massive jet engines at simulated speeds of
up to 600 mph. Rein in a turbine-driven chariot through 8 spectacular worlds. Negotiate
through flaming methane lakes, Tusken Raider assaults, anti-gravity tunnels and much more
in a pulse-pounding, do-or-die fight to the finish where anyone will do anything to cross
the finish line. How far will you go?
Monday - June 7, 1999
Firingsquad Review -
Cali @1:53am EDT
Thresh's
Firingsquad has a review
of Star Wars Racer. It's packed with almost 50 screenshots of the game. Here is something
Calbear had to say concerning the game:
Looks like the Lucas Arts team has once again
fallen victim to the "What a great license, we don't need to work on this game"
syndrome. Not a bad game, but not a great one either.
Gamespot UK Review - Cali @1:49am EDT
Gamespot UK
have a review
of PodRacer. Here is an excerpt:
You can take the part of a number of different
characters, including Anakin Skywalker, the young Darth Vader. Each has a different racer.
There are also additional, incidental characters scattered throughout the game, not only
during the races but in the cantina that serves as the central hub of the game, down to
the vehicle parts shop and the repair bay.
SW Racer N64 Guide? - Cali @1:34am EDT
Kevin
'Rifter' Rank from Planet Starsiege sent
word about this month's Expert Gamer Magazine having a guide for SW Racer for the N64.
Here are some details:
As far as I can tell, the tracks are identical
on the PC version, so the magazine works great. This is the June 1999 issue. They did
leave out one really nice shortcut on the Boonta Classic. A little bit after the
start, there is a rock wall on the right. If you go along that wall, you will find a
small opening. Blast up that opening at full speed, and you will jump back onto the race
track, and shave several seconds off your race time. Another pretty key shortcut that
came from the magazine is on the Ando Prime tracks. Just past the start/finish lines
on the left side, you will see some red and yellow tents. After the first lap, you
will notice one has an opening. If you blow through it, you in a secret tunnel that goes
through the mountain.
Speedy 3d Review -
Cali @1:19am EDT
Speedy3d has
a Star Wars Episode 1 Racer Review.
It talks about all the good and bad points in the game. They give the game an overall
score of 8.9/10. Here is an excerpt:
The graphics are smooth, the gameplay is
addictive, and the controls are very innovative, key elements in a great game. The only
things that kept this game from getting perfect scores all across was the slight clipping
(extreme in some tracks), and AI that knows the track too well, plus missing Internet play
really take away from the game. Either way I will recommend this game to anybody that
likes starwars, and/or racing games.
Two Podracer Sites -
Cali @1:12am EDT
Two Podracer sites have been released on the net
Slightly Racing SW Racer Site : This
site consists of News, Files, Links, Shots, Cheats and chat.
Pod Pit: This site consists of News, Files, Links,
Storlyine, The Pods, Racer Stats, N64 Racer and PC Information.
Sunday - June 6, 1999
Podracer Suggestions & Tips - Cali @9:01pm EDT
Here is a tip from Marcus Seevers on what
to do after you unlock the Bullseye Navior:
After you unlock Bullseye Navior. Use him for
all of the next races. Don't use any of your money from the races before and save for his
pod. I beat the game in 3 1/2 hours. I love it.
Here is a tricky tip from Trendkill about
the Junkyard:
If you go to the junkyard and don't find what
you are looking for, just go back to the change pods and select any pod (including the one
you are using now). Now when you go back to the junkyard it will have all new parts.
Just repeat as many times as you want until they have the part you need.
Here is Player Taunt tip from MarMax:
If you hold the Z button while selecting
"start race" you will see you and another pod racer insulting each other.
Here is a suggestion from Aaron:
I saw that the only way you can play Pod Racer
for the PC is through a Network/IPX. Well, many people on AOL, or any other server for
that matter don't have a local area network. It came to my attention that the Microsoft
Internet gaming zone has an "IPX room" if you may, that allows you to play
networks games with other people. However, I have not tried playing it. Some games
do not work on the zone IPX. Correct me if I'm wrong about this, just thought it might be
a helpful tidbit for star war PC gamers like me.
Here is a suggestion from Toast about
backtracking:
Take your time on the advanced tracks to check
out the short cuts, it's the only way to win. Backtracking is confusing, but sometimes
it's easier to spot a short cut reentering the main track than to see where it branches.
For future references, we have add these tips to
our strategy section.
Saturday - June 5, 1999
SW Game Giveaway - Cali @10:24pm EDT
Evil
Avatar.com will be giving away Not One, Not Two, But Three Star Wars Arcade Action
games!
- SW Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars Episode 1: Racer
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
No fancy Jedi Mind tricks are
necessary to get into the contest. Just head on over to the Star Wars Episode 1 Game Give-Away page and post information.
Monolithic Illusions Review- Cali @7:46pm
EDT
Monolithic
Illusions has a review of Episode
1: Racer. Here is an excerpt:
The podracers could have had
higher polygon counts; but they are very detailed, each with a unique paint-job. Sebulba's
racer even has a flamejet that you can use against other players, once you get his
podracer. At the beginning, you start off with only a few podracers to choose from. You
get new podracers by beating the boss in each level.
Friday - June 4, 1999
Utopian Minds Review
- Cali @11:19pm EDT
Jesse over at Utopian Minds has news about a review of the Nintendo 64
version of Star Wars: Racer. They give the game an overall score of 8. Here is an excerpt:
SW: Racer is a healthy addition to the
overloaded racing library on N64. It does what it wants to do correctly. It isn`t F-Zero,
it isn`t Wipeout, and it isn`t Ridge Racer, but that`s OK. It`s not supposed to be.
Thursday - June 3,
1999
Evil Avatar Review - Cali @9:38pm EDT
Evil Avatar.com
has a review of
Episode 1 Racer. Here is a clip:
A racing game of course just
screams for multiplayer, but, thanks again to the severe consolitis Racer suffers from,
the only option is for LAN play. I’d really like to slap a knot on the head(s) of
whoever decided to cripple the game this way. How many people who buy this game happen to
have a LAN to play on whenever they’re hungry for multiplayer? I don’t, so I
can’t really judge the game in multiplayer, but I’d venture to say that if
they’d done this PC version of the game the way they should have, it would have been
sweet. As it is, though, I’ll have to cut some major points off for one of the most
idiotic, grossest oversights in a game I’ve seen all year. Score - 3 Stars
Wednesday - June 2, 1999
-Teaser Video- Cali @7:22pm EDT
Jos-Br Rogad has sent news that Lucasarts
has released a teaser
video (6.21MB) for Episode 1 Racer. The video is about 1 minute long. Please make sure
you download Quicktime to view this video.
-More Podracer Tips- Cali @6:57pm EDT
Michael Pama sent a tip for when you are
racing Sebulba on Tatoonie.
When racing Sebulba on Tatoonie pass him on
the left hand side of his racer because when he flashes his vents it comes out on the
right hand side.
Here are some comments from Roky concerning
some tips posted last Monday.
About Damned Man's Tip #2: you can upgrade any
pod you want, just don't race in the stinky pods. In single player, the upgrade level
and damage level for all equipment in all pods are equal. This doesn't mean they
perform exactly the same; they just have the same equipment in the same condition. FWIW, I
have the Win9x version not N64.
Always race "winner take
all," and uh ... always win.
Buy repair droids as early
as possible.
Buy all major upgrades from the
junkyard. The money you save will be your own.
Replace a good part with a
broken version of the same thing in the junkyard. That may sound like stupid
advice, but you get a lot of money sometimes and it's only a minor setback. If
you race clean, the part will be repaired within a race or two. Same part, more
money.
Here is another comment, this time
from TarLung concerning his tips posted last Monday.
I read Damned Man's Racer tips
and I thought I'd let you know that in the PC version, your upgraded parts automatically
transfer from racer to racer whenever you switch. I think it's the same in the N64
version, but I'm not sure I haven't played it much.
-PodRacer Top 10!- Cali @5:56pm EDT
TheForce.net
reports GameWEEK has announced their June Top Ten. As predicted by GameWEEK Magazine
editors over two months ago, Star Wars: Episode One Racer, for Nintendo 64 by Nintendo
took over the top spot in Video Gamers' lives this month, just as the movie itself did at
the box office.
"I don't think there was ever a question
as to who would be number one this month," said Andy Eddy, West Coast Editor of
GameWEEK Magazine. "This was just the month of 'Star Wars.'
-Latest Podracer Reviews-
Cali @10:17pm EDT
Nintendojo
has a review of
Lucasarts' Star Wars Episode 1: Racer. Here is an excerpt:
What Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer does perfectly
is emulate the scene of the movie it is modeled around. The pods are well designed and
resemble those found in the film to a tee, which is exactly how it should be. With the RAM
Expansion Pak everything is crisp, clear, and well defined. The detail is right on par
with the likes of Turok 2, if not better, and the use of color is overwhelming on certain
stages. Even when the game is flowing at breakneck speeds the imagery stays tight and the
graphical extras (lens flare, transparencies, etc.) never look lame.
Here is a quick rundown on the latest
review:
Tuesday, June 1, 1999
-History of SW Games- Cali @6:06pm EDT
Jediknight.net
has news that Gamespot has released an excellent article on the History of Star Wars games
has been released. They talk about X-Wing, Rebel Assault, TIE Fighter, Dark Forces, Rebel
Assault II- The Hidden Empire, Yoda Stories, Shadows of the Empire, Star Wars Rebellion,
X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, Jedi Knight, Rogue Squadron, X-Wing Alliance, Star Wars- Episode I
Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode I- Racer, Star Wars Episode I: Obi-Wan
and Force Commander. An article entitled "Is this the end of classic Star
Wars games" is also included. Here is the direct link to the Star Wars Episode I: Racer
article.
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