“Good games should never be forgotten and great games deserve to be revisited as much as possible.” – James Vicari, Aspyr Producer.
First announced during March’s Nintendo Direct Mini, StarWars.com has announced in an interview with producer James Vicari that the port of the classic N64 title, Star Wars Episode I: Racer will be coming to Switch and PS4 on May 12th. The interview discusses the legacy and nostalgia for the game, as well as the importance of bringing the controls comfortably to modern standards in all configurations.
An entry on the PlayStation Blog about the PS4 release also mentions uprezzing the Full Motion Video sequences in the game, as well as adding trophies, to what they describe as “the definitive experience” that “combines the best elements of all versions of the game”. It hasn’t been clarified yet if all these updates (minus the trophies and 4K output) will be the same on both platforms.
May 12th? Why?
May 12th seems like a peculiar date to release the title, given that Star Wars Day occurs on May 4th (as in “May the 4th Be With You!”) and that the series finale to The Clone Wars animated series debuts on Disney+ on May 8th (so it’s not a direct tie-in release to the hype surrounding that).
However, there are two notable events in Star Wars history that this release date lines-up with, even if they are almost certainly coincidental: On this date in 1999, advance ticket sales for The Phantom Menace, from which Episode I: Racer is spun-off from, began. Additionally, the second issue of Dark Horse Comics’ adaptation of The Phantom Menace was released- the issue covering the podracing segment of the film.
In any case, fans can (again) get their hands on one of the most notable Episode I-inspired games in only a few weeks’ time. Players can check out the recent releases of Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy on the Switch to hold them over in the meantime- or join the viewers of The Clone Wars finale.
And, for those of you who haven’t been following The Clone Wars and are looking to catch-up to the rest of us during the wait, I recommend the Enhanced Viewing Order detailed below. It takes the Official Chronological Order for the series (which corrected most of the problems with the original non-linear airing order) and uses my research to streamline the lingering oversights of that order to optimize the viewer’s experience.
Now, where is my Battle For Naboo remaster?
