Star Wars Episode 1 Racer came out at pretty much the perfect time. Demand for Star Wars was at an all-time high back in Summer 1999, and people hadn't decided they hated the prequels yet, so Episode 1 Racer flew off the shelves and into everyone's N64 (and later, Dreamcast). The pod racing scene is the best thing from Episode 1, after all, so making a game around it was a smart idea. We played Episode 1 Racer for Dreamcast so keep reading for more info and to watch gameplay.
Episode 1 Racer is a fun-ass racing game. It looks solid enough, controls very well, and the upgrade system really gives you a tangible sense of progression as you work your way through all of the events. It is brilliantly executed and would have been a hit even without the Star Wars license. Of course, the Star Wars license means the game has god-tier sound effects and amazing music, so that certainly does put it over the top.
I also want to say that I don't hate the prequels. I'm an oldschool OT fan just like everyone else over the age of 30 or so, but I don't hate the prequels. Well, Episode 1 does suck outside of pod racing, Darth Maul, and "Duel of the Fates", but I think Episode 2 and 3 are fine. Episode 3 is even my 3rd favorite Star Wars movie overall!
I like the prequels because they have actual real trained Jedi and not people just winging it. Luke isn't a real Jedi. He had a few days of actual training and then sort of figured out the rest on his own (which is why he ultimately sucks as a teacher ...). Rey definitely isn't a Jedi and has had zero training. Kylo Ren is the closest to a real trained Force user the franchise had in decades (but he still sucks). Watching real Jedi in the prequels living out all of our fantasies that we imagined the Jedi being able to do is a lot more fun than seeing amateurs flail around and barely scrape through by accident.
As you can probably guess, I don't like the sequel trilogy much. Telling the same story as Ep 4 in Ep 7 was a freaking blunder. It made the events of the OT pointless because we ended up in the exact same scenario. And Episode 8 is bad, at least in part, because Episode 7 was a terrible foundation to build on.
Rogue One and Solo are both better than Episode 7 and 8.
