Star Wars Episode I: Racer To Be Released On PS4 And Nintendo Switch

Games are a bit like interior design, in that you often end up with the best result when you merge classic and modern elements.

As such, we should all be very bloody excited by the return of Star Wars Episode I: Racer, which is being re-released on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on 12 May.

Why exactly they couldn't bring that forward a week to May the fourth, I have no idea.

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The much-loved game was originally released on Nintendo 64 in 1999 and now more than 20 years on it is making a return when we need it the most.

The revamped version of the game features eight worlds and more than 20 podracers, with players able to choose from characters including young Anakin Skywalker, Sebulba, Ben Quadrinaros, Clegg Holdfast, Cy Yunga, Dud Bolt, and many more far, far away folks.

When asked why the game was being reintroduced to our lives after all these years, producer James Vicari told StarWars.com: "Honestly, because good games should never be forgotten and great games deserve to be revisited as much as possible.

"I think Racer, like Jedi Academy and Jedi Outcast before it, has two crucial qualities: it's a great game and it has emotional resonance.

"Those are very important to us. We really believe in reuniting fans with something they cherished, or connecting a new audience with something they may have missed."

As with all good revamps, James is keen not to stray too far from the original while also incorporating the best of modern game play.

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Elaborating on the modernised controls, he said: "Racer originally came out in an interesting time for controllers. We were really starting to see interesting things - rumble, multiple analog sticks. Even the shape of the N64 controller. So it's sort of fitting that when you look at controls today, we're seeing the same thing. Like the Switch Joy-Cons.

"You really want to make sure that the game plays well and embraces as much of the variations as possible for them. So we've done a lot of work to make sure that the game feels comfortable in all configurations, including playing with each individual Joy-Con.

"The team here is a big believer that the best control scheme is the one you don't ever think about and that philosophy really permeates everything we've done with the controls."

As for how he hopes the game will be received, James said: "We set some pretty high standards here. Bare minimum, we want them to love it and to question why they are just now playing it for the first time.

"But our absolute 'we know we've nailed it' hope? We want players speeding around the Grabvine Gateway on Baroonda to forget that they're on their couch, holding controllers in their hand, and instead feel like they're in their own racer, fighting against Sebulba and the rest for that finish line. And we want them to exclaim 'Yoka to Bantha poodoo' as they clear it."

Yes, 'Yoka to Bantha poodoo' one and all.

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey