Star Wars Episode I Racer means a lot to Star Wars fans of all levels of intensity. To diehards, the game represents a better time for the franchise. When the Prequels were still fresh, they brought with them a whole new galaxy of possibilities. Gamers in particular were seeing that Star Wars didn't need Jedi or smugglers to be fun. Now, in the time of the canceled Star Wars 1313, good luck finding a Star Wars game that doesn't involve shooting/slashing Stormtroopers.

For those who don't care if the future of Star Wars hinges on Disney's iffy attempt at a trilogy,  was just plain fun. It was a high speed sci-fi racing game with silly aliens, a good middle ground between F-Zero and Mario Kart. The arcade version took the thrills even further by putting you in a podracer cockpit, complete with those sensitive lever controls. Now the game returns on Nintendo Switch, giving Star Wars fanboys and nostalgic N64 fans alike a chance to re-live podracing.

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The Nintendo Switch port of Star Wars Episode I Racer is the definitive version in terms of functionality. The controls are responsive and well suited to Joy-Cons (when you don't have Joy-Con drift), and it loads quickly. The graphics haven't exactly aged well, which is to be expected of an N64 game. Still, just look at this dude (dudes?).

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In case you haven't watched The Phantom Menace in a while (understandable), that's Fode. Played by none other than Whose Line Is it Anyway? star Greg Proops, Fode serves as podracer commentator during young Anakin's fateful race. He returns in the movie, with Proops' voice, looking a little worse for the trip.

He's not the only one either. Poor Qui-Gon Jinn already looks beat up, and he hasn't even met Darth Maul yet.

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Overall, though, these ugly mugs are just the price we pay to see a beloved classic return and perform better on modern hardware. Star Wars Episode I Racer remains a fun, fresh look at the worlds of a galaxy far, far away. And Joy-Cons make tackling those later tracks a more forgiving venture than in 1999. To quote a once-great man: "Now this is podracing."

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