Star Wars Racer: Revenge
Score: 80% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: LucasArts Developer: Rainbow Studios Media: CD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Racing
Graphics & Sound: As far as visuals go, Racer: Revenge is all about the effects. Looking at each of the levels by themselves, there is nothing to make you go screaming to the hills. However, after seeing the sand kicked up behind my pod on Tatoonie, or rain drops splashing on the screen on one of the Gammor tracks, I was impressed. I really liked the player models that walked on screen after selecting a racer and the excellent Watto model in the shop. Overall, Revenge is a nice looking game - it doesn't push the system into any new directions, but it's definitely on par with other PS2 offerings. Sound is good, but there is always room for improvement. The 'play-by-play' during the race is good, but the announcer tends to repeat himself a little too often. I really liked how he would chime in with a few jokes about things that happened during the race, but even these tend to get old. What bothered me the most was that the music only kicks in when other racers are around. I understand that this is supposed to heighten the excitement (like in movies). However, when you shoot out in front of the pack (something I tended to do often) the only thing you will hear is your engine, making for a dull experience.
Gameplay: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... It's eight years after the Boonta Eve race that saw Anakin Skywalker upset the reigning champion Sebulba. As you can imagine, Sebula is still holding a bit of a grudge and has chosen this season to make his return to the circuits. However, a grown up Anakin Skywalker has also chosen this season to return and defend his title. Okay, so you have the basic story, but that is not important. In this game, it is all about speed. At it's core, Revenge is a racer - only with a little demolition thrown in. Whereas most racing games discourage you from crashing into other contestants, Revenge encourages it. This was my favorite part of the entire game. You see, Watto needs to increase his business, so he approaches you before every race and bribes you to knock a few people out of the race - and boy does he pay well. For example, knock out one racer and in addition to the credits you get for winning, Watto will give you 20 percent of what you won. As you knock out more racers, your bribe increases, making it possible to double your prize money. While you don't have to do this to complete the game, those looking to max out their pod will have to. After each race, you have the chance to upgrade your pod using your winnings. Unlike other racing games, where you buy the parts, Revenge uses a scheme similar to the rider modifications in SSX. I found this added a little more depth to the game since it allowed you to customize things to your play-style. In addition to giving you the option to upgrade your pod, Revenge also offers a galaxy full of racers to unlock - some of whose names start with Darth.
Difficulty: I will be the first to admit, I am not very good at driving games - in fact, I downright suck at them most of the time. But even I was racking up first place victories in every race on my first time though. That led me to two conclusions; either I have some incredible Jedi reflexes, or Revenge is easy. Considering no little green Muppets have come knocking at my door asking to train me, I'm going to go with the latter. Revenge does offer a little challenge if you choose to win by knocking everyone out of the race. If you do choose to take that path, I suggest bumping the number of laps since it is hard to knock out more than the track's 'par' in the default three laps.
Game Mechanics: Simply put - if you cannot find a control scheme you're comfortable with in Revenge, then you have no business playing. There are so many options available to you it's hard not find one you like. The basic scheme is one that should be familiar to anyone who has played a racing game. However, if you remember from the movie, two different sticks controlled the pods - one for each engine. It was great to see that Rainbow added this dynamic using the two analog sticks. Admittedly, it takes practice, but once you get the hang of it, you will love the freedom it gives you. To sum it up - Racer: Revenge is a quality racer, but it may not appeal to all race fans. If you are a Star Wars fan, you will love it. However, it is a little too easy to appeal to the hardcore racers.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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