Star Wars: Racer Revenge (PS2) Gameplay
This one slipped under the radar, I am willing to bet that there are fans of the original Star Wars- Episode 1 Racer on the N64/DC/PC who are unaware of the existence of the sequel, Star Wars- Racer Revenge on the PS2.
I think that part of the reason this one got buried, was due to the average review scores it received at the time of it's release. I would also have to go back and find an old magazine from the time of it's release to get a better view of what was going on in gaming at the time of it's release.
Upon booting this one up, fans of the original will notice some changes to the formula. Ones that they will either like, or dislike. the boost is now handled by simply pressing the R2 button, you no longer have to hold up on the analog stick to charge the boost, before being able to use it. I like the easier boost, but some fans of the original do bring up a good point that the boost system in the original Episode 1 racer, does add a lot more strategy to the racing, in when you use the boost. If you liked the boost system in the original, then you may be put-off by the change.
The game also, ends each race if you blow up, whereas the original would just respawn you to the course. When I first started playing Racer Revenge, I could barely finish each race, my pod racer's life would be up before I could finish. However, I did not know that Racer Revenge allows gamers to repair their podracer throughout the course of the race by simply holding the L2 button. This made the game go from seemingly impossible for me to playable, and adds some strategic elements to the races as well.
There has also been a slight change to the upgrading system seen in the first game. In the original, players could upgrade their racers by buying spare parts which upgrade the stats of their racers. In Revenge, you just use your winnings to outright buy better stats. Not necessarily a huge difference in the long run, but the original gave you more of a customizable feel to your racer, even if buying parts was just a means of upgrading your stats. It's just a different way of going about the same thing.
If you are a fan of the original, or a fan of games like Wipeout, and F-Zero, then this is another quality offering in the futuristic racing genre worth looking into. The racing can get pretty intense, and as you can see from this footage, sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.