History YMMV / StarWarsEpisodeIRacer

* PolishedPort: The UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast port of the first game; while the graphics are almost identical to the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 version, the framerate is much smoother and the textures are much crisper and slick looking, and the sound design and music quality is no longer hampered by compression issues. Mini CGI cutscenes are also included in the start of each race. The only trade off to the port is the addition of loading times. The Switch/[=PS4=] re-release is also based on this version, but with much smaller load times thanks to newer hardware, and bumps the framerate to 60 (the disc versions locked at 30, while the N64 aimed for 30 but often struggled to hit that, especially without an Expansion Pak), making a legendarily fast game feel even ''faster''.

** Beating the original game without upgrading your podracer at all. While it's definetely possible, it makes the game a ''lot'' more difficult, especially in the Invitation Circuit courses. Its also possible to combine this with a "No boosting" challenge, but only to a fault--and the games difficulty will really start pushing your skills to their limits from "Scrappers Run" and on, where even one foul up can cost you an entire race, and the Invitation Circuit races become downright unwinnable--the opponent racers just become too fast and relentless to keep up with by then.

* GameBreakingBug: On Oovo IV, during the zero-gravity tube sections, there are a number of floating rocks to avoid. Some of them can be busted apart by ramming them at a high enough speed, but most of them are too big to break. As well, most of them are placed on the "sides" of the tube section (i.e., away from the center), but there's one that is placed in the direct center of the tube that you can crash into. In the N64 version, this isn't a problem, as you will be able to simply continue as before, but the PC/Dreamcast release (and the Switch/[=PS4=] re-release, which is sourced from this version) respawns you ''inside'' the boulder, rendering you completely stuck and needing to restart the race.

** ''Fire Mountain Rally'', which reuses some level elements of ''Gateway'' in reverse, also has many hairpin turns, not helped that it's [[MarathonLevel one of the longer races in the game.]]

** ''The Abyss'', easily the hardest course in the first game. While the bulk of it isn't that hard on its own, the one part that makes it so frustrating is that if you don't stick to the top path of the course (which is very hard to do without falling off), you have to take a much longer path back to the main track, and this will set you ''far'' back behind the other racers.

* PortingDisaster: The Aspyr port on the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One features terrible sound-mixing, a poorly-designed hud with a stylistically-clashing font that has numbers overlapping and an unscaled/low-res speedometer, and most glaringly of all (on the PS4, at least), all podracer engines now have black exhausts (in the style of 'this texture failed to load' rather than a stylistic change) instead of the correct yellowish-white. After several months of release, the only patches that were brought out relate to motion controls.

* PolishedPort: The UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast port of the first game; while the graphics are almost identical to the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 version, the framerate is much smoother and the textures are much crisper and slick looking, and the sound design and music quality is no longer hampered by compression issues. Mini CGI cutscenes are also included in the start of each race. The only trade off to the port is the addition of loading times. The Switch/[=PS4=] re-release is also based on this version, but with much smaller load times thanks to newer hardware, but bumps the framerate to 60 (the disc versions locked at 30, while the N64 aimed at 30 but often struggled to hit that, especially without an Expansion Pak), making a legendarily fast game feel even ''faster''.

* PolishedPort: The UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast port of the first game; while the graphics are almost identical to the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 version, the framerate is much smoother and the textures are much crisper and slick looking, and the sound design and music quality is no longer hampered by compression issues. Mini CGI cutscenes are also included in the start of each race. The only trade off to the port is the addition of loading times. The Switch/[=PS4=] re-release is also based on this version, but with much smaller load times thanks to newer hardware.

* GameBreakingBug: On Oovo IV, during the zero-gravity tube sections, there are a number of floating rocks to avoid. Some of them can be busted apart by ramming them at a high enough speed, but most of them are too big to break. As well, most of them are placed on the "sides" of the tube section (i.e., away from the center), but there's one that is placed in the direct center of the tube that you can crash into. In the N64 version, this isn't a problem, as you will be able to simply continue as before, bu the PC/Dreamcast release respawns you ''inside'' the boulder, rendering you completely stuck and needing to restart the race.

* PolishedPort: The UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast port of the first game; while the graphics are almost identical to the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 version, the framerate is much smoother and the textures are much crisper and slick looking, and the sound design and music quality is no longer hampered by compression issues. Mini CGI cutscenes are also included in the start of each race. The only trade off to the port is the addition of loading times.

* MostAnnoyingSound:
** "Bullseye" Navior and Neva Kee have very shrill, exasperating voices in the original, though the voices do match up well with their designs.
** Revenge has a few examples. Tom Kane seems to have voiced fewer lines than average for Shrivel Braittrand, or else fewer of them made it into the final cut; either way, you're going to hear a whole lot of "WUMPITY WUMPITY!" when racing as or against him. A couple of the pilots also taunt you with some truly [[AnnoyingLaugh Annoying Laughs]] as they pass you up, such as Knire Dark's singsong, sarcastic ''"Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha."'' and Wan Sandage's incredibly drawn-out belly laugh.

** On the flip side, [[GameBreaker you can also use this to your advantage]] by buying high-level but damaged parts from Watto's junkyard at a fraction of the price you'd normally pay for them (and possibly [[DiscOneNuke earlier than you'd normally get them, too]]). Then, if you get through the race unscratched (or you have invincibility turned on), your Pit Droids will have fixed the junkyard parts up to their full potential. You can then either keep the parts or trade them in for a profit and repeat the process.

** ''The Abyss'', easily the hardest course in the first game. While the bulk of it isn't that hard on it's own, the one part that makes it so frustrating is that if you don't stick to the top path of the course (which is very hard to do without falling off), you have to take a much longer path back to the main track, and this will set you ''far'' back behind the other racers.

* GameBreaker: Sebulba's flame thrower. If it hits someone's podracer, it shall make one engine burn, then get destroyed, and finally making the whole unfortunate podracer explode. Hello, curb-stomp race! Although it also might not count, since it doesn't actually have any effect when you use it as Sebulba -- only when [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard he's flying against you as an AI opponent]].

* BreatherLevel: ''The Inferno'', ironically the very last course in the first game, is far easier than the preceding levels in the Invitation course, especially ''The Abyss''.

* GameBreaker: Sebulba's flame thrower. If it hits someone's podracer, it shall make one engine burn, then get destroyed, and finally making the whole unfortunate podracer explode. Hello, curb-stomp race!
** Or not, since it doesn't actually have any effect when you use it as Sebulba -- only when [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard he's flying against you as an AI opponent]].

* MostAnnoyingSound: "Bullseye" Navior and Neva Kee have very shrill, exasperating voices in the original, though the voices do match up well with their designs.

* ScrappyMechanic: The part damage/repair outside of level concept of the first game. During races, taking damage or crashes actually effects the podracers performance stats in real time, which really undermines the part purchasing concept in a game where its ridiculously easy to crash or suffer collision damage. While you can buy pit droids to fix your pod inbetween races, it takes time for their work to take effect, and only four parts of a pod can be fixed at any time. The sequel thankfully eschewed this mechanic, by allowing you to keep your pod upgrades permanently upon purchase.

* ScrappyLevel: ''Grabvine Gateway''; it's not a difficult level by any means, but it has some really tricky turns and cluttered pathways, particularly the swamp area late in it, where it's almost impossible to avoid crashing when you're racing at full speed.
** ''Fire Mountain Rally'', which reuses some level elements of ''Gateway'' in reverse, also has many hairpin turns, not helped that it's [[MarathonLevel one of the longer races in the game.]]
* ThatOneLevel: ''The Abyss'', easily the hardest course in the first game. While the bulk of it isn't that hard on it's own, the one part that makes it so frustrating is that if you don't stick to the top path of the course (which is very hard to do without falling off), you have to take a much longer path back to the main track, and this will set you ''far'' back behind the other racers.
** In the sequel, the Nightlands of Ryloth is often held up as the equivalent, with many players online having bemoaned the fact that it's harder to beat than the Boonta Eve Classic which follows it. However, from the perspective of knockout completists, Gamorr's Watchtower Run has reached consensus status as ThatOneLevel. It's such a short track that you're under enormous pressure to rack up the seven knockouts in time, with the final attack on Aldar Beedo usually coming down to the very last stretch of the track. Accomplishing this with a non-secret character is a mark of true Podracer-brawling skill.

* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: The sound a podracer makes when it triggers a boost.

* BestLevelEver: The climatic race of both games, the Boonta Eve Classic. Long, fast, with the right number of obstacles... It's drop-dead awesome.
** Also, the [[TheAlcatraz Oovo IV]] racetracks. Long, twisting, fast, with an epic zero-gravity pipe that can crank your speed over ''1000'' mph, and it's set to "Duel of the Fates" in the PC/Dreamcast versions.

* PolishedPort: The UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast port of the first game; while the graphics are almost identical to the Nintendo64 version, the framerate is much smoother and the textures are much crisper and slick looking, and the sound design and music quality is no longer hampered by compression issues. Mini CGI cutscenes are also included in the start of each race. The only trade off to the port is the addition of loading times.

** In the sequel, the Nightlands of Ryloth is often held up as the equivalent, with many players online having bemoaned the fact that it's harder to beat than the Boonta Eve Classic which follows it. However, from the perspective of knockout completists, Gamorr's Watchtower Run has reached consensus status as ThatOneLevel. It's such a short track that you're under enormous pressure to rack up the seven knockouts in time, with the final attack on Aldar Beedo usually coming down to the very last stretch of the track. Accomplishing this with a non-secret character is a mark of true Podracer-brawling skill.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: A [=PS1=] version of ''Episode 1 Racer'' was planned, but Creator/LucasArts scrapped it, claiming the system was technically incapable of handling the game--which makes it HilariousInHindsight that the games sequel was a [=PS2=] exclusive.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: A [=PS1=] version of ''Episode 1 Racer'' was planned, but LucasArts scrapped it, claiming the system was technically incapable of handling the game--which makes it HilariousInHindsight that the games sequel was a [=PS2=] exclusive.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: A [=PS1=] version of ''Episode 1 Racer'' was planned, but LucasArts scrapped it, claiming the system was technically incapable of handling the game--which makes it HilariousInHindsight that the games sequel was a PS2 exclusive.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: A PS1 version of ''Episode 1 Racer'' was planned, but LucasArts scrapped it, claiming the system was technically incapable of handling the game--which makes it HilariousInHindsight that the games sequel was a PS2 exclusive.

* PolishedPort: The SegaDreamcast port of the first game; while the graphics are almost identical to the Nintendo64 version, the framerate is much smoother and the textures are much crisper and slick looking, and the sound design and music quality is no longer hampered by compression issues. Mini CGI cutscenes are also included in the start of each race. The only trade off to the port is the addition of loading times.