Star Wars Episode I: Racer originally released in 1999 on the Nintendo 64. The game's simple to understand but difficult to master controls has caused a dedicated speed-running community to arise around the game. This community, combined with those who simply have fond memories of driving fast while listening to Star Wars music, provided enough interest to justify a PC remaster, which recently launched on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.
Racer fits well into the F-Zero-inspired futuristic category of racing games that let players experience incredible speeds through a wide variety of characters and machines. All of Racer's characters function similarly to one another, but they possess key differences that fit certain playstyles and courses. Since you unlock characters as you play (and some of the best characters in the game require unlocking) it's important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each and use them as an ever-growing toolkit to progress through the different stages. For example, while Mars Guo and Boles Roor have decent speed, they are the very large racers and it makes it difficult for him to fit through narrow entrances. Smaller pods are often preferable, but there are exceptions to the rule based on different factors such as handling, top speed and durability.
Since these racers function differently from one another, it'll be helpful to take a look at the best ones. Keep in mind that there are upgrades available, such as custom parts and droids, and these are not being taken into account here. With that said, here are the five podracers that work best overall.
5. Wan Sandage
Wan Sandage is a valuable pick for certain courses because he has great handling and high acceleration. He can quickly get himself up to a decent speed and use his boost to overtake other podracers. When it's time to turn, Wan corners with ease, allowing him to easily stay consistent on winding roads with few straightaways. Unfortunately, Wan is a large podracer and has a low top speed and slower cooling than other racers, meaning he cannot rely on his boost to stay ahead.
4. Ody Mandrell
Ody Mandrell can do most things fairly well. He has a decent cooldown rate on his boost and he turns rather easily. On top of that, he has high acceleration, and he's an average size podracer that can take a few hits before breaking. He is a lot like Wan, but a little smaller and can use the boost option more frequently. This is a great racer to to take on courses that have an even amount of turns and straightaways.
Unfortunately, Ody has slightly less responsive turning. When you do turn, it works well and you can make decently sharp corners. However, there is a small but noticeable delay between when a player takes action and when that action takes effect, which is a hindrance. On top of that, he doesn't have a particularly high top speed, meaning you'll have to rely on boosting to stay ahead. Still, he's a rewarding character to play and trades off well with most characters in certain situations.
3. "Bullseye" Navior
Navior is the official glass cannon of Star Wars Episode 1: Racer. He easily has the best handling in the game, turns quickly, can brake easily and enjoys high acceleration. His top speed is a little low, but he has decent boosting with a great cooldown rate. Overall there isn't a podracer who feels as light and responsive as "Bullseye" Navior.
All of this is great, except Navior's podracer is not only small but very fragile. The skill ceiling for Navior is high, as he can perform in all of the aforementioned areas effectively, but just performing jumps and bumping into walls can lead to serious damage. "Bullseye" Navior is one of the more competitive racers available and people can enjoy success with him. It's just difficult to justify using such a fragile character on most courses when there are more durable and easy to use characters available. However, if you master his movement, he's one of the best racers in the game.
2. Ebe Endecott
Available from the beginning of Racer, Ebe Endecott represents a handful of desirable traits wrapped up in a sleek package. For starters, Endecott has a fairly high top speed; higher than any of the racers mentioned except for Boles Roor. He is adequate at accelerating, and his boost has a high cooldown rate. He also has great handling and turns well. Finally, Endecott is a smaller podracer than Ody Mandrell that is just as durable, which is ideal for jumping gaps and smashing through rocks in your way.
If you can accept that he doesn't brake or accelerate as quickly as Ody Mandrell as a consequence to these advantages, you'll have one of the most well-rounded characters in the game. His characteristics make him a perfect test subject for any unknown course, and he's a great character overall to use in most situations.
1. Ben Quadinaros
All of the premium characteristics of Ebe Endecott and "Bullseye" Navior are undercut by what Ben Quadinaros is capable of. Ben's top speed is higher than Endecott, and he boasts enormous boosting potential, making him easily the fastest podracer in the game.
He has slightly better turning and handling than both Mars Guo and Boles Roor despite also being fast and large. Most podracer's max speed is where Ben's boost begins, easily allowing him to go 150 to 200 mph faster than the competition. He's also very durable and can smash through rocks easily.
While Ben's cooldown on his boost isn't great, and his turning ability is a little below average, these disadvantages don't mean much in the face of pure speed. Overall, he's considered the best character in the game by the time attack and speedrunning communities.