Star Wars Episode 1 Racer fan remake (demo) in Unreal Engine 4

[Boleskine]

https://www.pcgamer.com/star-wars-episode-i-racer-has-been-recreated-in-unreal-engine-4/

Star Wars Episode I: Racer has been recreated in Unreal Engine 4

By Fraser Brown 3 hours ago

One of the best Star Wars games is back.



Star Wars Episode I: Racer was probably the best thing to come out of The Phantom Menace, but at 20 years old, it could probably do with a fresh coat of paint. Thankfully, modder RobJin has come to the rescue of podracing fanatics everywhere, creating a demo version in Unreal Engine 4. There's a spiffy trailer that you can watch above.

The modder started the project to get the hang of the engine, but 10 months later it's become something a bit grander. They warn that there are optimisation and animation issues, but that it's still playable. Podracers can control Anakin and his swift junker on the Mos Espa map on Tatooine. Check out their Art Station page here.

YouTuber Bluedrake42 also posted a quick look at the fan demo, and you can watch it in action below.



If you prefer your podracing without YouTuber commentary, you can also download the demo for yourself.

Lots of Star Wars mods and fan projects end up having a long life, but since this is directly based on a game and not just referencing the Star Wars universe, Disney may end up hitting it with a cease and desist. Better grab it soon, then.

Despite the new movies, there's been a serious dearth of Star Wars games from the current licence holder, EA. At this point, I think people would just be happy with some solid remasters. There's all this nostalgia just waiting to be weaponised, but it's going entirely untouched.

While Episode I: Racer appeared on PC and consoles, it's the arcade version that has stuck with me the most. Sure, being able to play it at home was convenient, but nothing captured the spectacle of podracing in the movie like the massive cabinet, which came complete with a chair designed like an actual podracer. I spent an entire holiday with my ass stuck to that thing, and I've got no regrets.

 

[ScrotumBroth]

Fond memories, but I'm not touching this mod until fully finished.

 

[gerey]

It's never going to be finished. This is just portfolio whoring so they get noticed and hired by some developer.

 

[taxalot]

Fond memories, but I'm not touching this mod until fully finished.

So, never.

 

[Pound Meat]

I see the cabinets all the time at Main Event.

 

[normie]

 

[Pound Meat]

She had it coming... the tease!

 

[Ezekiel]

They didn't do it right. Original has better handling.

 

[Boleskine]

This is just portfolio whoring so they get noticed and hired by some developer.

Someone else caught the bug.

Star Wars: Dark Forces is getting a fan remake from an Obsidian developer
By Fraser Brown 4 hours ago

Katarn's back.

A senior environment artist at Obsidian, Jason Lewis, is creating a fan remake of Star Wars: Dark Forces, which introduced the world to Kyle Katarn and the joys of shooting Stormtroopers in first-person back in 1995. So far, he's been able to make a recreation of the first level that can be traversed from start to finish, screenshots of which can be found on his Artstation page.

It's shaping up very nicely, especially when compared to its predecessor from two-decades prior. As well as exteriors, Lewis has been working on the interiors of the Empire's base, which look appropriately menacing and shiny. In his most recent update, posted three months ago, he said the environments were mostly done.

We need fodder for our blasters, of course, so the next challenge is making a Stormtrooper. Lewis isn't a character artist, so he says he'll need help with the human characters, though he's also going to give it a try himself.

Another of Lewis' Star Wars projects was also spotted by YouTuber BlueDrake42. It's called Docking Bay 94 and recreates the hive of scum and villainy that is Mos Eisley. BlueDrake conflates the two projects in his video, but apparently they're separate. You can actually play the Docking Bay 94 demo, too, so grab it here.



While the sequel was light years better, I've still got a soft spot for ol' Dark Forces, which 10-year-old Fraser was immediately sold on by the promise of playing Doom but in Star Wars. And if Doom can get a flashy modern remake, why not this?

If you're more of a racer than a shooter, there's always the Star Wars Episode I: Racer remake that's in the works.

 

[Pound Meat]

Yet Jedi Power Battles remains untouched.