Graphics and Sound

Better than the movie?

According to an interview with Lucas Arts, the ships in the game are actually MORE detailed than those in the movie. The reasoning behind this is that the ships in the movie were moving so fast, detail wasn't that important. Though that may be the case, the graphics are wholly unremarkable.

Arguably the prettiest spot in the game

The most intriguing objects in the game, the actual pods, seem to be constructed of far fewer polygons than they could have. Perhaps this was to maintain the hypersonic speed of the game, but in the end left us with little appreciation for the racers themselves.

Nice ice shards, but where is my pod?

One big minus in the graphical domain is clipping. The game suffers noticeably in this regard, with parts of your pod often dipping down below the surface of the track. Also, in many cases, the cables which connect the pod to their engines aren't actually touching anything, and this is an aspect of detail you'll actually see throughout the entire game? One gets the feeling that Racer was rushed out to hit the stores on its May 21st (two days after Episode 1 premiered) release date.

Clipping problems

Can't go wrong with John Williams

As some of the sound effects, as well as the soundtrack, were taken directly from the film, the game is no aural slouch. With the combination of Williams' exciting soundtrack, believable engine-noise sound effects, and often amusing verbal insults coming from the riders, the sound succeeds in immersing you in an alternate reality. Unfortunately, the sound is essentially the only impressive factor in the game.