Now this is podracing! New Xbox Games with Gold includes Star Wars Episode I Racer
destructoid.comMicrosoft has kind of taken its foot off of the gas when it comes to Games with Gold (their program where you get two games, free to keep, each month), but it almost never ceases to surprise me. That can be a good or a bad thing in any given month. For May 2023, it’s just sheer confusion.
The big game on offer this time is Star Wars Episode 1 Racer, the 1999 game that heavily features podracing, the sport of Star Wars prequel fame. Originally released on the PC and Nintendo 64 (!) back in the day, it eventually worked its way up to many other platforms, including Xbox One on October 27, 2022. That’s the one you’re getting as of May 1 (through May 31), provided that you’re an Xbox subscriber. Truth be told, it’s not bad (as Zoey talks about in her opening paragraph about the disappointing follow-up), and I can see tons of people picking this up on a whim and being pleasantly surprised by it. There’s a lot to do, and it doesn’t play like a lot of modern racers, in the sense that it’s way faster, as a whole.
2021’s Hoa is the other game set for May’s Games with Gold program, and the visuals alone are likely enough to sway people into giving it a try. Say what you will about giving people a port of a 20+ year old game, but I’m actually kind of into this upcoming month!
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