Star Wars: Racer Arcade emulates the sport of Podracing, first introduced in Star Wars: Episode I. The Pods in question are small riding capsules pulled along by massive engines. These crafts hover just above the ground and can achieve extremely high speeds. Podraces take place on dangerous tracks littered with all manner of obstacles.

Sega's arcade racer might seem familiar to gamers who've experience Podracing games for the N64, PC and Dreamcast, but the arcade version is not a port of those titles. Utilizing an advanced version of the Naomi hardware called Hikaru, the game moves at a constant 60 FPS for a realistic sense of speed.

Instead of a steering wheel or joystick, Star Wars: Racer Arcade features two analog handlebars that act as throttles for your Pod. Pushing them both fully up will take the craft to full speed, while easing back on them together will slow you down. If you pull down only one of the bars, your craft will turn in that direction. There is also an air-brake and a button between the bars that gives you a speed boost, up to three times per track.

There are four tracks in Star Wars Racer Arcade, each representing a different difficulty level. They are, in order of difficulty: Bantha Tracks, a dusty stretch of Tatooine peppered by rock arches and featuring a large, twisted canyon, Smuggler's Cove, a track built entirely upon the sea and showing off some tight, hairpin turns, Pixelito Challenge, a track built on the wicked Sebulba's home planet with a wealth of speedy twists and curves, and the Boonta Classic, which is an extended version of Bantha Tracks with more canyons and caves.

Anakin Skywalker and Selbulba are the main characters featured in the game, though other racers are available on a time-release basis. The different characters and their pods possess a variety of different attributes, including acceleration, top speed, turning, and strength. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide