Genre: Childrens, RacingRelease Year: 2001Developer: Attention To DetailPublisher: Lego SoftwareAge Rating: EveryonePlayability Status: PerfectTested On: Windows 8 x64Availability: Copyright retained - Out of print/unavailable Kids these days eh? When I was a child, Lego races took place on the carpet and involved a lot of pushing around little Lego models and a healthy chunk of imagination. Nowadays of course, you can simulate said Lego racing on your computer, with a copy of Lego Racers 2. While the computer version can be fun, we can’t help but hope the traditional method still has its place. If you have a copy of this game and a modern PC, getting it going again is now easy and it’s a great way to keep the kids entertained on a rainy afternoon. The most difficult thing about playing Lego Racers 2 on a modern PC is getting the game installed. Using the installer provided on the CD, most users will get a “Not enough memory” error, despite having more than ample computer memory to run this title.
The problem is due to a programming error, modern PCs have so much more memory now than in 2001 that the installer just gets confused. Various solutions around the web range from setting compatibility modes (didn’t work for us) to physically yanking memory chips out of your computer. None of the proposed solutions seemed acceptable, so we’ve re-written the installer for the game. Our replacement installer will work on any PC, regardless of how much memory you have installed. You can download it here (link dead? Let me know here). Once you have downloaded the installer, simply pop your Lego Racers 2 CD-ROM in your optical drive and run the installer. Follow all the on screen prompts and the game should be installed within a couple of minutes. If you have any issues with the installer please leave a comment and let us know. Once the game is installed, you can launch it from the Start menu or Start screen by searching for “Lego Racers 2” and clicking the icon that then appears.
Before you hit the race track, there are some visual quality options you may want to tweak, to stop the game from looking quite so blocky (except where it is supposed to, of course). From the main menu, choose “Game Options” and then “Graphics”. The following options will then appear (click on the picture to see a bigger version). For best quality, crank up “Detail Level” and “Image Quality” to the maximum and turn down “Compression” to the very minimum setting. Screen resolution should also generally be turned up as high as possible, as long as your monitor supports the selected screen mode. Screen resolution maxed out on our rig at 1024×768, though the readme file included with the game seemed to suggest it should go higher. Lego Racers 2 is a 4:3 aspect ratio (non-widescreen) game and should run with borders on the sides when played on a widescreen monitor or TV. From the main menu, choose “Game Options” and then “Sound”. Simply make sure this is set to High.
There are no surround sound soundtracks or other quality settings to configure this time. After you have configured game options, don’t forget to save. You can do this by selecting “Load / Save” from the games main menu. The game does NOT automatically save options or progress, so remember to save after you progress through the game too. The games configuration files and save games are placed in your documents folder under “Games\Lego Racers 2\Saved Games”. The file “LR2.cfg” that the game creates contains all your preferences. Unfortunately, the file is not in a human readable format, so it’s not possible to edit the file by hand and reconfigure any hidden options this time. Lego Racers 2 fully supports analogue controllers, with only a couple of caveats which we will get to in a moment. To configure your controller, select “Game Options” from the games main menu and then “Controls”. You will now need to choose player 1 or player 2, since the game can be played split-screen by two players.
The controls map fairly well to the Xbox 360 pad. Make sure to set the “A / D” option to “Analog”. We set up the controls like this:- Reverse – Y (Yellow) Fire Weapon – X (Blue) Brick Boost – A (Green) Talk – B (Red) Look Behind – Back Next Target – RB Previous Target – LB When you configure the controls in game like that, it should look like the picture shown below. There are three problems we encountered when using the 360 controller. First of all, the dead zone (the amount the stick needs to be moved before registering any movement) seemed to be a little too small. While playing, our little Lego mini-figure seemed to always lean either left or right. Secondly, the D-pad isn’t recognised at all by the game. Thirdly, and by far the worst problem is that clicking the left analogue stick will pause the game. It is very easy to accidentally click the stick as you race and children in particular may find it too frustrating to play like this.
If you cannot get used to not clicking your stick, you can switch to keyboard controls instead, though this limits you to digital controls only. You can still use a gamepad when the game is in keyboard input mode by using Xpadder or a similar tool. Remember, when you are done configuring controls, don’t forget to save your game from the “Save / Load” option on the main menu. Press F10 at any time during play to take a screenshot of your game, this is saved to the Games\Lego Racers 2 folder in your documents folder. Maybe we’re just rusty, but we actually found this game somewhat difficult compared to other child-friendly racing games. Expect a few temper tantrums from younger gamers at least during the first few races.What can I do if I can’t save my game? Make sure you are saving a PlayStation 2 software title to the Memory Card (8MB) for PlayStation 2. Confirm that you are using an officially licensed PlayStation memory card by looking for the official PlayStation logo.
SIEE cannot guarantee the reliable performance of unlicensed memory cards. Note: In the past, 8MB Memory Cards were manufactured for use with PlayStation 2 by other companies. As long as cards contain the official PlayStation logo, they are licensed products approved for use. Be sure the Memory Card is inserted securely into the Memory Card slot on the console. Follow the proper save procedures for the specific game you are trying to save. Refer to the manual for the software title for saving instructions if needed. Check to see if there is sufficient space on your Memory Card to store your data. If possible, test the Memory Card on another PlayStation 2 by inserting the card to see if it functions properly. If the card does not function properly, it might need to be replaced. If you experience this issue with the same title multiple times, you may want to contact the publisher of that title for more information. If the title is not published by SIEE, you will need to contact the publisher directly.
Why could my files be corrupted? If a Memory Card is removed while the PlayStation 2 system is trying to access information, this can cause a file to be corrupted. This can also happen if the power is turned off while the PlayStation 2 system is trying to access information on a Memory Card. Please check to make sure you are using a licensed Memory Card. Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe (SIEE) recommends only using products that are endorsed and licensed by SIEE. If the product has the PlayStation logo (similar to the one on the disc tray of the PlayStation 2 system), then it is licensed by SIEE. We recommend you only use the following memory cards: Model number: SCPH-1020 (will save PlayStation format software ONLY). Model number: SCPH-10020 (will save PlayStation 2 format software ONLY). If the Memory Card you are using is neither made by SIEE nor licensed by SIEE for use on the PlayStation 2 system, we would recommend you do not use that product. It has not been tested to perform properly for use on the PlayStation 2 system and, accordingly, SIEE does not recommend its use.
Products that fail to meet or exceed SIEE's strict quality standards could cause damage to your PlayStation 2 system immediately or with prolonged use. SIEE is not responsible for damages caused by untested, unlicensed products and any, otherwise applicable, warranties on SIEE products are void. It is the responsibility of that company that made your peripheral to accommodate you should its product cause damage to a SIEE product. There have been some cases of files being corrupted because a game was saved while using a cheat code. If the title you are playing keeps all of your saves in one file, save files that have cheat codes should be kept on a separate memory card. This could reduce the risk of losing a save file that did not have any cheat codes. How do I delete files from my Memory card? Insert the Memory Card (8MB) (for PlayStation 2) into your PlayStation 2 system. Turn the power on and make sure there is no disc in the system. Select the Browser option from the Main Menu and press the X button.