Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 5703 (N64), 5704 (PC), 5705 (PlayStation), 5719 (GBC) Microsoft Windows: July 31, 1999, Nintendo 64: October 31, 1999, Playstation: December 17, 1999, Gameboy Color: December 29, 2000 Singeplayer, Multiplayer (2 players) Microsoft Windows, Gameboy Color, PlayStation, Nintendo 64 LEGO Racers is a LEGO racing video game developed by High Voltage Software and published by LEGO Media, released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation in 1999, 2000 and for Gameboy Color in 2000. The player races various characters made of LEGO in custom-built cars based on the Racers theme to become "the greatest LEGO racing champion of all-time". The sequel of the game is LEGO Racers 2, released in 2001. The game featured many of LEGO's best sets from the 90's. Being a racing game, the gameplay is centered around racing. You can race against computer-controlled (AI) opponents or against another person. There are four types of races: circuit, single, VS, and time.
In the game, you choose from different car frames and build upon them until you have your car. You can also customize your driver and race with it. There are 7 circuits, and each has a circuit champion. There are total of 26 tracks. 12 of them are mirror tracks and one of them is a test drive track available only in Build mode and used for testing the kart not racing. The champions of the game were some of the most popular LEGO minifigures of the time. The main antagonist, Rocket Racer, has never been officially appeared in a physical set. Each circuit has four racetracks and all of them are hosted by other characters: These characters can be made to race with as well as the champions, as soon as you win the circuit. The tracks from circuits 4 and 5 and 6 are mirrored. Rocket Racer's circuit (7) has only one track. The tracks are based of different lines of LEGO themes. For example, 'Knightmare-Athon' is based of the Fright Knights theme. In this mode, you race AI opponents on one of seven circuits.
Each circuit consists of four three-lap races on different tracks (with the exception of circuit 7, which contains only one track). Depending on how you place in each race you get a certain number of points: 30 points for 1st place, 20 points for 2nd, 10 for 3rd, 3 for 4th, 5th is 2 points, and last is 1 point. The points from each track are added to determine the winner of the circuit. If you do not have certain amount of points during the circuit race except for the 7th one (10 points for 1st race, 20 points for 2nd race, and 30 points for 3rd race) then the circuit ends. (If you tie with an AI opponent, you will receive the higher place.) In this mode, you race against AI opponents around a single track. (You can only race on tracks you have unlocked). This mode is useful if you are having trouble with a certain track and want to practice without doing an entire circuit or if you just want to race on one track only or if you just want to explore the track. In this mode, you race against a human opponent around a single track.
(You can only race on tracks from circuits you have unlocked). On the PC version, you can only use this mode if you have a game pad for your computer. In this mode, you race against a "ghost" of Veronica Voltage, (and the ghost record of you after your first try). This means that neither of you can affect the other in any way. There are only 12 tracks that you need to race through and none of them are mirrored tracks and Rocket Racer Run track is out. They are the tracks from Circuit 1 and 2 and 3. Also unique to this mode is the placement of power-ups. They are arranged differently than they are in the other modes: the most common are green and white, red only appears when there is a shortcut that can only be accessed with it, blue only appears when there is a hazard on the course that can be avoided with it, and yellow never appears. If the player completes all of the courses for Time Races, then they get a set of car from Veronica. Each track has a number of power-ups in the form of bricks placed on it.
There are five different colors of bricks. Four of them (red, green, blue and yellow) allow the player to activate their respective power-up whilst the fifth one (white) increases the power of the power-up. The following table displays the properties of each brick and the affect white bricks have on it: Almost all tracks have hazards which slow down the player and other racers. They are physical obstructions (giant rolling stones, swinging axes or a falling pillar); hazards which mimic power-ups (cannon fire, falling bombs, electrical discharges, swinging boxes and ground volcanoes which make the player slip and turn, and mummy's curses); or unique hazards (a ghost which spooks the racer and a flying saucer which drags the racer backwards). All hazards can be countered using shields or by avoiding them. Every track except the Knightmare-Athon has at least one shortcut. Shortcuts can be open (eg. a tunnel which turns from the track), hidden (eg. a tunnel hidden by a waterfall), or can only be blasted open by projectile power-ups (eg. passage hidden by barrels).
However all the racers (except Veronica Voltage and the player (for sometimes)) ignore them. The Knightmare-Athon track had at least two shortcuts in the beta-version of the game, however they were removed in the final version, but the bricks that were inside the shortcuts can still be seen behind the walls. This version shares very common similarities with other platforms. Other than just graphics and shortcuts, the only thing that is different from other platforms is the car building as it has limited technology. Players can choose the number of tires and the color of the car but can only choose 3 bricks on their car. In the game, there are seven circuits. Placing first, second, or third on a circuit unlocks the next circuit. Champion: Basil the Bat Lord (Fright Knights) Note: Circuits four through six contain mirrored versions of the courses in circuits one through three. Champion: Baron von Barron (Adventurers) Lego Racers 2 is the sequel to Lego Racers.
The storyline for this new version was expanded as well as the variety of types of cars you can drive and worlds that you get to explore. One of the main differences that sets Lego Racers 2 apart from other racing games is the variety of the types of tracks and the types of cars you can drive, including snow mobiles, trucks, and hover cars. Each one with its own driving feel. Just like most racing games, there are a variety of races that you must beat in order to unlock new races. Within 4 of the 5 worlds that exist in Lego Racers 2 (The first one is Sandy Bay which includes 4 one on one races that help you get used to the feel of the game) there are 4 main races that you must win which are against multiple racers and then a final Boss race that you must win in order to move on to the next world. Every time you enter a new world, you must build a new car because each world has a different kind of terrain. So in arctic world you can have blades rather than wheels, and on Mars you can have a hover car that doesn’t even have any wheels.
After you defeat each boss, you get some super powerup from them that you bring with you to the next world. Sam Sanister from Dino Island gives you his super-fast turbo engine, Rigel from Mars gives you his super shield, and Berg gives you his super good Grip tires (despite the fact that he doesn't even drive a car). Within each world you can go exploring too. You can collect hidden golden bricks (which are necessary to proceed) and also play mini games which enable you get upgrades for your car as well. While you’re racing there are also a variety of powerups you can get by driving through certain Lego bricks that are scattered throughout the course. These are mostly your typical powerups such as discs or rockets that you can throw at opponents cars, invincibility, and a thunderbolt which causes damage to any cars close to you. But the best powerup is the Destructabrick, which hits every car on the racetrack (except yours) no matter where they are, but this powerup is much more rare and normally you only get it if you're in last place.
Every time you get hit, you lose some bricks off your car and if you get hit too many times without going through a pit-stop, then you lose your car entirely and must run, on foot, to the nearest pit-stop. The aesthetics of Lego Racers 2 is very similar to the other Lego video games. Not the highest quality but it still feels as if you’re in the Lego universe. Compared to other racing games, the driving controls of the car aren't as advanced, making it easier to control at some times and more difficult at other times. One really cool aspect though is that depending on which of the 5 worlds you are on, driving will feel different: more slippery on arctic world and Dino Island, and on Mars, you even get a hover car! Also, there are different boosts that you can get as you advance through the game that can give you better grip, a stronger shield, and a faster speed. Throughout the game you are guided by, Sparky, who gives you hints throughout your adventure and encourages you as you move on to each race.