LEGO Racers

by Bryony Harrison (follow)

2 players (71)      1 player (236)      Single Player (126)      Playstation (40)      PS1 (37)      Racing (13)      LEGO (1)     

Summary



Rocket Racer is the greatest racing champion of all time, but unfortunately, that means no one can beat him, and he is bored. So he's decided to call all the greatest racers from space and time together for a real challenge. Are you fast enough to beat him?

Description
Type: Racing
Platform: Playstation One, PC, Nintendo 64, Gameboy Colour
Players: 1 - 2 players
Age: 3 plus
Game Time: 12 hours
Developer or Designer: High Voltage Software
Publisher: LEGO Media

Pros

Cons

Review



With LEGO it is possible to build practically anything, even a working car. LEGO Racers first began with Formula 1 models in 1975, but only really took off as a popular themed set in 2001. Before the boom LEGO Racers branched off from physical construction into the virtual world with the LEGO Racers video game. Designed for a number of platforms, including the Playstation One, it brought a new feature to your classic 'crazy' racing.



The fun begins before you even hit the track. First things first, you have to build a racer. You get to choose from of head gear, facial hair, shirts and trousers, and it is good fun to mix and match. My slight criticism is that for a brand so renowned for its endless customisation, the options here are rather limited. All the characters are male, there is a distinct lack of colour options when it comes to hair/beards, and clothing. It would have been better if each style was available in every colour, rather than a different style for every colour.



After designing your racer, he needs to get his license. This would have been a great opportunity to introduce some gameplay, e.g. a drivers' test in the form of a tutorial. Sadly there is no such thing, and it is simply a process of you picking a name and snapping a photo.



The third stage is creating your vehicle. It isn't just about creating something that is aesthetically attractive (not easy to do); the way you design the car will impact on how it drives around the track. Heavy cars are best for speed and handling, while light cars are best for acceleration. How you distribute the weight of the car will also have an affect. Figuring out how the car will be affected with your additions is not easy to determine, however, because there are no stats bars to indicate how fast, etc your car is likely to be with each modification. You can, however, give it a test drive before confirming completion, but it is probably easier just to go with a pre-made car from the game.



After all that is the racing itself. There are four types to go for - Circuit Race, Single Race, Time Race, and Multiplayer.



In Time Race you have try to beat the best time of a ghost racer. A Single Race is just one track and has no bearing on game progress, while Circuit Race is the main feature, where you have to complete four tracks and get win the highest number of points to unlock the next level.



You can also race against a friend in multiplayer mode, but it is just 'friend', singular. Unlike most racing games that can have up to four players, this is only up to two.



The race tracks themselves are enjoyable with fun themes such as pirates, Robin Hood, aliens, etc. To help (or hinder) your chances of winning, there are plenty of pick ups. Coloured LEGO blocks are littered around the track, and each has a special power. For example, there are cannon balls, grappling hooks, gun powder barrels, invincibility, turbo speed, and so on.



While there are a lot of things that could be improved upon, there are just as many good points to make it a worthwhile game.

Categories
#LEGO
#PS1
#Playstation
#1 player
#Single Player
#2 players
#Racing

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