| LEGO → Video Games → Racers | 
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| LEGO Racers | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Item №: |
5703 (N64), 5704 (PC), 5705 (PlayStation), 5719 (GBC) |
| LEGO Theme: | |
| Price: |
see Versions |
| Developer(s): |
High Voltage Software |
| Publisher(s): |
LEGO Media |
| Date Released: |
Microsoft Windows: July 31, 1999, Nintendo 64: October 31, 1999, Playstation: December 17, 1999, Gameboy Color: December 29, 2000 |
| Genre: |
Racing |
| Mode(s): |
Singeplayer, Multiplayer (2 players) |
| Rating: |
E |
| Platforms: |
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 Colour 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 was LEGO Racers 2, which was released in 2001. The game featured many of LEGO's best sets from the 90's.
Gameplay
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 also customize your character and race with him/her. There are 7 circuits, and each has a circuit champion.
The champions of the game were some of the most popular LEGO minifigures of the time. They are:
- Captain Redbeard (Pirates)
- King Kahuka (Islanders)
- Basil the Bat Lord (Fright Knights)
- Johnny Thunder (Adventurers)
- Baron von Barron (Adventurers)
- Gypsy Moth (Insectoids)
- Rocket Racer
The main antagonist, Rocket Racer, has never been made in a set.
Each circuit has four racetracks and all of them are hosted by other characters:
- Governor Broadside (Pirates)
- Rob-N-Hood (Forestman)
- Ann Droid (Exploriens)
- Pharaoh's Mummy (Egypt)
- Islander (Islanders)
- Royal King (Castle)
- Commander Cold (Ice Planet 2002)
- Achu (Amazon)
- Willa the Witch (Fright Knights)
- Blackjack Hawkins (Pirates)
- Sam Sinister (Egypt)
- Alpha Draconis (UFO)
- Black Knight (Castle)
- Admiral (Pirates)
- Nova Hunter (Exploriens)
- Gail Storm (Adventurers)
These characters can be made to race with as well as the champions, as soon as you win the circuit. The tracks from circuits 1, 2, and 3 are mirrored for 4, 5, and 6. 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.
Circuit Races
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: first place is thirty points, second is twenty, third is ten, fourth is three, fifth is two, and last is one point. The points from each track are added to determine the winner of the circuit. (If you tie with an AI opponent, you will recieve the higher place.)
Single Races
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.
Versus Races
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.
Time Races
In this mode, you race against a "ghost" of Veronica Voltage. This means that neither of you can affect the other in any way. 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 the Time Races, then they get unlock car.
Power-up bricks
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:
| Colour | Type | Basic Power-Up | One White Brick | Two White Bricks | Three White Bricks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | Projectile | Cannonball | Grappling Hook | Lightning Wand | 3 Guided Rockets |
| Yellow | Hazard | Oil Slick | Barrel of Gunpowder | Magnetic Trap | Mummy's Curse |
| Blue | Shield | 5-Second (blue) Shield | 6-Second (green) Shield | 8-Second (yellow) Shield (Reflects cannonballs and rockets, spins opponents on contact.) | 10-Second (red) Shield (Reflects cannonballs and rockets, spins opponents on contact.) |
| Green | Turbo Speed | Turbo Boost | Double Turbo Boost | Flying Turbo Boost | Warp Turbo Boost |
Hazards
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.
Shortcuts
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 only the player can go through the shortcuts as the other racers (except Veronica Voltage) will ignore them.
Notes
The Knightmare-Athon track had at least two shortcuts in the beta-version of the game, however they were removed, but the bricks that were inside the shortcuts can still be seen behind the walls. There is a shortcut in Tribal Island Trail. When nearing alligators, turn left at the statues. it will avoid all alligators.
Circuits
In the game, there are seven circuits. Placing first, second, or third on a circuit unlocks the next circuit.
Circuit 1
Champion: Captain Redbeard (Pirates)
- Imperial Grand Prix (Pirates)
- Dark Forest Dash (Dark Forest)
- Magma Moon Marathon (Exploriens)
- Desert Adventure Dragway (Egypt)
Circuit 2
Champion: King Kahuka (Islanders)
- Tribal Island Trail (Islanders)
- Royal Knights Raceway (Royal Knights)
- Ice Planet Pathway (Ice Planet 2002)
- Amazon Adventure Alley (Jungle)
Circuit 3
Champion: Basil the Bat Lord (Fright Knights)
- Knightmare-Athon (Fright Knights)
- Pirate Skull Pass (Pirates)
- Adventure Temple Trial (Combination of Egypt, Amazon and Islanders themes)
- Alien Rally Asteriod (Combination of Insectoids and UFO themes)
Circuit 4
Note: Circuits four through six contain mirrored versions of the courses in circuits one through three.
Champion: Johnny Thunder (Adventurers)
- Desert Adventure Dragway (mirror)
- Magma Moon Marathon (mirror)
- Dark Forest Dash (mirror)
- Imperial Grand Prix (mirror)
Circuit 5
Champion: Baron von Barron (Adventurers)
- Amazon Adventure Alley (mirror)
- Ice Planet Pathway (mirror)
- Royal Knights Raceway (mirror)
- Tribal Island Trail (mirror)
Circuit 6
Champion: Gypsy Moth (Insectoids)
- Alien Rally Asteroid (mirror)
- Adventure Temple Trial (mirror)
- Pirate Skull Pass (mirror)
- Knightmare-Athon (mirror)
Circuit 7
Champion: Rocket Racer
- Rocket Racer Run
Racers
Featured cars
Opponents
- Circuits 1 & 4
- Captain Redbeard (circuit 1 only) (Pirates)
- Governor Broadside (it actually isn't Governor Broadside, only an Imperial Governor minifigure with his name) (Pirates)
- Rob-N-Hood (Dark Forest)
- Ann Droid (Exploriens)
- Pharoah's Mummy (Egypt)
- Johnny Thunder (circuit 4 only) (Adventurers)
- Circuits 2 & 5
- King Kahuka (circuit 2 only) (Islanders)
- Islander (Islanders)
- Royal King (Royal Knights)
- Commander Cold (Ice Planet 2002)
- Achu (Amazon)
- Baron von Barron (circuit 5 only) (Adventurers)
- Circuits 3 & 6
- Basil the Bat Lord (circuit 3 only) (Fright Knights)
- Willa the Witch (Fright Knights)
- Blackjack Hawkins (Pirates)
- Sam Sinister (Egypt)
- Alpha Dragonis (UFO)
- Gypsy Moth (circuit 6 only) (Insectoids)
- Circuit 7
- Rocket Racer (World Champion)
- Black Knight (Black Knights)
- Admiral (Pirates)
- Nova Hunter (Exploriens)
- Gail Storm (Adventurers)
- Time Trials
Gallery
Trivia
- Rocket Racer is the only Circuit Leader without any relationship with another. The Islanders are part of the Pirates theme so Kahuka and Redbeard met each other. Baron Von Baron is the arch-enemy of Johnny Thunder. Also according to this video the Insectoids invaded Castle Planet, which is where Basil's castle is. [1]
- During the Single/Circuit Races, the voice files are set for the wrong hosts, usually for the ones that are the opposite:
- Redbeard has Thunder's voice, where Thunder has Redbeard's.
- Kahuka has Barron's voice, while Barron has Kahuka's.
- Basil has Gypsy's voice, whereas Gypsy has Basil's.
