LEGO Racers

LEGO Racers is a 1999 LEGO Racing video game by LEGO Media, for the Nintendo 64 and PC. LEGO Racers was the first game in Lego Media's long line of LEGO racing video games.

Gameplay
In Lego Racers, the player assumes the role of either one of several pre-built Lego characters or a custom-built driver. The player can use virtual Lego, including pieces of Lego headwear, heads, bodies and legs, to construct characters, and can then build a custom car, using Lego bricks to build upon one of several designs of chassis.

Circuits
In the circuit mode of Lego Racers, the player can race on one of seven "circuits", in which the player must gain the most points from among five competitors including one champion over the course of four races, each of which award the player points based on the order in which they finish in. Each circuit has a special driver, a "circuit champion", who performs better than the other computer-controlled racers. The seventh circuit comprises one track, where the circuit champion is Rocket Racer, the primary antagonist.

Time race
In the time race, the player races a single opponent, Veronica Voltage, who is the granddaughter of Professor Voltage, a character in the game Legoland. Veronica drives a ghost car that cannot crash into the player's car in any way. If the player wins races in every track of the first three circuits, they are awarded Veronica Voltage's car set.

Multiplayer
This game also supports a two-player multiplayer mode. If a second input device, such as a joystick or gamepad, is plugged in, two players can race against each other in split screen display.

Custom Racers
A feature in the game allows the player to build cars of your design. At the beginning of the game, the player only has a limited array of bricks. As the player progresses through the game, more bricks of different circuits can be unlocked.

Racers
Veronica Voltage can be unlocked by beating her in all the time trial races.

Imperial Grand Prix

 * Secrets
 * Two thirds through the map a line-up of barrels can be seen, hit them with a cannonball and you should be able to get through.

Dark Forest Dash

 * Secrets
 * Before the waterfall there is a tunnel shortcut.

Magma Moon Marathon

 * Secrets
 * After you exit the lava pits active a blue brick of any kind and you should be able to go straight through a rock that you will notice when it starts to glow.
 * The player has close to no chance going through the lights and unlocking the glass chamber the first time around (as the code changes every restart of the map), so the first time around the player should make note of the code next to the glass dome (featured in the picture of the map) and input that code the second time around.

Desert Adventure Dragway

 * Secrets
 * Fire any kind of red brick at the wall of two twin statues in front of the pyramid to open a door to the first secret passage. User power slides if you want to get all the white bricks and stay in the lead. This exit makes the green brick easier to obtain as it comes out of the opposite side of the other map's secret.
 * Fire any kind of red brick at the discolored texture in front of the Sphinx to open the second secret passage. Once again this one's exit comes out of the same end as the other secret and also allows the player to obtain three white bricks, but the player will have trouble not getting the red brick.
 * There in a lost green brick down the first secret passage, unpossible to collect.

Tribal Island Trail

 * Shortcuts
 * When you enter the cave make a sharp turn towards the other side of it. If you stay on the sand you can pick up a green brick, and if you fall in the water you can pick up three whites.
 * to the left of the sand, you will notice a tunnel to go through.
 * A little less than half-way, if you turn left imbetween the idol and the boulder, you will get a white brick.

Royal Knights Raceway
Just before the waterfall on the right is a narrow grassy tunnel.

Ice Planet Pathway
If you missed this one, you're blind.

Amazon Adventure Alley
Drive through the waterfall

Pirate Skull Pass

 * A little after the skull wall, you will take a left turn down a hill, if you make a sharper turn, you will go on the sand and through a tunlle to collect a few white bricks.

Adventure Temple Trail
On one side of the entrance to the tunnels/tomb/whatever, there is a tunnel which comes out in the next room.

Alien Rally Asteroid

 * Obstacles
 * 1) First a flying saucer will come from the far side of the screen with an attack similar to the third level yellow brick thing.


 * 1) A pillar with three attacks similar to the Stun Laser, which guards three white bricks.


 * Secrets
 * When going down the narrow hallway and a upside-down triangular wall design becomes visible, shoot it with any form of red brick.

Rocket Racer Run

 * Shoot with any red brick at the gate of the split circle.

Bricks
Bricks appear on every map of the game and give the player abilities to boost his/her speed, lay traps, attack, and defend.

Red Bricks
Red bricks are all attacks.

It hits nearest player/wall.
 * Red Brick Level 0 - Cannonball

It pulls player from the front and it pulling it back.
 * Red Brick Level 1 - Grappling Hook

It goes for about 10 seconds, zaps anyone in the way.
 * Red Brick Level 2 - Lighting Wand

Deploys three homing missiles that will attack anyone in front of the player.
 * Red Brick Level 3 - Three Homing Missiles

Yellow Bricks
Yellow bricks are all traps.

If you got encountered, it would make the car circle.
 * Yellow Brick Level 0 - Oil Slick

If you got encountered, it would make flown in air for second.
 * Yellow Brick Level 1 - Barrel of Gun Powder

If you got encountered, it swings like a pendulum before banishing.
 * Yellow Brick Level 2 - Magnetic Trap

If you got encountered, it turns into green, reverses the control, and swings the screen like a hula hoop.
 * Yellow Brick Level 3 - Mummy's Curse

Green Bricks
Green bricks are all turbo boosts.

It takes little faster speed. (The Rocket Color is Yellow)
 * Green Brick Level 0 - Turbo Boost

Same as Turbo Boosts, but extends more distance with faster speed. (The Rocket Color is Green)
 * Green Brick Level 1 - Extra Turbo Boost

Two Blue Rockets comes out of the back side of the car, takes few feet of the ground without any slow down. (Sands, Water, Grass that slows you down)
 * Green Brick Level 2 - Flying Turbo Boost

The Blue Bubble appears, and takes the car away from very far distance.
 * Green Brick Level 3 - Warp Turbo Boost

Blue Bricks
Blue bricks are all shields and it protects car from attacks and traps.

Blue shield lasts for five seconds.
 * Blue Brick Level 0 - Blue Shield

Green shield lasts for six seconds.
 * Blue Brick Level 1 - Green Shield

Yellow shield lasts for eight seconds, and deflects all the weapons. (If car comes next to, it turns a circle)
 * Blue Brick Level 2 - Yellow Shield

Red shield lasts for ten seconds, and deflects all the weapons. (If car comes next to, it turns a circle twice)
 * Blue Brick Level 3 - Red Shield

White Bricks
Every single one of these adds a level to other bricks.

Reception
LEGO Racers received mixed reactions from reviewers. The Microsoft Windows version received generally positive scores averaging at 75.45% according to GameRankings, based on 11 reviews. However the releases on both the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 received less positive reactions from critics despite featuring no gameplay differences. GameSpot gave the PC version 7.0 out of 10 describing the game as "a simple, colourful, and fun high-speed romp". However when they reviewed the Nintendo 64 version they scored it 4.5 out of 10 and said "With bland gameplay, boring racing and a frustrating Lego construction system, Lego Racers just translates into an incomplete package", while IGN said "The Nintendo 64 has seen many racing games, though none are quite like LEGO RACERS. The game, which is inspired by the building block toys, lets players build cars from one of 12 included sets of Legos" and gave it a 7.5 out of 10.

Trivia

 * One of the racers featured in this game is Baron von Baron. He later returned in LEGO Racers 2 and LEGO Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge, but was renamed "Sam Sinister" in those games.