Lego Racers 2

Lego Racers 2
Developer(s)	Attention to Detail Pocket Studios (GBA)
Publisher(s)	Lego Software
Platforms	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance
Release date(s)	September 27, 2001 PlayStation 2 Microsoft Windows Game Boy Advance
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Lego Racers 2 is a Lego racing video game developed by Attention to Detail and published by Lego Software. It was first released in September 2001 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance. It is the sequel to the 1999 game Lego Racers. This sequel was first revealed by Lego on 21 August 2001.

Gameplay

Unlike the original Lego Racers, the player has more "freedom", because the player can race or drive freely, and there are other characters that the player can talk to. Lego Racers 2 also has, like in the original, a car and characters designer. It has more bricks but fewer characters to make and edit. In Lego Racers 2, it can be chosen up to 11 opponents.

Worlds

There are five large worlds, starting with the hometown, Sandy Bay. The player wins 4 races in Sandy Bay, then collects gold bricks to move on to Dino Island, Mars, Arctic, and finally Xalax. In Xalax, the player will face Rocket Racer, who when beaten, will hand over the title as the greatest racer in the galaxy.

Each world is based on a particular theme. In addition to racing cars in the Racers product line, each theme is based on an actual series Lego sets, and includes parts of those sets.

Upgrades

Upgrades for players' car may be obtained by winning mini games. Each mini game is accessible by driving through a vortex while exploring the Lego worlds. There are two mini games per world, one on an easy level and one on a difficult level. The first vortex players go to will be the easy level.

There are three categories of upgrades available: Grip, which improves how well players' car turns and how much their car slides; Power, which controls how fast players' car goes and how much climbing power their car has; and Shield, which controls how much damage the car can take before being destroyed.

Powerups

Powerups are various types of weapons that can be used while racing. Players obtain a powerup by driving over a white, spinning, glowing Lego brick. A counter appears that cycles through all of the powerups; the one it lands on is the one players get. Players may press the "fire" button to stop the counter. Otherwise, the counter will automatically give playeres a bonus based on their position in the race. Persons in last place will receive the best powerups. Unlike Lego Racers 1, there are no power-enhancing bricks for their powerup.

Reception

Lego Racers 2 was rated average to positive. The PC version was given a score of 7.8 out of 10 by IGN; the reviewer praised its graphics and gameplay, but criticized the voice and talk which were derided as "cartoon gibberish". IGN rated the PS2 version only 6 out of 10, which corresponding graphics and gameplay were inferior to its PC counterpart. An additional note is that a copy cost $20 for PC, but $40 for PS2; the reviewer thought the latter to be poor value for money, while the PC version, at half the cost, was acceptable.

GameSpot rated the PC version 7.5 out of 10 and the PS2 version 6.5 out of 10.