Lego Racers 2

"A nice kart racing game. The best one on PC IMO"

This game is a nice sequel to the entertaining kart racing game, Lego Racers. This has a variety of new features and is overall a good and well balanced sequel. It is fun and runs a lot smoother, but takes a much more powerful computer to run. It is much the same concept as Lego Racers, in that you have to go through a series or grand prix races and contests while competing against rivals and defeating boss races to earn trophies.

Gameplay: 8/10
For a kart racing game, it doesn't get much better than this. The tracks are very well done to the point where they aren't just driving around in a circle, but they aren't really challenging either. There are quite a few secrets to unlock and several different modes you can play in ranging from Single Player Adventure Mode, to Multiplayer Versus Mode, to Single player Race Mode. All of which have many secrets and surprises just waiting to be found. The tracks are very colorful and creative as well as the cars, and you actually can build your own Lego car and race with it! Now I don't know many kids that didn't play with Legos growing up, and it is kind of neat to finally live out your childhood fantasy of building a Lego car and racing it! >_> What?! I'm not the only person to have these aspirations! Just ask like...Random other person! While racing you can get a large variety of Powerups that will grant you defensive or offensive powers or weapons! You can open a vortex, shoot the other person and much more! The only gripe I have is that the controls could use a bit of work. this game is a game pad type game and doesn't play as well as it could on the keyboard.

Story: 8/10
For a racing game, the story is awesome. Most racing games have little or no plot involved in them besides you racing to win money to unlock more tracks and cars. While you do race to win the adventure mode here has a very good story line that plays like an action/rpg cross, all from the seat of a vehicle! You have to go through many colorful and well-designed Lego worlds and interact with many characters in Lego-land everywhere from the Wild West to the future in deep space!

Graphics:7/10
The graphics in this game are good. From the effects of the weapons and the care effects, to the lighting and racetrack hazards, it is all animated very well. there are a few issues such as you can sidle up to a tree and clip through it, but that is about the extent of visual problems. The textures are good and the whole game is just graphically pleasing!

Sound: 9/10
Awesome! The sound here is very fitting, not only for a Lego game, but for a kart game. The Powerups tend to make cool sounds when they are used, and the tires even screech hen you slide out of control! Talk about neat huh? Real live cool sounds! You even get to hear your bricks being ripped apart when you drive into a pit of lava! I don't know exactly how that works but it's fun!

Replay value: 7/10
It has good replay value, and the multiplayer doesn't hurt that at all. Kart racing games are really fun to play and this is one of the good ones. Not quite Mario Kart, but close! If you have a good friend to play with you will probably find yourself playing with this for quite a while!

Summary: 8/10
I would give this game a definite Play status. There are many other better games out there, but this one is good for those days where you are stuck in the house on a rainy day and can't take another second of Halo. Whether you choose to rent or buy doesn't mater as they both cost about the same, but it is a good game to lay away for a bored day!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/05/04