LEGO Racers on the N64 is a nostalgic blast of blocky goodness! Building your own custom cars is way more fun than you might remember, and the tracks based on classic LEGO themes are charming. Sure, the AI can be brutal, and the controls are kinda wonky, but it captures that childhood joy of racing your LEGO creations. It won't blow you away now, but if you have fond memories of this one, it's worth revisiting.
To this day, I will claim that LEGO Racers was my idea whenever it comes up. It was 1997, Mario Kart 64 had just come out and I was obsessed with LEGO. So I conceptualized a LEGO racing game. I drew the karts, the characters, everything. Back in the day, you could call the Nintendo Power Hotline and talk to a person for like tips, or just any random nonsense. So what did I do? I called them. I called them and spoke to a Nintendo Power Hotline agent for like 20 minutes about my game idea. Bless that woman for entertaining the ravings of a 7-year-old. 2 years later, LEGO Racers comes out. Coincidence??? Yeah probably but whatever. This game was my idea.
I remember my mum came to pick me up from nursery and when she showed me she bought me a copy of Lego racers I was so happy I hugged her really tight and that is one of my most cherished memories from my childhood. Game fun.
the AI is good enough to feel interesting without feeling cruel. tier 3 boost is still op. Otherwise an adorable racing game that really goes all the way with its theming.
Janky game amazing music fun.
Im not sure I understand why a Lego game that lets you build the various gameplay components is such a rare concept because it unironically elevates Lego Racers way above just the sum of its racing parts.
The powerups in this game are buckwild. Everything else about the game is acceptable and doesn't leave a bad taste in your mouth. I really wish there was more character/kart customization, but it's still more than we got for Lego Island, and the stage designs look really nice.
All that being said, the items in this kart game warp the experience even on a causal playthrough to the point where it's worth checking the game out to see it. We're talking "you can skip 3/4ths of a lap on most courses" devastating. It feels awful to get hit by and items aren't used as a comeback mechanic in the same way they were in something like Mario Kart. Obviously, it doesn't really matter because it's a 25~ year old racing game for children (that can get pretty tough, I needed those powerups), but it does help it stand out from a game design standpoint from its peers.
All that being said, the items in this kart game warp the experience even on a causal playthrough to the point where it's worth checking the game out to see it. We're talking "you can skip 3/4ths of a lap on most courses" devastating. It feels awful to get hit by and items aren't used as a comeback mechanic in the same way they were in something like Mario Kart. Obviously, it doesn't really matter because it's a 25~ year old racing game for children (that can get pretty tough, I needed those powerups), but it does help it stand out from a game design standpoint from its peers.
Dude, fire.
A solid Mario Kart clone
this is a very nice racing game not my favorite but still
best game, ive built a pentium 200 mmx machine just to play this. (it also works on windows 10, but hey)
Another kart racer that I nearly forgot existed. It has some cool ideas, but again just doesn't match the big names on the system.
I was in love with this game when I was young, every time I went home from school to have lunch I played it even if it was only for half an hour, as I had to return to school on the afternoon. Being able to customise my own kart and racer and play with it was WILD to me! The item system was also super original and a lot of fun, with different block colours indicating different types of power-up (red=attack, blue=defense, yellow=backwards trap and green=speed boost), and white tiles used to level up each item to get a more powerful or longer lasting effect. The track design was also amazing, even though they were very short there was at least one shortcut in every single racetrack (except for one), and the shortcuts were different from each other too! Some were in plain sight, others well hidden, some required a red attack item to open the entrance, others a blue defensive item and one of them even required going through a series of gates to enter a colour coded code and open a door! The only issue would be that there's only 13 tracks, so the game ends up being very short, but that was not an impediment for me to spend hours and hours playing it!
All time classic
peak
It's the game that got me into gaming. A simple and charming racer with thematic tracks and buildable cars.
Nostalgia goggles.
But seriously, this game has so much charm, an incredibly intricate power-up system, fun tracks, music that ranges from banger to goofy, sometimes both at the same time, and you can do some (granted, very basic) Kart customization.
This game, along with many other LEGO games like it, defined my childhood, and it would not be a stretch to say this was my first ever proper video game.
But seriously, this game has so much charm, an incredibly intricate power-up system, fun tracks, music that ranges from banger to goofy, sometimes both at the same time, and you can do some (granted, very basic) Kart customization.
This game, along with many other LEGO games like it, defined my childhood, and it would not be a stretch to say this was my first ever proper video game.
Played this and the sequel SOO much as a kid!
One of my favorite LEGO games of my childhood!
Best racing game in existence! They should do a remake.
i take it back, diddy kong racing is not the goat racing game - it's LEGO Racers