Drome Racers

''Drome Racers'' is a Lego racing video game developed by Attention to Detail and published by Electronic Arts and Lego Interactive. It was released in 2002, for PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows, and later ported to GameCube. A spin-off was also released for Game Boy Advance, which was published by THQ. It is the third Lego racing game, released a year after '' Lego Racers 2'', which was also developed by Attention to Detail.

Gameplay and plot

Set in the year 2015, Drome Racers is a combination of racing gameplay with the Lego license, offering vehicles based upon the 2002 Lego construction toys. Career mode puts the player in the role of Max Axel, who is tasked with winning the coveted Drome Championship. To do so, he must work his way through the ranks by completing a number of Multi-Challenge Races; a series of races in which the completion time in one round is carried over to the next. For example, if Max finished three seconds behind in the last race, the leader is awarded a three-second head start in the next. The overall winner is the first to cross the finish line in the final race of the series. Preceding each Multi-Challenge series is a qualifying drag race, where victory is determined by a good start and proper gear-shifting.

Max Axel is aided by other such Team Nitro members as Shicane who handles car upgrades, and Rocket, who gives advice. The winnings can be put toward building a new car or upgrading the existing one. The former allows players to select the wheels, chassis, and body type of the new vehicle, each of which is suited to specific conditions and environments. The latter offers five level upgrades in categories, such as engine, aerodynamics, turbo, armor, and tires. Weapons also play a vital role. The arcade mode presents players with Normal or Time Attack racing through a variety of courses, weather conditions, and routes. The Quick Race option allows for instant action by randomly selecting any pertinent variables, including cars and tracks, for either one or two players.

The GameCube version features several enhancements, including an extra power-up that was not in the other versions and a 2-Player Battle Mode, where the goal is to destroy the other player's car with power-ups (Though there are variants such as keeping a flag the longest without getting hit). The Battle Mode uses a unique car that cannot be used in normal races and takes place in several special arenas loosely based on the game's tracks (Such as the City Arena which is based on the Foundry track).

Reception

''Drome Racers'' received "mixed or average" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Most critics voiced that the gameplay was mediocre, with Ryan Davis of ''GameSpot'' saying of the PC version, "What little originality it has, like the qualifying drag races, is seriously underplayed, and most of the experience comes off as generic." A positive review of the same PC version by ''GameZone''s Ovaldog reads, "It has quite a bit to offer and is a blast to play." ''Nintendo Power'' gave the GameCube version a mixed review, months before it was released Stateside.

The Game Boy Advance conversion of ''Drome Racers'' scored slightly higher than its PC and console counterparts. ''GameSpot''s Frank Provo said, "''Drome Racers'' is the most technically impressive racing game to hit the ame Boy Advance
{{redirect category shell, ...