When 2K first introduced its open world racer based mostly on all issues LEGO, we have been a bit confused by the title. Sure, LEGO 2K Drive sounds positive as a title, however given the historical past of ‘LEGO Racers’ as a toy line and a online game collection, we thought it’d make extra sense to drag from that effectively and return with a LEGO Racers sequel. As it seems, ‘LEGO 2K Drive’ makes excellent sense as a result of this new open world affair shines brightest when it pulls you off the rostrum and grants you the liberty of the open brick street.
Feeling very impressed by Forza Horizon‘s current forays into Hot Wheels and LEGO Speed Champions, LEGO 2K Drive is a racing recreation that adopts the construction of Xbox’s racing subseries however goes all-in on the household pleasant LEGO angle. You’ll be cruising round a set of 4 small open world locales racing, leaping and drifting about – and it is on this selection the place LEGO 2K Drive excels. It could not comprise the sheer breadth of content material from a modern-day Forza Horizon recreation, however it completely takes benefit of an analogous philosophy in offering the participant with loads to do exterior of racing. At one level we have been rounding up blue pigs to be ushered into their pen, and it is absurd aspect missions like these the place we had essentially the most enjoyable.
Of course, there’s a racing-focused important marketing campaign in LEGO 2K Drive that took us about 10 hours-or-so to blast via. The racing right here is extra Mario Kart than Forza, including powerups, enhance pads and high-octane shortcuts into the combination. We will say that the racing is maybe a bit chaotic — at instances it simply felt like we flew over the end line with no actual clue how we received there — however it’s enjoyable and it does the job. In typical LEGO trend the races usually add some vibrant ‘Rival’ racers to beat that then feed into the marketing campaign’s ‘story’, and whereas nothing particular, they did add a bit spice once they cropped up.
Overall, that story marketing campaign may be very household targeted and when you’re lower than pace with LEGO video games generally it could really feel a bit jarring at first. Expect to see loads of tutorials within the opening hours, and it does really feel such as you’re being advised what to do maybe a bit an excessive amount of. We discover this tough to knock given the audience although, and as soon as the primary marketing campaign will get going and you have performed most occasion varieties the overbearing nature of issues does take a backseat. This household pleasant model carries over to the characters as effectively – prepare for loads of slapstick humour and foolish feedback all through your LEGO 2K Drive journey.
As you’d in all probability anticipate for LEGO, the sport does function a constructing component. Once you have got just a few occasions underneath your belt and start unlocking numerous bits and items, you may be launched to the ‘Body Shop’ the place you can begin constructing and customising your personal experience. We should admit we did not dabble with this an excessive amount of — we sometimes moved via the autos that you just unlock because the marketing campaign progresses — however the function is certainly distinguished for the extra creative-focused gamers on the market. You can take a base car and construct on it brick-by-brick, including color choices and modifiers as you go.
The car choices are fairly wild in 2K Drive usually, and we positively appreciated the variability on provide even exterior of this Body Shop constructing function. You’ll see the whole lot from precise licensed McLaren automobiles to monster vehicles, creepy spider rides and the whole lot in-between throughout your marketing campaign playthrough. Vehicles are cut up into Road automobiles, Off Road rides and Boats, they usually change on the fly as you drive and race round. If you have ever performed The Crew 2 there is a very comparable function right here – the place the sport dynamically switches car kind relying on the terrain you are driving on.
The 4 open world maps all function an analogous mixture of terrain varieties so when you’re cruising round and hopping into actions as you run into them you may be doing loads of driving in all car varieties. It’s job all of them really feel fairly good to drive in, then – the motion in LEGO 2K Drive is what we would describe as ‘rapid’ and the sport does not shrink back from going quick just about as quickly as you get out onto the open street. Again, this will really feel a bit mad at instances inside the restricted race routes, however out within the open world it is superb enjoyable.
It is a little bit of a disgrace although that basically, all 4 worlds are very comparable. The aesthetic is what units them aside, however street layouts, terrain varieties and normal driving move all feels very comparable in every space. We dug ‘Prospecto Valley’ essentially the most because it simply offered the very best wanting playground to cruise round in, with a number of lush inexperienced hills and crisp blue rivers to go loopy on and splash about in.
Thankfully, what you truly rise up to in every space makes up for the shortage of structure selection. You can race in fact, however as we have talked about, the aspect content material is simply as enjoyable – if no more so. Side missions like defending mills from attacking robots, rounding up pigs for a farmer, and selecting up fellow LEGO of us who’re making an attempt to flee hostile cities are simply a few of what you possibly can rise up to in 2K Drive, and we’ve got a sense this kind of stuff will add some much-needed shelf life for gamers past its linear racing marketing campaign.
We say ‘much-needed’ as a result of if there’s one facet of LEGO 2K Drive that we’re a bit down on — exterior of the distinctly common races that are outshone by the open world aspect missions — it is that the sport simply feels a bit ‘funds’ for one thing that prices £60 minimal on Xbox. There aren’t many cutscenes, the menus all look a bit ‘low-cost’ and have that free-to-play really feel, and the 10-hour important marketing campaign is a bit brief for a racing recreation. We did not encounter any actual glitches or hiccups in any respect which is sweet, however yeah, LEGO 2K Drive feels considerably ‘AA’ for a £60 launch.
We performed via the sport on Xbox Series X and efficiency was rock stable. You’re getting 60FPS all through (which additionally appears to be the case on Series S), and a few good colourful visuals to match. LEGO 2K Drive is not the crispest recreation we have ever locked eyes on — it definitely does not look native 4K until some visible have an effect on is hurting the picture — however it appears to be like positive and the body charge is actually a very powerful facet right here.
Conclusion
LEGO 2K Drive is at its greatest when it focuses on the final phrase of its title – driving round and collaborating in wild and wacky aspect missions as you run into them is one of the simplest ways to sort out this open world racer. The precise racing lets it down a contact, and we expect the sport is a bit expensive for its presentation ranges, however that is nonetheless a enjoyable and diverse affair for all of the household. If you are itching for a bonkers LEGO-themed tackle Forza Horizon this beautiful a lot nails it, simply do not anticipate the identical ranges of AAA sheen as you’d get from the Xbox unique collection.
