I remember whenThe Lego Moviefirst came out in theaters, bringing the earworm of a track “Everything Is Awesome” into my general subconscious. No matter where I went and what I did, I couldn’t shake that silly little track from my head. However, it’s been years since I’ve even really thought about that song or the collective damage it likely did to my brain. That is until I booted upLego 2K Drivefor the first time, and my mind was instantly flooded with the nostalgia of yesteryear, alongside an instant rush of serotonin hitting my veins.
From its reveal up until its release, it was hard to contain my excitement forLego 2K Drive. This first partnership project betweenThe Lego Groupand2K Gameslooked stunning in its trailer, and it looks just the same on my screen. My eyes were filled with bright colors flashing by at the speed of sound, and tight controls helped the driving action feel as responsive as I could have dreamed. Everything was great, thankfully, until I started to notice some of the bricks lifting, compromising the quality of the build.
The Lego Racers Successor We Needed
From an early age, I was always in love withLegosand would do anything I could to be enveloped in the world that they brought forward. No matter if it was playing with them physically, designing massive sculptures that would normally be toppled over by my older brother, or interacting with differentLego video games, I couldn’t get enough of the property.
WhenLego Racerscame onto the scene in1999, I was starstruck. This was everything I ever wanted in a video game. For the time, it had unrivaled character customization, which looks paltry and anemic by today’s standards, and customizable vehicles. But to me, this was my comfort game, my favorite thing on the market and I couldn’t get enough.
After being treated to the admittedly dorky but humorous introduction, I was almost immediately thrust into the driver’s seat of a shiny red convertible, learning how to rule the road. And let me tell you, it feltamazing. While the world ofLego Racershasn’t aged as well as I would have liked it to have,Lego 2K Driveis something that will stand the test of time a bit better than its predecessors did.
No matter what type of terrain you are on, vehicles handle like a dream. While the drifting system does take a little time to get used to, you’ll find yourself nailing hairpin turns without second-guessing yourself quickly. Pair this with multiple biomes full of destructible environments, and you’ve got yourself the perfect afternoon of debauchery. A flood of nostalgia instantly hit my brain, and it felt like I was transported back into my childhood in the best way possible.
When engaging in my first race, things immediately felt tense. I found myself at the back of the pack, dodging power-ups while blasting other racers with special items of my own. The streets roar with the sound of rubber on the tarmac, and the sound of exhaust booming into my ears. Even thecatch-up, orrubber banding, is fine-tuned to perfection, letting you catch up if you’re too far behind, or keeping your enemies close right before a photo finish. The racing on show here is some of the most impressive I’ve seen in years, so kudos to the development team to make even the most basic of races exciting.
A little side note: for those of you hoping to take to the streets with your fancySim Racing setup, you may be interested in knowing ifLego 2K Driveworks with popular wheels like theLogitech G29. Unfortunately, it doesn’t, so you’ll only need your driving gloves to help you keep a grip on your controller. (It’s me, likely the only person who cares if this game has wheel support.)
Flex Your Brick-Building Skills
While the gameplay stands triumphant, a racing game isn’t anything without a stacked roster of different vehicles that you can take out for a spin. While juggernauts likeForza Horizonmay have access to a plethora of real-world cars, can you drive aHamburgerthrough the streets in that one? I think not, and that’sLego 2K Drive‘s biggest selling point: a free-building car creator. Yes, you canpurchasevehicles, but that’s something we are going to cover a little later in this review. However, one of the most impressive parts about2K Driveis the amount of depth that it brings to the table when creating your dream car.
“Sure, you could stick to the different vehicles that are offered to you through your adventure in the world ofBricklandia, but nothing beats seeing your own custom creation hit the road, the dirt, and the seas.“
Sure, you could stick to the different vehicles that are offered to you through your adventure in the world ofBricklandia, but nothing beats seeing your own custom creation hit the road, the dirt, and the seas. You see, the biggest hook thatLego 2K Drivebrings to the table is the ability to driveanywhereyou set your sights on. While you may not have the ability to take to the air in some sort of plane contraption just yet, if you see a location on the map, you can drive on it.
Another part that helps bring this realization to life is thedestructibility of the environmentsthat you’re in. Smatterings ofLego Brickswill be left in your wake as you plow into fences, vehicles, and just about anything in your way, minus buildings. You still can’t smash those, no matter how large your vehicle is.
The process of swapping your vehicle is easier than it should be and leaves you out of the action for just a few moments at most. Accessing your menu, you can swap into a new vehicle any time you aren’t partaking in a big race, and get right back into the action. You don’t need to stop at aGarageor any other building to swap a vehicle, so the fun never stops. This keeps the action feeling frenetic and exciting, rather than coming to a stop any time you want to take a new vehicle out for a spin.
Multiplayer Is A Blast And A Half
Another portion ofLego 2K Drivethat stands out to me is multiplayer, alongside some general kudos toward the performance of this particular racer. My wife and I are big fans ofMario Kartand have found it hard to find a racing game that we can both enjoy playing together. Be it extreme difficulty, or just general game feel, something doesn’t mesh between our two playstyles. However,Lego 2K Drivemay have found itself in our game night rotation, due to how well things work together.
Due to thearcade-racingnature of2K Drive, it is a rather accessible game to jump right into. No matter if you’re playing through a simultaneous split-screenCareer Mode, or just want to play around in a few of the differentracesthat are readily available, jumping right into the action is simple, effective, and most importantly, fun as hell. We both found ourselves grinning, even if I was going around the map trying to accomplishOn The Gomissions while she was just slamming into things to watch the bricks go flying. Besides general races, you can do what you want, when you want to.
There aren’t any compromises when you’re jumping into theMultiplayermode, either. You’ll still be able to see the smallest details, such as the small bumps on the glass of buildings, and countless bricks flying through the air when you smash into the environment. It’s a beautiful game both inSingle Player, alongside theMultiplayerofferings.
At least onPlayStation 5, the performance is extremely good. During both single-player and multiplayer sessions, I can’t recall a single moment of slowdown, which is extremely important in a fast-paced twitchy racer like this. A rock-solid60 FPSkeeps the action intense, but still light-hearted when it comes down to it. This is a perfect example of how to make a racer look and play amazingly well, and it is optimized to make sure it isn’t eating up half of your hard drive.
Some Scuffs Ruin An Excellent Presentation
Now comes the bad news.Lego 2K Drivehas one massive flaw that can make or break the experience for a large audience of players, and that’s the sheer number ofMicrotransactionsavailable in this game. It’s a2K Game, did we expect any differently? It’s a shame because this could have been the perfect game to jump into a quick race online, but I can already see the online portion being dominated by players that aren’t afraid to whip out a credit card and get some extra vehicles.
“The biggest problem is, vehicles start at10,000 Cash. You’re going to need to grind races forhoursto achieve this sort of money, but why do that when you can drop$5and get the cash you need to get some of the most overpowered vehicles available?”
See, as you progress through theCareer Mode, you’ll earnCashthat you can use to purchase new vehicles, drivers, and items for your custom creations. The biggest problem is, vehicles start at10,000 Cash. You’re going to need to grind races forhoursto achieve this sort of money, but why do that when you can drop$5and get the cash you need to get some of the most overpowered vehicles available?
Using the popular and familiar method of arotating shopof goodies, you’ll need to hop onto2KDriveat least once a week to see if any new items could disrupt the current Meta of great cars. Yes, it’s anarcade racer, but if you’re hoping to win a few online races, you’ll need to either create an excellent custom car or drop the cash and buy something that has+8 Speed.
Alongside a rotating shop, there are differentPassesavailable for purchase that will give players willing to throw down a few bucks more access to a variety ofvehicles, coins, and more. This can ramp the already expensive purchase up to a new level and can ruin the fun for players trying to keep it as inexpensive as possible. Sure, as mentioned above, you can grind for a while and get that cash, but the paltry amounts you win after races are not going to get you close to your goal any time soon. Seeing the shop is like stepping on a LEGO: it hurts at first, but you just kind of deal with it for a while afterward.
The only other major complaint I can bring to the table is the lack of atrack editor. You would think in a game such as this, you would be able to jump in and create your own massive tracks full of the most daring stunts around, but maybe that will be introduced in the future. Unfortunately, likely as paid DLC.
Lego 2K Driveis a near-perfect arcade racer that will have nostalgic fans, such as myself, finding it nearly impossible to tear themselves away from the screen. With humorous writing that will have your sides in stitches, to the bombastic races that challenge you to think outside of the box a bit, this is a title worth diving into, even if predatory microtransactions can ruin some of the experience. No matter if this is your first foray into the world of arcade driving, or if you’ve been playing since the early days of Lego history, it’s hard to deny thatLego 2K Driveis anything less than fantastic.
A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for review. Reviewed on PS5
Shaun Cichacki
As a fan of RPGs, Action & Retro titles, Shaun has been gaming since he was a young boy. With an overwhelming obsession involving Metal Gear Solid and Pizza Tower, you know you’re in for a wild ride when it comes to things he’s writing about.
