When was the last time you played a LEGO video game and came away having not enjoyed it? I’ll answer for you: never. Well, get ready LEGO fans because there’s a new game in town and it’s called 2K LEGO Drive, the first game in a multi-title partnership with 2K Games.
Developed by Visual Concepts, the goal is to make the “Ultimate AAA driving game”, and after around three hours playing an early version of Drive, we’re happy to tell you that it continues the long line of LEGO games in being pretty darn good. Let’s be honest, LEGO never really misses, does it?
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The iconic LEGO Racers was released almost 24 years ago now in 1999, and many look back on that gem with nostalgic pride. 2K LEGO Drive brings that game into the modern era and there are loads of features to shout about.
There’s a story mode that features four distinct biomes (basically worlds that you fast travel between), each with their own missions, side-quests, mini-games, collectibles and more. There’s so much to do that it’s fun to just drive around the open-zone areas for a while, crashing into everything you see and leaving a trail of LEGO blocks in your wake. If you were to say this is a LEGO version of Forza Horizon, you wouldn't be far off.
Everything in 2K LEGO Drive can be played alone or with friends, online or split-screen. Like almost every game, it’s probably more fun with friends but having the option to seamlessly switch between six-player multiplayer and singleplayer is an awesome feature. One of my favourite parts of our hands-on session was battling it out against other journalists in a multiplayer race series that plays out very similarly to a Mario Kart tournament. It’s great fun for all involved and feels fairly accessible too, with simple controls and entertaining power-ups.
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There always seems to be just one more race or one more shiny item enticing you in the distance. From my short session with the game, it really feels like Drive could be a game that the younger generation will play until their thumbs are sore. That’s not to say older gamers won’t enjoy the racing game as well though. In the room we, a dozen British adults, were all grinning from ear to ear.
You can change your character or vehicles at any time by using the game’s user-friendly menus. Yes, that’s right, multiple vehicles. When going from driving on a road to a more mountainous terrain, your car will automatically switch to an off-road motor. The same happens when venturing into water; surprise you’re now driving a boat. Pretty cool.
The garage is where you can fully customise your vehicles. You start off with around 1,000 different blocks that can be used to design anything from your wildest dreams. I built an absolute abomination that would fail an MOT in an instant but I can’t wait to see what the community makes in the coming months.
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Mark your calendars because 2K LEGO Drive is coming on 19 May on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch & PC.