Lego 2K Drive Review – A Half-Assembled Ride

Lego has always been about exploring possibilities and it seems those in charge of the franchise are looking to do just that in regards to video games. For years Lego games were dominated by the various licensed open-world beat ‘em ups from developer TT Games, and while those aren’t going away, other publishers and developers are now being allowed to join in on the fun. Lego and 2K Games have announced a new “multi-title partnership,” with the first result of the deal being Lego 2K Drive, a new racing game coming from NBA 2K and WWE 2K developer Visual Concepts.

Lego 2K Drive is certainly a logical product given the vast number of vehicle-based Lego sets on the market, but have Visual Concepts built a competitive racer? Or does the game never get out of first gear? Time to piece together whether this one is worth your time…

Lego 2K Drive does feature a real, albeit simple, story, told in typical Lego tongue-in-cheek style. Your goal is become the best racer in Bricklandia by overcoming the villainous Shadow Z and winning the Sky Cup. Initially, you’re dumped into Turbo Acres, where you’re taught the tricks of the trade by grizzled veteran Clutch Racington, but beyond that, you’re given a fair amount of freedom. You can jump directly into individual races or Mario-Kart-style cups from the main menu, but Story mode, which involves exploring various sandbox-style maps and taking on a series of distinctive rivals, is the main event.

The game’s driving mechanics are relatively straightforward. Cars are easy to maneuver and drifting is a simple matter of holding down a single button, making it even more accessible than something like Mario Kart. The game’s core gimmick is that your ride will instantly change from a regular car to an offroad vehicle or watercraft, depending on what type of terrain you’re traveling over. You can even unlock limited-use jetpacks that can be activated by driving over specific icons, although, sadly, you don’t get to pilot any true aircraft. That one limitation aside, vehicle transformation is a pretty neat trick and feels completely seamless. Clearly, Lego 2K Drive’s mechanics are meant to appeal to younger and less experienced players, but driving feels satisfying and speedy, particularly once you level up to B or A class (the equivalent of 100cc and 150cc racing in Mario Kart).

Lego 2K Drive isn’t exactly Forza Horizon, but it still serves up some pretty respectable sandboxes. The game’s maps aren’t huge – most can be driven across in bit over a minute if you’re going flat-out – but they’re well laid out and look quite nice. Ranging from the dusty desert-themed Big Butte to the spooky Hauntsborough, each map has its own unique look, and is packed with fun little touches. The Lego theme is carried strongly throughout, as even objects and landmarks that aren’t actually made of the trademark bricks typically have a distinctive blocky appearance. While Lego 2K Drive doesn’t offer much in the way of visual options on the PS5, the game maintains a consistent-feeling 60fps without many visual blemishes (the rare bit of shadow pop-in is about it).

Even if they’re not that large, Lego 2K Drive’s playgrounds are jam-packed with things to do. Races, challenges, on-the-go events, garages that unlock fast-travel points, and all manner of collectibles dot each map. Challenges run the gamut from quickie tasks like landing a big jump or racing through a mine-filled tunnel, to traditional time trials, to more in-depth scenarios where you might have to protect cows from alien invaders or rescue citizens from killer clowns. Not all of these challenges are created equal, with a few being a bit irritating (one where you have to catch a collection of small fluttering bats comes to mind). For the most part, you can simply avoid tasks you don’t find fun, but the game does occasionally force a challenge on you in order to progress the campaign.

While each of Lego 2K Drive’s sandboxes are fun enough on its own, the game could use more of them. Small tutorial area aside, the game only features three maps – Big Butte, Hauntsborough, and the mountainous Prospecto Valley. Again, these maps are fairly content-rich, but three is an odd number. It feels like something’s missing. Lego 2K Drive is a live-service game, with the developers hinting more maps may come in the future, and it’s hard to shake the feeling something has been held back here.

Ah, but futzing around in Lego 2K Drive’s sandboxes is just part of the experience. Players can also tackle a series of more traditional races against a cast of colorful rivals, with a checkered flag being awarded if you come in first. Earn enough checkered flags and you can enter each map’s Grand Brick Arena – a particularly elaborate race against multiple rivals. Win all the Grand Brick Arena races and it’s off to the Sky Cup, which is essentially Lego 2K Drive’s version of Rainbow Road.

Lego 2K Drive is a surprisingly-solid kart racer. Tracks take full advantage of the game’s different vehicle types, switching multiple times within a single race. Course design is varied, offering a good mix of shorter multi-lap races and point-to-point marathons, and an array of unique themes ranging from a cat-themed track featuring balls of yarn and other kitty trappings to ones designed around alien invaders and giant donuts.  The game’s suite of weapons is also fairly robust, offering explosive mines, homing missiles, a ghost powerup that lets your car pass through obstacles, and more. AI is solid, presenting a decent challenge right up until the final lap without pummeling you with weapons right at the finish line. My main criticism about the kart racing side of Lego 2K Drive is the same one I had about the sandbox levels – there just needs to be more of it. The game boasts 26 tracks at launch, which is less than the 32 Mario Kart 8 had back at its original Wii U launch and far less than the 80 it now sports with DLC.

Everything described thus far can be played co-op with up to five other people online, and contrary to what I was told during my preview session, crossplay-enabled matchmaking is available. Another welcome feature, particularly for parents looking to play with their kids, is local splitscreen co-op, which seems to run at a consistent framerate with only minimal visual drawbacks.

Of course, building is also a key part of Lego 2K Drive. While you can customize existing vehicles, you can also build your own ridiculous rides from scratch. Vehicles can consist of up to 350 individual bricks, allowing for some real monstrosities, although beware, physics do actually affect your creations. Your starting selection of building materials is decent, but unlocking more bits and bobs feels very piecemeal, with races and challenges often rewarding you with only a single new decal or piece of Lego.

And this brings us to perhaps the biggest issue with Lego 2K Drive – progression and monetization. While you do unlock vehicles, minifigs, and new bricks as you play, it’s a bit of a grind and a lot of the most desirable goodies (including a number of vehicles inspired by real-life Lego sets) are locked away in game’s shop, “Unkie’s Emporium.” While you can spend “Brickbux” earned via gameplay in the store, prices are exorbitant. After completing the full Lego 2K Drive campaign I found myself with around $35,000 Brickbux, which is only enough to buy three lower-priced vehicles and maybe a minifig (some of the higher-priced rides can cost up to $20,000). As you would expect, you can top up your amount of in-game currency by spending real money. A series of “Drive Passes” will also be offered, with players being able to shell out for premium versions with better rewards.

Needless to say, this all feels more than a little tacky in a game so clearly aimed at kids. Unkie’s Emporium even has a cute monkey mascot seemingly designed to draw young players’ attention. Granted, the store is inaccessible unless you sign up for a 2K Account and then register it with the game. This acts as crude sort of parental control, but it’s far from ideal. Co-op is also tied to the 2K Account, so what if a parent wants to play online, but also keep their child out of the store? And let’s be honest, a kid doesn’t have to be all that old or savvy to figure out how to sign up for a 2K Account and use the payment method on file with your PS5. Even if you overlook the “think of the children” angle, Lego 2K Drive’s store is out of place and overpriced. It’s not okay to exploit adults, either!

Too often, it feels like Lego 2K Drive is operating at half speed. Sure, you get a solid 10-hour campaign and can spend quite a bit longer than that rounding up every challenge and collectible, but the game could have been something more. It could have been a true celebration of Lego’s long history of racing and vehicle-themed sets. Instead, we get a solid kart racer and sandbox driving game that comes off as cynical more than it should. Maybe Lego 2K Drive will become a successful new live-service platform, but I’m not entirely convinced it will keep rolling long enough to reach its full potential.

This review was based on a PS5 copy of Lego 2K Drive provided by publisher 2K Games.

Lego 2K Drive

Lego 2K Drive is a nicely-polished ride, offering up unexpectedly-intense kart-racing action and a handful of diverting sandbox stages to explore. Unfortunately, the game is also a bit light on content and its aggressive microtransactions may make parents looking for something light to play with their kids pump the brakes. Lego 2K Drive is still worth considering, particularly once it goes on sale, but it feels like it’s a few bricks short of what it could have been.

Buy for $69.99 from Amazon

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