Genre: Open-world Racing Game
Developers: Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K Games
Platforms: PC, Xbox, PlayStation
-
IGN
-
Pushsquare
-
Gaming Nexus
-
GamingBolt
-
Pure Xbox
-
GamesRadar
-
WorthPlaying
The long-time developer behind games like WWE and NBA for 2K Games has now been given the reins of an entirely new IP altogether – LEGO. Visual Concepts’ new open-word kart-racer, LEGO 2K Drive, might have sneaked out under the shadow of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but if critics are to believe, it’s not to be missed.
LEGO 2K Drive offers a beautiful open-world made of LEGO bricks, a single-player campaign that’s filled with laughs and gags (and plenty of toilet humour), a vehicle customization feature that lets you create cars from official LEGO bricks, and a fully-fledged split-screen co-op that allows you to race all the modes and mini-games, as well as the entire story campaign.
The big mark against the game seems to be its microtransaction store – a staple in 2K Games published titles – that encourages you to grind till you rub off the paint off your controller or pay vast sums of real-life dollars to purchase anything from the in-game store.
LEGO 2K Drive Review Roundup
Here are some reviews and first-look articles for LEGO 2K Drive from around the web. At the time of publishing this article, the score for this game was 73 at Opencritic and 75 at Metacritic
IGN
One part The Crew 2, one part Mario Kart, and one thousand parts… LEGO parts, LEGO 2K Drive is a wild and whimsical all-ages kart racer that’s buried itself under my skin like the pointed edge of rogue plastic brick underfoot in a messy kid’s bedroom. Better still, it’s one that embraces the total creative freedom real LEGO affords like few games before it, with an incredible custom vehicle creation tool that’s just about worth the price of admission alone.
IGN rating: 8/10
PushSquare
Whether you’re a fan of LEGO, arcade racing, or both, this game comes highly recommended from us, with the unfortunate caveat that it also features pretty aggressive monetisation. Tactile open worlds have a decent amount to discover, the Story mode strikes the perfect tone, and the driving itself is great fun. On top of all that, an impressive build mode lets you make your own crazy cars, though it’s a shame you can’t share them with your pals.
PushSquare rating: 7/10
Gaming Nexus
The racing is addictive, vehicle customization is deep, the world is charming, and there is much to see and do in LEGO 2K Drive. Some minor speed bumps are baked-in, but they cannot stop this otherwise solid racer.
Gaming Nexus rating: 8/10
GamingBolt
Clearly, LEGO 2K Drive is an uneven experience. There’s a lot to like about it, and there’s no denying that at it’s core, it can be legitimately fun. All of that comes with caveats though. While the driving is fun, the races are held back by inconsistent AI. While the open world maps are great to look at and drive around in, the content they’re packed with is not the most compelling. While I like how approachable and charming the game is, it caters to younger audiences so much that it ends up feeling a little shallow.
GamingBolt rating: 6/10
Pure Xbox
LEGO 2K Drive is at its best when it focuses on the last word of its title – driving around and taking part in wild and wacky side missions as you run into them is the best way to tackle this open world racer. The actual racing lets it down a touch, and we think the game is a bit pricey for its presentation levels, but this is still a fun and varied affair for all the family. If you’re itching for a bonkers LEGO-themed take on Forza Horizon this pretty much nails it, just don’t expect the same levels of AAA sheen as you’d get from the Xbox exclusive series.
Pure Xbox rating: 7/10
GamesRadar
Imagine Forza Horizon 5 rebuilt with LEGO and that’s pretty much what you’re getting with LEGO 2K Drive. Visual Concepts has delivered an exemplary open-world racing game that’s family friendly without being too simplistic, and one which works superbly in split-screen co-op.
GamesRadar rating: 4/5
WorthPlaying
LEGO 2K Drive is a fun romp if you know what you’re getting into. The racing is fast and exciting, and the catch-up code seems tuned just right. The open worlds provide a ton to do, and the freeform exploration and destruction makes driving around feel enjoyable. The presence of microtransactions is unsettling to see in the publisher’s non-sports titles. If you can ensure you aren’t tempted to buy new cars due to the paltry reward payouts, you’ll have a very good time with this racing title.
WorthPlaying rating: 7/10
