LEGO has an expansive back catalog of video games. While LEGO’s vast library of licensed games is filled with memorable classics likeLEGO Star Wars,LEGO Batman, andLEGO Marvel Superheroes,LEGO’s non-licensed historydeserves to be remembered just as fondly, with titles likeLEGOLAND,LEGO City Undercover, and of course,LEGO Racersall being surprisingly excellent family-friendly ventures. And if there’s one game that can tip the scales in non-licensed LEGO’s favor, it’s the newly announcedLEGO 2K Drive.
Just announced,LEGO 2K Drivewill put players behind a brick-built wheel once more. Being developed by Visual Concepts, the same studio behindthe latestWWE 2Kgames,LEGO 2K Driveseems in good hands, with the announcement trailer containing a ton of fun Easter eggs and references to both new and classic LEGO sets. And those references aren’t the only bit of LEGO historyLEGO 2K Driveis borrowing from, with a few features looking a little similar to those found inLEGO Racers 2.
RELATED:LEGO 2K Drive Creative Director Talks Meta Story and In-Game Rivals
LEGO 2K Drive Is Taking the Best Elements of the LEGO Racers Series
Launched in 1999,LEGO Racerswas a simple, chaotic take on the kart racing genre, borrowing heavily fromtheMario Kartseriesfor its gameplay, but giving the genre its own unique, charming, and definitive LEGO twist. A few years later, in 2001, a sequel aptly namedLEGO Racers 2launched. For the most part,LEGO Racers 2borrowed a lot of gameplay elements from its predecessor, withMario Kart-like tracks, items, and unique karts. However, there were a handful of features either wholly new toLEGO Racers 2or significantly improved upon.
The main selling point ofLEGO Racers 2is its open-world approach. Now, modern-day fans expecting to see an array ofUbisoft-brand watchtowersand a million icons on a mini-map will be disappointed, butLEGO Racers 2’s open-world was novel for the time, allowing a level of player-freedom that really wasn’t present that often in gaming, especially in the family-friendly genre. Players could drive freely around several hub-worlds, each one being based on a distinct retro LEGO theme like LEGO Dino, LEGO City, and LEGO Life on Mars.
The other big standout feature ofLEGO Racers 2was its car customization mechanic. While this feature was present in the originalLEGO Racers, it was fleshed out a little more in the sequel. Though it’s a little restricting,LEGO Racers 2’s customization feature let players construct their very own vehicles from scratch, using an array of real-world LEGO bricks and pieces to make their vehicle their own. As players progressed through the game, completing each tournament, they’d be rewarded with new blocks based on that particular biome. It seems as thoughLEGO 2K Driveis taking all the right lessons fromLEGO Racers 2, as its announcement trailer showed both an open-world feature and a car customization mechanic, both of which have seemingly been greatly expanded upon.
According totheLEGO 2K Drivepreviews, the game will feature at least four different biomes, including Turbo Acres, Prospecto Valley, Hauntsborough, and the fiendishly-named Big Butte County. UnlikeLEGO Racers 2, however, these biomes will actually be filled to the brim with things to do, including single-player and multiplayer races, and a plethora of side quests ranging from crashing into objects to delivering some flowers to a LEGO citizen.LEGO 2K Drivealso seems to be going all-in on its car building and customization mechanics, apparently letting players construct just about anything they can think of, just as long as it has a motor or wheels.
LEGO 2K Drivereleases on May 19 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
