I’m not a fan of racing games. I have a driver’s license, but I belong to that sad group of people who took exams as a child at the insistence of their parents and never learned to drive. I don’t understand the “innards” of cars, and when the game asks me to think about changing the brakes, I sigh and turn it off. However, the LEGO 2K Drive is easy to understand, has nice controls, and is not just for lost cases like me.
In recent years, countless LEGO licensed games have been released, often set in some sort of superhero or space world. TT Games studio does not plan to dwell on them, but in addition to it, 2K also smelled the well-known cubic brand and presented the first part: a racing game. LEGO 2K Drive is due out on May 19 this year and I had the opportunity to try out the game at the company’s headquarters in London.
Just a few minutes with a gamepad or mouse in hand, and you will understand the basic principles. The core should be a story campaign, which is not at all sophisticated: defeat other racers and get a shiny cup. At the very beginning, you will be joined by an experienced Clutch Racington racer who will explain a few basic rules – how to turn, drift or even set traps.
Car – SUV – boat
Nevertheless, we quickly got from the tutorial to the first world of four (later the developers said that they were planning at least the fifth). The desert area called Big Butte is inhabited by cowboys, but you can also find a modern city or a river running through the canyon.
Just like in other worlds that I didn’t get to in the three hours of play, here you will also face several rivals and side activities. But the main thing is racing. This brings two great features: First, your car changes depending on where you drive. You are driving a regular car down the road, but as soon as you hit the dirt surface, the car naturally transforms into an SUV. Even water is not a problem, because bones are thrown around your hero again and here is a motorboat.
Secondly, the game encourages hacking. The race track is clearly marked, but if you can’t get around a tree on the side of the road, no problem. On the contrary – crash into various obstacles, which breaks them into LEGO bricks, replenishes health and helps in the construction boost. As in other similar games, it has certain limitations, but is generally friendly.
Drift is also important here, which seemed to me easier compared to other arcade races. And traps. Like in Mario Kart, along the way you collect various power-ups that, when activated, launch a rocket or web and slow down your opponent.
However, in order to challenge another competitor, the player must also perform a side action or challenge from time to time, as this is how they gain experience and level up. Some of them are more difficult, such as passing through the city, where you must not crash into anything or anyone, otherwise your time will be added. In addition to the correct car explosion at the target, it is very easy.
I can imagine players spending many hours in the garage.
In LEGO 2K Drive, separate worlds are open – the player can choose where he wants to go. And if you are not interested in racing, you can just play pranks and interact with passing minor characters. On the map, you will also come across garages where you can change the look of your car, or where you can assemble a car or even a boat from parts. This is where the creativity really kicks in, as you can even build a mobile hamburger, as seen in the attached photo. In my case, the situation was more hopeless – I placed a bizarre green flame on the boat, only to find that I had forgotten a large hole in the floor. But I can imagine players spending many hours in the garage.
There are also Unkie’s Emporium stores around the world, but they weren’t finished at the time of testing, so I didn’t visit them. They will be able to purchase various car skins or figurines, which can be exchanged for currency earned during the races. As will be with purchases for real money, the developers did not specify. However, they have indicated that they somehow appear in the game. The press release also indicates that there will be some kind of Drive Pass in the future, and the studio expects to release the DLC if successful. But I can’t rate it yet.
family game candidate
In addition to the main plot, I also tried the races themselves in different thematic environments, for example among ghosts. Styling and colorful, but rather nice graphics are clearly designed more for children, and the game is not very difficult. But I can imagine that among adults it will be appreciated by fans of LEGO bricks or gamers who are looking for something simple in the evening after work. Or parents with kids, the game will also offer local split-screen co-op for up to two players, or online multiplayer for up to six players.
The name behind Visual Concepts, famous for the NBA and WWE sports series, definitely doesn’t offer more challenging racing. But it could become a popular family game if they treat it well or limit real money purchases. With metahumor teetering on the brink of awkwardness, the LEGO animated movie feels like a story. And exactly something like this can come in handy when you have a free hour and you just want to relax.
The game will be released on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), Nintendo Switch, and past and current generations of PlayStation and Xbox consoles. On the current standard version it will cost $70, otherwise it will be ten dollars cheaper. More expensive packages will also be available, in which you will find the mentioned Drive Pass.
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Source :Indian TV
