LEGO 2K Drive Overview (PS5)

LEGO 2K Drive is so almost there. This vibrant arcade racing title makes nice use of its licence, and has laid down a fantastic basis for enjoyable, chaotic driving. Nonetheless, for as a lot because the LEGO model brings to a sport like this, writer 2K Video games clearly noticed greenback indicators over its monetisation potential. The top result’s a brilliant entertaining racer that is considerably stifled by a push for microtransactions.

Earlier than we get too far down that rabbit gap, let’s discuss in regards to the positives first, as a result of there are rather a lot. To reiterate, LEGO 2K Drive is an arcade racing sport that makes the a lot of the eponymous model to ship a enjoyable, free-wheeling good time. Its Story mode is the place you may spend most of your time, though you can too play Cup Sequence or single races, and naturally take the motion on-line. There is a good quantity of stuff to do, in different phrases, and that is earlier than we get into the Storage’s spectacular constructing instruments.

So, the Story mode, then. You are solid as a beginner driver, tasked with competing in Bricklandia’s racing championships, which culminate with the Sky Cup Grand Prix — the winner of which might be topped the perfect racer in all of the land. You will rapidly meet buddies and enemies alongside the way in which, and their characterisation is simply as daft and lighthearted as you’d anticipate. Like all LEGO video games, there is a good sense of humour right here that has broad enchantment for gamers of all ages.

Whereas the principle beats of the Story mode are the races themselves, there’s a lot to get pleasure from exterior of these circuits. A complete of 4 sandbox maps provide you with room to drive round as a lot as you want, and it is joyously boundless. Probably impressed by The Crew 2, your automobile will robotically change between road automotive, off-roader, and boat when it goes over totally different terrain varieties, that means you may go mainly wherever. The open world can be full of objects, site visitors, and pedestrians, all of which will be pushed via with no penalty. In actual fact, there are a number of advantages to smashing via these LEGO props: you earn enhance, your automobile will get some well being again, and it feels extremely satisfying.

Every map accommodates its personal set of collectibles to encourage exploration, in addition to quick-fire On-the-Go occasions, quests, and different challenges to maintain you busy. A few of these are obligatory, and whereas they’re by no means as a lot enjoyable as simply racing, it is all fairly inoffensive. There’s nearly sufficient of this aspect content material to justify the sandbox maps, and once more, it is simply enjoyable flying round with no care. Whether or not you are cruising the open world or competing in races, the driving itself is straightforward to understand and extremely pleasurable; huge, meaty drifts cost your enhance meter, whereas a quick-turn and beneficiant soar will let you have respectable manoeuvrability.

While you do get out on a monitor, races really feel extra akin to a kart racer. That is largely resulting from a number of power-ups and weapons you may use Mario Kart-style to clear the way in which to first place. A few of them are fairly customary, like homing rockets and bombs you roll ahead, whereas others are extra imaginative. The ghost energy is an evasive instrument that may be rapidly was an offensive one, whereas the teleport seems like a throwback to LEGO Racers on PS1.

You possibly can swap your set of automobiles for others that you’ve got unlocked, they usually all have distinctive stat bonuses and weights that have an effect on how they deal with. On prime of that, a Perks system permits you to apply numerous passive results. It is nothing too difficult, and truthfully does not really feel all that essential in a sport like this, however we’re certain some will respect the slight further depth.

When you do not fancy any of the pre-built automobiles, you can also make your individual with a severely strong construct mode. Within the Storage, you may select an axel from which to construct, and after that, the sky is the restrict. There are tons of of LEGO bricks and items to select from, and also you lay them down wherever you need, one by one. You possibly can change the colors of every piece and apply particular results, then equip it and drive all of it you need. When you like, you can too construct these automobiles you’ve got unlocked with step-by-step directions, once more all utilizing real-world LEGO items. The digicam management on this mode could make constructing a bit of fiddly, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a really spectacular toolkit total.

The one actual draw back is that you simply at the moment cannot share your creations on-line, which looks like an enormous missed alternative. It signifies that those that aren’t inclined to construct new automobiles and boats will as an alternative must depend on unlocks or head to Unkie’s Emporium, the in-game retailer the place you may spend your hard-earned money.

Rewarded for profitable races, discovering new occasions, and beating challenges, Brickbux is the principle foreign money in LEGO 2K Drive, and it is utilized in Unkie’s Emporium to buy new automobiles, drivers, and even LEGO items for the construct mode. This appears nice at first, however the price at which you earn Brickbux is pretty sluggish — particularly on-line, the place a primary place end result nets you a whopping 5 Brickbux. New construct items usually value 4,000 every, whereas characters are normally 6,000, and automobiles are largely 10,000. After taking part in for 15 hours or so, we have accrued about 25,000 Brickbux.

Clearly, this sluggish supply of foreign money is pushing you in direction of microtransactions. You should purchase bulk quantities of Cash, which might then be transformed into Brickbux. 500 of them, which prices £4.49, transfers to 10,000 Brickbux. So, a couple of fiver for a mean in-game automobile, when you do not need to grind Story mode races. You do get Cash as a part of the premium Drive Go seasons, however entry to those clearly prices real-world cash too. All of it feels fairly icky, particularly in a sport geared predominantly in direction of kids. If the stability is tweaked to allow you to earn extra Brickbux via common play, that may go some method to fixing this subject, however proper now the entire thing’s a bit a lot.

It is a disgrace, as a result of as talked about, the core sport has rather a lot to supply. LEGO followers will love the creation mode, whereas there’s a lot to get pleasure from in regards to the racing itself in addition to the open world design, easy as it’s. When you can look previous the microtransaction stuff and simply concentrate on the enjoyable, you may have a blast — however the sluggish payout of foreign money (and the very fact the sport prices as much as £60/$70 to start with) makes the in-game retailer onerous to disregard.

Conclusion

Whether or not you are a fan of LEGO, arcade racing, or each, this sport comes extremely really helpful from us, with the unlucky caveat that it additionally options fairly aggressive monetisation. Tactile open worlds have an honest quantity to find, the Story mode strikes the proper tone, and the driving itself is nice enjoyable. On prime of all that, a powerful construct mode permits you to make your individual loopy automobiles, although it is a disgrace you may’t share them along with your friends. Sadly, the microtransactions are onerous to disregard, they usually drag down what’s in any other case a inventive and interesting racer.