Having leaked earlier in the week, the announcement came yesterday for LEGO 2K Drive, a racing game featuring that lovely little plastic block. A return to LEGO Racers, except not quite. This new game makes sure to distinguish itself in several ways. Before I talk more on it, though, this is a What I’m Waiting For. And since this is a LEGO Edition, it’s time to look back on the game I’d added to my waiting for list way back in May 2019 during What I’m Waiting For Volume 7.
Of course, back then we didn’t know its name would be LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. We just knew that a LEGO Star Wars game was in the works. I was massively happy when it got announced during Microsoft’s E3 presentation a month later. During the delays across the years until its release, I’d talked about quite a few ideas within articles. You could say that I was hyping myself up too much with expectations that couldn’t be matched, but I was still happy with what arrived.
As per my experiences article, I enjoyed the humour that had been injected into these stories. Though I found some of them short, the levels had a good focus to them in delivering set pieces that couldn’t be handled through the open world. Those open worlds also had a great design to them, feeling just as though you were exploring them from the movies. Playing both the Switch and Xbox Series versions at the same time didn’t affect my enjoyment of the game, either.
All the side quests and collectables found across the twenty planets gave a reason to explore, with plenty more enjoyable writing to find with them. Though there are perhaps too many. TT had packed the game full of references, not only from the Star Wars universe. The Brick Under The Stairs, Better Call Maul, and plenty of other challenge names do raise a smile upon seeing them.
My claim of it being the greatest that TT Games has delivered still holds. But much as I’m always flipping between Sonic Adventure 2, Heroes, and Generations being my best Sonic the Hedgehog game, so too am I here. The Skywalker Saga is a fantastic game, I won’t deny that. My previous number one in LEGO City Undercover is also a fantastic game. Though it might be ten years old, it still holds up as an excellent experience.
Added to the waiting for list, then, is LEGO 2K Drive. Announced yesterday for release 19/May, this open-world racing game brings arcade mechanics and a lot of things to do. The obvious starting point is the vehicle switching. These worlds are full of streets, off-road terrain, and water, with the vehicle you drive automatically transforming into the best vehicle for the job. Since this is a LEGO racer, it wouldn’t feel right if you couldn’t build those vehicles. Well, thankfully Visual Concepts has given the freedom to do just that.
1000 unique bricks at your disposal to design whatever kind of vehicle you want. While it’s likely there will be size limitations (so no driving around in Big Ben or the Spire), there’s still plenty that could be done to create the vehicle or your dreams. Or a spaceship on wheels, as I’m likely to try. Hey, it’s likely the closest I’ll get to putting my designs from Space Race Championship in a game.
Bricklandia is the world we’ll be exploring. A world with four separate biomes, there is said to be plenty on offer across all four in the game’s story mode. A lot of races and other events, there’s plenty of amusing references and jokes that are part of it. Such as the announcers you get as part of that story, Vicki Wheeler and Parker Carr. The end goal of this story is the Sky Trophy, where plenty of rivals and friends will be encountered.
With powerups, drifting, and a boost meter, these mechanics are sure to make the racing and exploring fast and fluid. And the minigames, as that will be a mode of the game along with the racing modes and story mode. Plus multiplayer. Online being here is an obvious inclusion, but there will also be split-screen for two. The one biggest omissions so far is any way to share creations, but I’m sure that will be added in the future if there’s a big call for it.
The exclusivity deal being over with TT Games has so far brought a number of smaller games, such as Bricktales. This will be the first large-scale LEGO game from a new developer, and the first of 2K’s output for LEGO sports games. While it’s unlikely I’ll have much interest in any of those outside of the racing games, I am interested in seeing what else they can produce.
As for other developers, I’m interested in seeing what other genres of game can be created. What unique visions they have for the world of LEGO. And, maybe, there’s a team out there with nostalgia for the LEGO Island games who want to create a modern interpretation of those. As for TT Games, there are rumours of what is next for them. All I’m saying in regard to them, however, is that they have a great new foundation on which to build their next. Whatever the theme, it should be a good game.
Images Taken From:
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Original Screenshot
LEGO 2K Drive | Awesome Reveal Trailer | YouTube
