Lego fans of all age groups will soon have a new outlet for building creative cars, but the fun doesn't stop there. Lego 2K Drive is a new game from Visual Concepts, 2K, and Lego Group that lets players build and race virtual Lego cars in an open-world environment. And it looks pretty wild.
By that, we mean wild in the sheer variety of customization available. Lego says over 1,000 virtual pieces will ultimately be available to build cars, and to give that some context, screenshots from the game include a truck with a giant mouth, a wingless World War II-era fighter aircraft (resembling a P-51 Mustang to our eyes), a weird hovering boat with jet engines, and if that's not strange enough, how about a racing cheeseburger? Yes, a cheeseburger.
If you're a more down-to-earth Lego sim racer, screenshots also depict all manner of trucks and cars, including some normal-looking Formula 1 racers and supercars. To that end, McLaren is involved so racers can pilot Lego versions of the Solus GT and the iconic F1 in this bricktastic world.
As for that world, Lego 2K Drive is an open environment, meaning you can build a car and then just cruise. There are several "biome regions" to explore, incorporating familiar Lego themes such as Speed Champions, Creator, City, and other aspects of the Lego universe. Players can partake in minigames, find collectibles, and yes, go racing.
Gallery: Lego 2K Drive
The main story arc involves a quest to win the Sky Cup Trophy, requiring players to build and improve cars to beat ever-tougher rivals. As the game progresses, various vehicle power-ups will be available to make things more interesting. In other words, it's typical arcade-style racing stuff with a neat Lego twist ... like beating your rival with a cheeseburger on wheels.
Despite the longevity of Lego and the increasing popularity of gaming, this is the first dedicated title for Lego that involves racing. Players of the Forza Horizon series on Microsoft's Xbox had a Lego expansion for Forza Horizon 4, though it didn't offer players the ability to build custom cars and only a few Lego machines were available. And according to Lego, this is the first of many dedicated Lego games to come.
Preorders for Lego 2K Drive are open now. The game goes on sale for major game consoles and PC on May 19, featuring single-player action or online racing.
