LEGO 2K Drive Is Taking Two of the Best Features From LEGO Racers 2

LEGO has an expansive back catalog of video games. While LEGO’s vast library of licensed games is filled with memorable classics like LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Batman, and LEGO Marvel Superheroes, LEGO’s non-licensed history deserves to be remembered just as fondly, with titles like LEGOLAND, LEGO City Undercover, and of course, LEGO Racers all 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 announced LEGO 2K Drive.

GAMERANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Just announced, LEGO 2K Drive will put players behind a brick-built wheel once more.

Being developed by Visual Concepts, the same studio behind the latest WWE 2K games, LEGO 2K Drive seems 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 history LEGO 2K Drive is borrowing from, with a few features looking a little similar to those found in LEGO 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

LEGO 2K Drive Drive-In-1

Launched in 1999, LEGO Racers was a simple, chaotic take on the kart racing genre, borrowing heavily from the Mario Kart series for its gameplay, but giving the genre its own unique, charming, and definitive LEGO twist.

A few years later, in 2001, a sequel aptly named LEGO Racers 2 launched. For the most part, LEGO Racers 2 borrowed a lot of gameplay elements from its predecessor, with Mario Kart-like tracks, items, and unique karts. However, there were a handful of features either wholly new to LEGO Racers 2 or significantly improved upon.

The main selling point of LEGO Racers 2 is its open-world approach. Now, modern-day fans expecting to see an array of Ubisoft-brand watchtowers and a million icons on a mini-map will be disappointed, but LEGO 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 of LEGO Racers 2 was its car customization mechanic. While this feature was present in the original LEGO 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 though LEGO 2K Drive is taking all the right lessons from LEGO 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 to the LEGO 2K Drive previews, the game will feature at least four different biomes, including Turbo Acres, Prospecto Valley, Hauntsborough, and the fiendishly-named Big Butte County.

Unlike LEGO 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 Drive also 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 Drive releases on May 19 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

MORE: LEGO 2K Drive Creative Director Details Its Customization Options