LEGO 2K Drive Review (Squidwave)
Pros:
Vehicle Creation. The brick selection is good (but not perfect) and many of the bricks function properly. You can choose from many Lego colors including transparents and metalics, but you can also make bricks glow. You are not forced to include the driver minifig and can make micro vehicles or ones without interiors. There's a large selection of technic and hinged pieces. Being able to manually angle bricks is also a great addition.
There is a very large selection of engine sounds to properly portray your creation. The most fun I have had is building both real sets but also crazy things like Mame Bus from Tamagotchi.
The Gameplay. Similar to Lego Racers 2, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, and Forza Horizon. There is not only racing but also hub worlds with events and trials in the enviroment. There are many collectables in the different hub worlds which unlock different things such as minifigs, engine sounds, or bricks. You can actually attempt every challenge with any vehicle you are using unless it's, for example, a boat specific event.
There's a decent variety of missions and quests to play. You can try for gold time on a hill climb or smash mushrooms in the time limit between races. Mowing weeds actually affects your races because they are replaced with boost fuel when you clear them. I enjoyed the events more than Horizon 5's class locked events or trials with players ramming. Each hub world has its own mini-biomes and each area has its own set of collectibles. The bat collectibles are usually in the air, while the treasure chests require dolphins to dive and get them for you.
Despite most of the races taking place in the hub worlds, the tracks you race on are changed slightly. The variations take into account your chosen class but also change time of day and weather. The ability to fully jump on demand is interesting and adds depth to combat.
Graphics and Sound. The graphics look great on everything, although less decent on some of the enviroment. Having the studs properly rendered through transparent pieces, different finishes on the bricks, and glow bricks lighting up is great. There are a few specific places in the hub worlds that could look better. Seeing all of the Lego sets is cool and the ability to destroy almost anything on the track is satisfying as well.
Cons:
The Chassis System. You are only given 6 chassis for street, 5 chassis for off-road, and 5 chassis for water. You are forced to build off of these chassis and you cannot edit the pre-placed bricks or axle locations. There are other chassis specifically made for the developer and Lego vehicles you unlock, which can be used as a "psuedo base" if you clear the bricks that it allows you to. A majority of the vehicles actually seen in the game driven by NPC or AI drivers can't actually be created by the player due to both the chassis system but also many bricks not even being available to players. If the vehicle you want to make doesn't follow the very specific chassis layout the game allows, then you can't make it. Not a single 90's or early 2000's Lego jetski or boat is possible without major redesigning.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2978071209
This artifical restriction is done intentionally so that players are forced to buy more vehicles to increase their usable chassis pool. Both of the basic 6 wide Speed Champions chassis have pre-placed bricks and moved axles so you can't even make most official sets without redesigning them. Even incredibly basic Lego Racers 1 cars can't be properly remade because of this asinine system.
Your Character. You are given a few premade minifigs to play as but you cannot create your own. You unlock more minifigs as you complete races and challenges... or you can buy more in the store. You cannot edit them in any way. The amount of minifigs is incredibly limited even after unlocking or purchasing them all. There are no classic minifigs playable. (other than the redesigned Rocket Racer)
Once again this artificial restriction is in place to force players into buying a minifig they want in the store. Even Lego Racers 1 let you create your own minifig. These restrictions are honestly unacceptable in a full price game.
I would also like to specifically mention an issue I have had. When playing certain minifigs in certain vehicles the game will remove their headgear and replace it with a standard racing helmet. I'm assuming this is to prevent clipping however the race helmet already clips and removing the fire fighting helmet from my fire fighting minifig that I bought is incredibly stupid, especially when the vehicle is open top.
The AI. The AI rubberbands aggressively. For comparison, it is almost as bad as Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Even with a full top speed and boost power build (never stop boosting once) the AI in 2nd and 3rd will keep some pace with you. In this situation I actually found the lower difficulty harder than the higher difficulty as I can no longer run perks to compensate against the AI. The AI have infinite boost but will slam the brakes if you get hit or they lead by too much. They will violently push you out of the way if you sit on their line, similar to Horizon 5 AI. The Sky Cup Grand Prix race is probably the strongest example. The rubber banding is so bad especially during the final turn that it's almost comical. The AI drive poorly and will fly off the track only to respawn in 1 second on top of you and violently send you off the map.
Disappointed:
The music. The music in Lego 2K Drive is mediocre. None of the music is "bad" but compared to the incredibly iconic Lego Racers 1 soundtrack, there is little competition. The two best songs in Lego 2K Drive are the stock disco and halloween music played from the boomboxes in the hub worlds. While driving through Hauntsborough, I often found myself ignoring the game's music and playing the "Halloween World" theme from Sim Theme Park in my head... The first 3 notes of Big Butte County's theme sounds like Elinu's Dance from Tera Online and I'm briefly jumpscared by great music.
Minifig. Lego Racers 1 and Lego Racers 2 both include a minifig editor, and virtually every other Lego game has a significantly better roster of premade minifigs to choose from.
Items. The items/powerups are standard for the genre, but nothing great like Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. For those that haven't played that game, virtually every offensive item can be avoided if you're skilled enough. Lego 2K Drive specifically includes the ability to dodge missile, but you can dodge other items and hazards by jumping. I wish the system was closer to Sonic.
No Stunting. Once again I would have enjoyed a system like Sonic's or even Mario Kart Wii. Hitting jumps during a race just makes me want to land sooner. A similar issue is found with Mario Kart 7 and 8's boring gliders.
No Track Editor or Race Designer. At the price they are asking I would love to see something like ModNation Racer's editor but I would at the very least expect something as basic as Forza Horizon's eventlabs.
No Flight. While Sonic's boat sections were at the mercy of a water physics demon, the flight sections were actually great. In Lego 2K Drive there are tons of official Lego sets landed or flying around the hub worlds but players are stuck with car, car, and boat.
Few Iconic Lego Themes Fully Represented. I enjoy the hubs included in the game but a complete lack of Pirate, Arctic, and Medieval is ridiculous. Life on Mars and Mars Mission have a few cameos, but space isn't properly represented either. Lego Racers 1 and 2 both handled this better. Not even a Rock Raiders cameo in Prospecto Valley. I'm going to assume they're holding these themes for later updates.
I enjoyed the game despite the flaws, but I highly recommend waiting for a sale.