During my hands-on session with Lego 2K Drive, I don't initially realize I'm leaning so close to the monitor. I'm racing against other players online, and by the second lap, it has me sitting on the edge of my seat. My state of intense concentration is thanks to competing racers closing in on me at all times, firing out items designed to disassemble my car or give themselves a leg up. When I'm not getting blown to smithereens by a well-timed missile, I'm mashing the A button on my Xbox Series X controller in a bid to do away with a spider web that's hindering my vision. In the last lap, I by some miracle push my way into first place, but it doesn't last long. A driver hits me with a barrage of pellets and my vehicle falls to pieces before my eyes.
The item-infused chaos of the races immediately brings to mind Mario Kart, which is all the more hectic when you're playing with others. When you're off the race track, though, developer Visual Concepts and 2K have created an open-world driving adventure with arcade sensibilities that has shades of Forza Horizon about it. Set to come to PC (via Steam and the Epic store), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Switch on May 19, 2023, Lego 2K Drive can be played solo, online with up to six players, or in split-screen local co-op with a pal. After spending a good chunk of time speeding around in its world and testing out some features, I can already see this having a broad appeal among racing and Lego fans alike.
