'Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes' Offers an Enjoyable Comic Romp
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The blocky Dark Knight returns to a bigger city with many more characters in "Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes"
CREDIT: Traveller's Tales |
Over the past few years, software house Traveller's Tales has worked on a number of franchises, turning them into entertaining Lego games. These include "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Harry Potter" and, coming this fall, the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
In between all that, however, are the Lego Batman games, where players use superheroes — or villains — to create all sorts of brick-laden chaos.
The original game was a lot of fun, but "Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes" tops it with an even bigger comic book universe — a whole city to explore.
And it plays on a universe of gadgets: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii (and eventually Wii U), PCs, the Playstation Vita and the Nintendo DS and 3DS.
The game kicks off with Batman and Robin battling the likes of Joker and company. But following that battle, the vicious Lex Luthor emerges with an even more heinous plot, forcing Superman and other Justice League members to step in and lend a hand. Where the original Lego Batman only had a handful of villains and heroes to choose from (including the Joker and Batman, among others), DC Super Heroes has more than 60, including fan favorites like Green Lantern and the Flash. ["Injustice: Gods Among Us" Unites DC Superheroes]
And where previous Lego games only had so big a set of levels to go through, Lego Batman 2 features Gotham City recreated with Lego pieces.You’ll fly around for miles on end, exploring every spot to find hidden goodies (like bricks that can build additional objects) and tangle with thugs. Traveller's Tales has not only made it enormous, but also very accessible, with something new around each corner. It gives you reason to play through it again and again. What’s more, it’s even fun with a friend, as you can team up in two-player split-screen fashion to fight Luthor and his allies. ["God of War: Ascension" for PS3 Adds Multiplayer Gaming]
The gameplay is about the same as previous Lego games, with the player needing to solve puzzles, beat up enemies and build objects from bouncing Lego blocks in order to get ahead. And while that may be nothing new, Traveller's Tales continues to make it entertaining, even adding secondary goals like collecting coins to become a True Hero for each stage.
Lego Batman 2’s visuals are outstanding, both when you’re flying around the city and fighting in small areas. The characters fit the part, right down to their particular motions, like when the Flash goes on a mad sprint. Likewise, the characters are fully voiced in this game, with Clancy Brown being the standout. He skillfully reprises the same Luthor role he filled years ago in the animated Superman series.
Though some missions can be a bit difficult, there’s no question that "Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes" is a fun comic romp for all players, old and young. Teaming up together in two-player mode is richly entertaining, and there’s no shortage of activities you can do around the gameplay in a Lego-ized Gotham City. Grab your Justice League buddies for this one.
RATING: 3.5 / 4
