E3 2012
Even without the help of bumbling AI, puzzles can also be a bit frustrating at times. It's often not very clear what you're hoping to achieve, and progression can come from simply repeatedly doing the next thing that the environment allows you to do and hoping it all adds up to something. This can be particularly annoying in sections where you seem to hit a dead end and, not knowing exactly what you were hoping to achieve anyway, you're left to mindlessly smash your way around a level until something turns up. There are far worse things in the world than smashing up in-game LEGO, it must be said, but it can be annoying nonetheless.
Along with the wider cast is a wider world. TT has build an open world for Batman and his super friends to navigate. The studio has drawn inspiration from all over the place, but the pre-
Batman Begins films loom large, with massive LEGO statues all over the place, architecture that mashes the Gothic with Art Deco and weird colours you'd be terrified to see in a real city.
It's been very well-realised and it's a joy to drive around in the Batmobile, running things over and taking it in. Collectibles are scattered around the place and there are
loads of things to pick up. New characters are dotted about, red bricks offer cheats and gold bricks are picked up by completing mini challenges. The map's lack of detail can be deeply unhelpful at times, though. Maybe you can see it as an excuse to flex your exploration muscles.
The new characters and open world add depth to LEGO Batman, but there's a final element that helps it get to the next level – voice acting. The mix of talent from Arkham City and assorted DC animated projects really elevate the game from affectionate send-up a rich, humorous Batman story in its own right. The Joker gets a mean Mark Hamill tribute, Superman is given an injection of pomp, and Batman's reaction to a very Burt Ward-y Robin fawning over Supes is brilliant.
The story centres around Lex Luthor running for president and recruiting The Joker – and his stock of laughing gas - to help. It plays with the conventions of superhero fiction marvellously, and touches such as Vicky Vale's disbelief that Gotham needs to be concerned about a chap called Killer Moth show a real affection for the source material. In fact, the love heaped on the characters is evident right through the game, from the nods to different iterations of Batman et al to the dinosaur from the Batcave that's been redesigned as a LEGO construction.
E3 2012
While
LEGO Batman 2 is not without its faults, it's great fun and often delightful. Traveller's Tales has really flexed its muscles and taken things up a notch here. Whether it will be able to repeat the trick on other properties, where it's more tied to the pre-existing content in a film, remains to be seen. But let's not worry about that right now, eh? Batman, at least, is doing very well out of LEGO. It wouldn't be very surprising to see some of his Justice League teammates doing well out of LEGO in the not-too-distant future, either. There's a new
Superman film out next year, isn't there...?
Pros:
+ The LEGO gameplay and humour you already think is pretty neat.
+ Big, hearty open world to play in.
+ Voice acting!
Cons:
- The map could use a little work.
- Thick AI.
- Occasional poorly set out puzzles.
SPOnG Score: 8.5/10
