Publisher: Warner Brothers Interactive
Developer: Traveller’s Tales
Multiplayer: Yes (2)
Online Multiplayer: No
Review by Schrekdog + Wrecker
Traveller’s Tales have released several Lego games over the last few years and the games have been very successful, the most recent game being “Lego Indiana Jones”. Their latest offering is “Lego Batman,” obviously based on the “Batman” comics and movies. The Lego games have been around for a while now and are no longer the novelty they once were. Thankfully Traveller’s Tales have delivered a worthy addition to the Lego Game franchise.
Gameplay: 7.5
Holy escaping criminals Batman! Batman’s worst enemies have escaped from Arkham Asylum and formed three groups led by the Joker, the Penguin and the Riddler. Each group has a sinister plan that plays out against the backdrop of Gotham City. The Riddler is attempting a bank heist, the Joker is set out to poison the city with laughing gas and the Penguin is trying to take over the city with a robotic penguin militia.
There is a star studded lineup of villains too including Clayface, Two-Face, Mr Freeze, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, The Scarecrow, Catwoman and Killer Croc to name a few.
The game begins in the lobby area, which is the Batcave for the heroes and Arkham Asylum for the villains. From the lobby you can select one of the 3 main story missions, which contain a number of levels that once completed can be revisited like the other lego games. In fact if you have played one of the other Lego games then you will be instantly familiar with the game’s setup and game-play, except of course that it has a Batman theme. Like the other games, most of the environment is destructible and you will be able to obtain Lego studs and kit pieces throughout the levels to unlock extra levels, content and trophies to access or view in the lobby area.
One variation in this game is the ability to play either as the hero or the villain which is a nice touch. There are 15 levels that can be played from Batman and Robin’s perspective and another 15 which can be played from the villain’s point of view. Another difference is the ability to unlock different suits that will allow specific abilities to the Lego characters. For example, using Batman’s demolition suit you can lay bat bombs or Robin’s magnetic suit will allow you to walk up walls.
Once you have completed a level you can then go back and visit it from the lobby to access hidden areas with new suits or to find Lego studs or kit pieces you might have missed the first time around.
The controls for the Wii include both the nunchuck and the wiimote and are reasonably intuitive. One nice feature is the ability to point at the screen, target enemies or objects and then and unleash the batarang for a bit of BIFF! and POW! There are also a number of bat-vehicles to drive including the Batmobile, Batboat and Batwing. There are also forklifts, mini trucks and remote control cars which offer some variety and humour to the gameplay.
Unfortunately some of the annoying aspects of the previous Lego games haven’t been ironed out in this game either. You can still expect to have awkward camera angles from time to time, continual respawning in an awkward position, players getting stuck in co-op mode and some head slappingly bad AI for your computer controlled counterpart if you are playing alone.
While it is a novelty to see Lego Batman and Robin smash their way through the adventure, the gameplay itself does get slightly repetitive after a while and if it wasn’t for the amount of secrets and side missions to complete then the game would quickly lose its appeal. This is evident more so now since the Lego series is no longer a novelty and all the games play similarly. The puzzles in the game are also fairly linear; in fact, the puzzles aren’t a stand out part of the game which is a shame; however the levels are chock full of secrets which will keep you interested. The whole Batman theme also keeps you pushing on to see what happens next or which new villain you will next encounter.
The multiplayer co-op story mode is a great feature and it is nice to be able to complete the game with a friend, especially when you have to work together to solve the puzzles and complete levels. Unfortunately there are no online play options.
Graphics: 7.5
The graphics are suited to the game. Obviously it isn’t extremely difficult to render a series of blocky characters and environments but it has been done in such a way that it is humorous and visually entertaining.
The cutscenes look good and there are a lot of them which helps to keep the story fresh. As this was the first game not to follow a hugely successful film plot, occasionally it is not entirely clear what is happening in the cut scenes. Sometimes you will just have to work it out while you are playing.
We all know that the Gotham City environment is supposed to be drab and grey but there is something a little dull about the appearance of some of the levels. The city blocks don’t actually look like they have been constructed from Lego bricks which is a shame. Thankfully the dull backdrops are broken up by colourful characters, explosions and the occasional bright green splashes of toxic waste.
Sound: 8.0
There is a nice atmospheric music score that appears to have been ripped straight from the older Batman films. This serious musical score and the onscreen comical mayhem work really well together.
The sound effects are quite good; it is always amusing to hear the clicking of Lego bricks being put together or the release of the Lego “studs” as they fly around the screen.
As with all Lego games there is no speech in the game, only miming and incoherent mumbling; this enhances the classic slapstick humour now well known to the Lego games.
Difficulty: 6.5
The game is reasonably easy to pick up and play and the controls are intuitive. The only real difficulty is getting used to odd camera angles that occasionally mean you lose sight of your player or they get stuck in a repeating 'death position' which is annoying. Occasionally puzzles will also require a lot of trial and error which can be frustrating. It is recommended to play the co-op Story mode with a human rather than the computer controlled sidekick, as the AI can be painfully annoying in some areas.
Value: 8.5
As with all the previous Lego games there is an insane amount of content to complete and unlock. The co-op story mode is great, the missions are fairly lengthy and it’s even fun to tramp around the lobby and view all your achievements. There is incentive to replay levels over and over to try and get them completed 100% and unlock all the secret content.
Overall: 7.9
The Lego game franchises have been hugely successful. Lego Batman, while not really bringing any new ideas to the table, looks and sounds good, provides some humorous moments and offers a lot of replay value. It is disappointing that some gameplay kinks present in the previous Lego games are still here; you would have thought they could have been eliminated by now. That said Lego Batman is still an enjoyable game and if you loved the other Lego games then you should not be disappointed.