As many people can agree, playing with Lego’s when they were a child was the next best thing to sliced bread. The greatest thing about them was that there was no limit to what could be created. That is, until the pieces ran out. Pretty soon Lego’s started making specialty sets for Star Wars, camping, race cars, airplanes, and other items that made it even more fun. For the past few years, the developers at Traveller’s Tales have merged
the love of Lego’s with other popular things such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones. They have created some really fun games. Their latest creation is Lego Batman. While it remains as fun as the other Lego’s games, there are some things that definitely need to be fixed.
The game starts off with all the criminals being locked up in Arkham Asylum. These criminals have banded together and broken out! Their main goal is to create pure havoc on the streets of Gotham
and to hurt as many innocent bystanders as possible. It is up to the dynamic
duo, Batman and Robin, to use all of the abilities to round up every last
criminal and put them back where they belong.
There are two modes of play for this game. The first is the story mode that relays the events of the entire game. Players can only use the pre-selected characters and vehicles for that primary level. After players complete each level the first time, they will get try the same level again in free play mode. In this mode players will get to use any unlocked character, suit, and vehicle to access new areas of each level, to get more hidden features. This gives the game more repay value, as it is always fun to go back to the same levels and play them with upgraded powers.
One very unique thing about this game is not only can a gamer play as the hero of the story, but also the villain. Once players get done with various chapters, they will get to take on the same set of missions from the villain’s perspective. Much of the game remains the same except players will fight cops, break into banks and other buildings, and do other nefarious things that scoundrels are known for. Also, the villains have their own hub to track their progress in the game. Instead of the Batcave, which belongs to Batman and Robin, the villains have complete access to Arkham
Asylum, and it acts as their main hub.
There are a lot of extras in this game that will keep players coming back for a long time. Not only can
an additional character be unlocked, but there are also facts, extra gadgets and gizmos, suit upgrades and more. These extra’s can be purchased by spending Batman and Robin’s hard earned Lego studs or by collecting various hidden pieces and parts thrown throughout each level. Players even have the opportunity to create their own hero or villain based on the parts they find! There is always something more to unlock and find. This really helps keep the game interesting
and provides even more replay value to this game.
One of the biggest complaints from previous Lego games has returned: broken AI. Calling the computer AI dumb is a compliment
… no, the understatement of the century compared to what it actually is. The problem with this horrible AI is that players have to rely upon it to help solve certain puzzles. At times players are presented with simple puzzles, such as having each character stand on a switch on opposite ends of the room in order for the door to unlock. The problem is the AI refuses to stand on the switch. Since the game allows seamless transition from computer AI to human characters (and back again), it is easier to turn on another controller to solve the puzzle than to wait for the mentally challenged AI to figure out what to do.
In a perfect world, the developers would allow players to press a button to obtain all of the fallen Lego studs from defeated enemies. Many times, players will miss out on a huge pile of studs because they are stuck battling mindless minions. The trigger buttons are not used in this game, and picking up what the enemies leave behind in their demise would be an excellent use for it. There are other studs thrown around the level and developers could make these to where players actually have to walk to them in order to get them. This makes perfect sense, and players will not feel cheated out of a good game since many times they miss out on a lot of valuable studs.
As stated previously, players will love being able to play the game with a human player than the computer AI. Not just for the reasons listed above, but for reason that a game is always more fun with humans than the computer AI. One thing that players have loved about the previous Lego games is the ability to jump online to get their co-op fix. What is shocking is that this game doesn’t allow players the same option. This is beyond baffling for many reasons; usually developers try to take steps forward not backwards. Why would they offer online co-op with their older games but not for this game? This is especially true in this "day and age" where online co-op is really taking off and adds so much more replay value to a game. Many players will be extremely disappointed by this lacking feature.
The character models for this game are really great. It is interesting to see the various character animations and facial expressions. This is especially true with the interaction between Batman and Robin. Robin is always doing some goofball thing, and the expressions on Batman’s face are priceless. With that being said, there
are some things lacking. The graphics engine is starting to show its age with this game. The main problem is with the actual environments. For instance, Gotham City seems very stale and lacking in life. In other words, players do not feel that they are actually playing in Gotham, but just in a plain run-of-the-mill Lego town.
The music from this game borrows the same music used in a previous Batman movie. This is a great addition to this game and makes it feel more authentic. Players do have to wonder why the music is only chosen from one movie instead of all of them. This would give the game more flavor. Also, the developers did not choose the right music at the proper time. Some of the music does not fit well with the action going on. For instance, while the player is running around the city not worrying about bringing the bad guys to justice they are playing dramatic music. This is when Batman and Robin are just
lolligagging around town! As always, the sound effects are decent and fit for the game. Like previous Lego games, the characters do not talk in any real language but something reminiscent of the Sims game. However, it is always fun to try to figure out what they are trying to say.
Lego Batman is rated for everybody.
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Gameplay: 8.0
If gamers have played any of the previous Lego titles, they will know exactly what to expect in this game. The only bad thing is that major annoyances and glitches in previous games still occur in this one. There is no excuse why these issues haven’t been fixed yet.
Graphics: 7.1
The graphics engine is starting to show its age in this game. As always the characters look great, but the environments need a major facelift.
Sound: 7.9
The music for this game is great, but at times players will question why certain music was chosen for various sections. The sound effects are good as well, but never go over the top.
Difficulty: Easy
This game is extremely easy to get into and play.
Concept: 7.5
The co-op gameplay provides many classic moments. It is also fun to play as the heroes as well as the villains.
Multiplayer: 6.5
Playing co-op with your friends is always a treat, but is a shame is the lack of online co-op. This is very baffling and disappointing for players since the developers have included this mode in other Lego games.
Overall: 7.8
Lego Batman is a good game. The main problem is that the developers haven’t bothered to fix many of the complaints that many people have had with their previous games. As it stands players will not be to disappointed with their purchase as it will provide many hours
of entertainment.
