Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes Review (PS3)

Holy brick Batman! This is the best Lego game by far!

Yes, Superman might be as brilliantly linked to videogames as the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba is to funerals, but Traveller’s Tales have managed to make a bloody good Superman game! Ok well…so it’s actually Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes and yes, the Dark Knight and his Boy Wonder take up more screentime than the kryptonite wuss, but he features prominently enough as a brilliant mode of transport across the levels in the newest block busting instalment, arguably the best title the studio has fired since the choking hazard franchise reached new gaming heights. Bruce Wayne’s recent domination of media in the DC universe and our own has landed him the vague and vain ‘Man Of The Year’ award. The runner-up sees this winner as an egotistical philanthropist who’s only credible achievement is being rich. Sore losers should always be ignored, but budding presidential candidate Lex Luthor isn’t one to let such bad publicity affect him. Curiously though, he isn’t too fussed about siding with the Joker and Arkham Asylum’s finest inmates to help him take the lead in the political race. I assume that’s why Batman chooses to spring into action…The Joker does steal his ‘Man Of The Year’ award so, this could all be a quest for personal gain I guess. The game begins with the same old stud gathering/brick breaking spiel that’s done little to offend with its frequent use and still does lots to entertain. Complete the level and root your way out of the Batcave however, and you find a Gotham waiting to be taken down brick by brick. A gargantuan sandbox to play in, Gotham City is far larger than any of the hubs in previous games and is filled with tons of challenges and trials that any unlocked hero or villain can take part in. As the Lego games have progressed, I’ve found the collectables system to become more and more contrived. Hogwarts was a mind numbing labyrinth for the obsessive and Star Wars forced you to camp out for hours in hopes of snagging that last character for your team. Here however, a map can be scoured in a bid to uncover each and every secret the city has to offer. It sounds like a way of dumbing down hours of potential exploration, but hundreds of bricks harbour challenges focused on parkour and skill to obtain, and many villains need coaxing out of hiding places to unlock. Part of the reason I thought the original Lego Batman didn’t work out brilliantly was because the lack of a well known story to act as a blueprint jumbled with the conventional silent humour meant the comedy constantly fell flat…plus I was coming out of a rather odd phase where I thought my Film Studies A Level meant something. Batman hasn’t slipped into ‘Christian Bale; Asthmatic Grunter’ form, but still retains a grim, husky tone that rejects any help that slips his way. Last time Robin resorted to slipping on banana skins infinite times to keep the laughs up, but now his voice actor brings that daft, yet bewildered element to the sidekick off so well that he’s no longer just the butt of all jokes…just the joke. Special mention however, does go to The Joker. The man behind the manic clown Christopher Corey Smith has clearly taken inspiration from the master of the voice Mark Hamill and spun it in a way that doesn’t make him sound like a cheap knock off, but still comfortably familiar. Most importantly though, every character knows when to spark that comedic charm the series is renowned for, and this is the first Lego title to not just lure me in with its whimsical ways, but the first one I laughed out loud at for quite some time.

Takes intelligent steps to improve on its former instalment in many ways to provide a shot in the arm the whole series needed

Other tweaks seem slight from the outset, but are nearly a revolution for the entire Lego universe. Checkpoints where players can freely leave levels without having to complete them means children will no longer be throttled for staying up late into the night in an attempt to defeat complete levels. The addition of a combat multiplier ensures you won’t be smacking square over and over again. Instead with each goon smashed you get one step closer to performing a finishing move worth a heavy dose of studs. As I write this, I can hear “Voices?! Sandbox?! Oh has Lego finally sold out to the masses?!” from a dumb 7 year old hipster echoing through the streets. Whilst Traveller’s Tales have added enough to really invigorate the series, a lot of familiar nuances return. Minikits, Gold Bricks, Red Bricks and studs litter levels and the entire game is a pixel collector’s wet dream. The range of powers each character can use are vast and simple to use in both story and freeplay modes, and after several hours of demolishing and hoarding, I really wanted to snag another player in on the action to boss around. Even though Lego Batman 2 doesn’t have an original story to parody, it still shoves it’s tongue firmly in cheek and pokes fun of some of the more bizarre aspects of the DC Universe. Seems the team aren’t tremendous fans of Killer Moth and aren’t afraid to take a humorous poke at last year’s brilliant Arkham City. When I saw The Riddler waddle away cane in hand and Jim Carrey’s spirit seemingly housed in voicebox, I was eager to follow not just to knock his boisterous IQ down a couple of digits and pegs, but to hear more of his familiarly comical tones. Unfortunately, the inmates of Arkham aren’t phenomenally bright in this title, all getting locked up pretty early on with only Lex and Joker indulging in rampages. Due to the lack of resources used by the terrible twosome, the Justice League aren’t actually needed until the final two stages, and you’ll only ever really leave the main trio of Batman, Robin and Superman outside the story. It may be a fantastic Lego game, but it’s not quite the perfect homage the ‘Super Heroes’ tagline suggests it could have been. Thankfully the musical score saves the day in terms of nostalgic justice, with Danny Elfman’s classic Batman themes taking off as soon as the Dark Knight springs into action and the almost patriotically epic superman theme-tune rising as soon as you take to the skies, raising a wry smile every time they spark up. Some significant building blocks have been put in place to improve the entire franchise, but that doesn’t mean to say that Lego Batman 2 has escaped the flaws some of these games are renowned for. Whilst gameplay remains fluid throughout, there were still a couple of times where the game froze and I had to start back at a checkpoint. The open world has a lot to learn from other sandboxes as well. Whilst it’s fun to uncover secrets and collectables in the newly opened toy city, it’s clear that this is a first attempt at such a feat. Occasionally the map will point you towards secrets, but it will take them several seconds to load…more than enough time to up sticks and check somewhere else in the area. Not only does Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes rectify omissions in past Lego games have made that we’ve glossed over because they’re just so loveable, it takes intelligent steps to improve on its former instalment in many ways to provide a shot in the arm the whole series needed. An original story in the blocky Batman universe would’ve fallen flat on its face withou
t a solid cast to back up each character. Traveller’s Tales have added enough to give the series a dynamic boost whilst still retaining its loveable and simple charms. If you’re training your young-uns in handling the terrors of Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, or you are simply a fanatic that absorbs the humour of Lego games in so much that you’re attracted to each one like a moth to flame, this rendition has enough improvements to reinstate even the most spiritless fans.