Lego Batman: The Videogame

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer: Traveller’s Tales
Genre: Action
Release Date: September 23, 2008
Platforms: Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Playstation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PC

Reviewer: Eric

Traveller’s Tales has been creating top notch Lego games for some time right. Ever since the first Lego Star Wars came out on the Playstation 2 there as been a string of Grade A games. With Batman being the in character right now can his Lego adventure change the way we view these video games?

Lego Batman is not based off of any movie or comic book. Traveler’s Tale has taken all of the Batman characters and created an original story. The game may not be the best story we have seen, but it does get the job done when it comes to Lego stories. I can’t 100% agree with some of the aspects in this game. Though it is nice to see a huge collection of characters, ranging from both new and old characters, most of them do the same thing. Like all the other Lego games you have a set amount of characters that can jump higher, use, guns, and so fourth.

Both Batman and Robin can turn into different versions of themselves. Batman can drop bombs, pick up hot lego pieces and so fourth. Robin can suck up lego pieces, climb on magnetic areas and so fourth. I really disliked having to switch between different outfits to complete the stages in the game. Dropping bombs as Batman makes about as much sense as climbing on magnetic walls with Robin.

For the first time in Lego history you can finally play as both good and evil. The game has three chapters with five levels each. In order to play as the bad guys you’ll have to beat that corresponding chapter. This sort of takes away some takes away some aspects from the game, but if you stick with it then you can play as both sides without any problems.

The story in the game at least offers enough humor to make the worst Batman fan laugh. As always there are no spoken words in the game, just a series of grunts show the characters talking. The Joker offers the best moments in the game, his laugh just made me smile every time I heard.

Most of the music comes from Fanny Elfman’s music from the original Batman film, the one that came out in 1989. That sounds good and all; however the music does not fit the game. The original Batman movie was dark at its time; Lego Batman is not a dark game. You will constantly hear this music play, it loops over and over again at times. Fans of Elfman’s work will either be in heaven here or they will grow to hate the original Batman score.

Lego Batman goes back to the observed amount unlockables, ranging from characters to pointless fragments of stories from the Batman Universe. The replay value on this game is pretty high, but how long is somebody going to play just to unlock a two sentence fragment that explains the most obvious thing about the Batman Universe? The only real motivation to play this game longer is unlocking two of the games best characters and they are from the villain side.

Some of the same problems still frighten the Lego franchise. Your AI partner is completely stupid at times. When you are supposed to have one character stand in a location they will move off, giving you a slight moment where you want to kill him. A friend can jump in and play, but why couldn’t a friend join in from some online features? The Lego series really needs to put in some online features fast.

The puzzles in the game have gotten a lot easier. If you are having rough times figuring out a puzzle all you need to do is stop and think for a minute. Lego Batman should have put in more challenging puzzles, gamers will be able to beat this Lego adventure in no time, but the villain side does add in some more time, making the game last for almost ten hours (that is if you unlock everything in the game).

Final Verdict
Is Lego Batman the best Lego game so far? I don’t think so but it could very well be the best Batman game. The Lego franchise is starting to show its age with a few of the same problems that has plagued the series since the first Lego Star Wars game on the Playstation 2. Lego Batman is a good game, but I think it could have been polished up a little especially with some online features.

Rating
8 out of 10

Lego Batman: The Videogame Trailer