LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

Genre: Open-World 3D Action-Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

LEGO Batman 2 is a family-friendly 3D Action-Platformer released in 2012 on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Wii, and Wii U, with different but similar versions also released on Nintendo DS and on Nintendo 3DS in 2012. As this game’s title implies, this game expands on the concept of the first LEGO Batman game by telling an original story that includes Lego characters from the greater DC universe, such as Superman, Lex Luthor, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and various others. What’s more, this game also expands the scope of the series, being the first Traveller’s Tales LEGO game to be an Open-World.

This is also the first Traveller’s Tales LEGO game to feature voice acting, and while it’s overall quite good, it’s also a bit of a strange combination of new and old elements. You have Clancy Brown reprising his role as Lex Luthor from the DC Animated Universe, and Batman being voiced by Troy Baker (who would go on to reprise the role in Batman: Arkham Origins), but many of the other characters here are voiced by veteran voice actors who haven’t portrayed these characters previously, with greats like Cam Clarke, Rob Paulsen, Townsend Coleman, Steve Blum, and Nolan North all voicing tongue-in-cheek takes on various characters in the DC pantheon. And just to make this more of an eclectic mix, the game’s soundtrack makes distinctive use of the Tim Burton Batman film score and the Christopher Reeves Superman films’ score.

Graphically, LEGO Batman 2 offers a mix of good and bad. On the one hand, you have some large 3D environments with a lot of activity going on, great detail, excellent lighting and shadow, and some good reflection effects. On the other hand, there’s some nasty pop-in here, noticeable aliasing, some blurry textures, and some frequent and noticeable slowdown in some areas.

When it comes to the gameplay, LEGO Batman 2 has players not only swapping between various characters to solvee puzzles with different abilities, but also having characters swap outfits. This is done at designated points where a specific outfit is featured, making it clear that you need this specific power set to solve a nearby puzzle or challenge. It’s a decent way to inject variety into the gameplay, which remains at its core the same sort of simple but entertaining 3D Action-Platformer gameplay Traveller’s Tales LEGO games are known for, complete with the iconic drop-in drop-out co-op multiplayer that’s central to the series.

However, the other new element here is the Open-World stuff, and I feel like this is less successful. This is because for the most part the noteworthy things you can do in this open world are largely dictated by how far you’ve progressed through the game’s story and how many costumes and characters you’ve unlocked. As a result, the game seems to be actively discouraging you from exploring until you’re late into the game, at which point you might as well just go ahead and finish it and be done with it all, unless you’re a completionist.

There are a few other issues here too. Combat is simple and fails to be at all entertaining. Also, the game has a fair amount of “jankyness” that resulted in me frequently getting caught on scenery, or spontaneously exploding into LEGO bits because the game decided my character was somewhere they shouldn’t be.

Despite its flaws, LEGO Batman 2 is still an enjoyable romp of a game that makes good use of both the Batman license and Traveller’s Tales LEGO formula, and while I think it stumbles a bit in its attempt to expand the franchise into new territory, it is ultimately a step forward for the franchise, and a solid game overall.

tl;dr – LEGO Batman 2 is yet another game to feature Traveller’s Tales family-friendly LEGO game formula, and this time it takes ambitious steps forward for the series, introducing full voice acting and Open-World elements to the well-established 3D Action RPG formula of the franchise. These new elements are a bit rough in places, and the game features some “jankyness” that makes it feel a bit unpolished, but overall this is a solid entry in the series, well worth playing.

Grade: B

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