Lego Batman Game Review

The Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder have been summoned once again to take on the forces of evil. Gotham City is home to some of the most insane and interesting villains -- all of whom have escaped from Arkham Asylum. Now it is up to the caped crusader to take on these threats or spend the night getting more Legos to rebuild the city. After the success of Lego Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones, the Dutch toy maker has done it again by teaming up with DC comics to bring you Lego Batman on the PSP, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and other systems.

This goofy adaptation on the Batman series brings a whole new look and feel that adults and kids can appreciate. The whole line of sick villains has escaped the asylum, with the appearance of Two Face, Clayface, Poison Ivy, Mad Hatter, Killer Croc, Penguin, Bane, The Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Scare Crow, Man Bat, Cat Woman and the sickest of them all, The Joker. As always with the Lego series there is no dialogue -- just grunting, giggling and funny hand motions that leave you laughing while taking on missions in Gotham. You and the "boy wonder" race to the scene after Lego Gordon panics in a frenzy and starts the bat signal. The question remains, are you daring enough to take on the task?

All grab get your grappling hooks ready because we are about to swing into the game play! The game as always is very user friendly in terms of button mashing and puzzle solving. Since you are batman the caped detective you will be expected to solve a lot of puzzles. Since this is a Lego game, you will also put together massive amounts of Lego blocks or break them to find hidden costumes that will help you out through the game.

My personal favorite is the glide costume and as for Robin the Magnetic suit. Trust me, they are not just for show: you will have to use these suits to progress through the game. The combat is very funny because when you play as Batman, villains fly away with a single punch and as Robin he performs a lot of acrobatic moves and flips. You will have to do a lot of figuring out and using your special gadgets, for example the batarangs. You hold down the square button which a homing indicator you control will pick targets and all you have to do is let it fly.

The co-op mode is accessible by pressing the triangle button; however there is no two player option which is very disappointing. The good news is that your A.I teammate helps you out through the game instead of standing there watching you get jumped by goons, however the bad news is that is only works for so long. What I mean is that your team mate will sometimes stall and just take a beating or stand there and leave the goons to you. The vehicles are a fun addition to the game, especially when you take over the bat mobile, but the experience feels as if you are driving bumper cars on oil.

The game is broken into three story arcs where you have to choose a Bat vehicle to begin a story. You can start from any order you like which gives you a nice option of choice. Once you progress through the game taking on three villains at a time with their own special boys fight, you will get rewarded with some bonus items and cogs to purchase hidden features.

This brings me to the replay value; which I have to say is vast because you will unlock the free play option and of course the option to play as a villain through the story. There is nothing like being the Joker and Clay face going against Gotham. Once you are back in the back cave you can switch to Arkham Asylum where you control the Riddler and Clay Face checking through your unlocked items and start the villain missions the same as in the bat cave.

Now it is my turn to be the villain here and talk about the bad features of the game. So far, the only thing I see wrong is the absence of co-op play, especially since there are two characters to use. I mean, come on! It is like getting a two peddle bike but you say no to a second passenger for help. The vehicle control is a bit annoying but since the enemies drive the same way you will have no problems defeating them.

The quick finish starts now, because it is time for the Good, the Bad and the score. The major plus of the game is you are playing as the cape crusader in a fun Lego form with a massive amount of villains and hidden characters to unlock.

Great story mode especially a story with only grunting and giggles wins major points with me. It is fun and it keeps you playing for hours, something missing from a lot of handheld games. The only bad part is the fact that there is no ad hoc or infrastructure and the vehicles are a bit annoying to handle.

Another major plus that wins me is over, I can beat the crap out of robin all I want and he can regenerate many times. It is the little things that make gamers like me happy. I will gladly give Lego Batman 4 batarangs out of 5. Keep gaming and "stay frosty"!

• Genre: Action
• Developer: Traveller's Tales
• Publsihed: Warner Bros. Interactive
• Pros: Funny version towards the Batman series, graphics are great, game play easy to get into, and massive replay value.
• Cons: No co-op option and vehicles are a bit annoying to drive.
• Final Rating: 4 out of 5