Game Title :
Lego BATMAN:
The Videogame
Number Of Players : 1
Genre : Action, Adventure
Retail Price : $30
Legofied Licensed Properties are cursed in the sense that we get exactly what we expect and because of that, we're rarely surprised by what's on offer. To go in playing a 'Lego' game expecting deep combat and an epic story, would be like going to McDonalds and ordering a french dish with a name you can't even pronounce, because you'd still get a Big Mac handed to you and though it's Le' yummy, it's no haute cuisine. Lego games are typically cute with low brow humor. But with these basic expectations in mind, it would be almost too easy for Traveller's Tales to pull the rug out from under us and surprise us. Well, they don't, and we don't really want them to because Lego Batman is fun and mindlessly enjoyable.
Traveller's Tales have made all the Lego + Licensed Property games (Lego: Star Wars, Lego: Indiana Jones) and now they've done Batman. Skilled programmers or not, they've hit pay dirt with this Lego+LP franchise, as it's lucrative business and they're the go to guys to make it happen.
The story in Lego Batman is understandably paper thin, A group of villains break out of Arkham Asylum and split into 3 groups, each group led by a well known Villain (The Joker, Penguin, The Riddler). So this sets up the basic level layout for the game. 3 Chapters, 5 levels each chapter for Batman and Robin to get through. Wait a sec, 15 levels? That's all? Ah, so there in lies the rub. There are another 15 Villain levels too, just as puzzling and cute, somewhat more humorous than the Batman & Robin levels. These aren't just tacked on either. They're as well thought out as the Batman & Robins levels. There is something deeply satisfying about playing as a villain and helping them succeed, perhaps it's because being the bad guy is infinitely more fun.
In Lego Batman, you guide your mini-fig through chaotic levels which are loosely themed, based on the boss you will face later at the end of the level. Around you are crates and other everyday objects that can be smashed apart, usually spitting out numerous studs that you can collect to use later in the Batcave to purchase unlockables, such as characters and suit upgrades. You'll also find that breaking objects is integral to the gameplay, as many times a pile of Lego bricks will be left for you to use to build a ladder, lever, generator or any other level progressing mechanism. This smash and build gameplay is the core of all Lego+IP games.
Batman and Robin each have a number of different 'suits' to change into depending on what is required. Only a couple of these suits are used frequently during Story mode, though the other suits will come in handy to look for hidden items during Freeplay mode. Batman and Robin also have Batarangs at their disposal, useful for hitting targets not within jumping distance. The gameplay itself is incredibly charming, with creative means to defeat bosses and great character animation during cut-scenes. Even for cynics, the low brow humor will not threaten their sense of maturity.
The levels are bound to a linear path where you'll often see areas or levers you can't yet activate or reach until you have the right suit or character in play. These extra bits are accessible once you're in Freeplay mode. The gameplay is straightforward with hardly any learning curve. The majority of the time the puzzles are very simple, so it is a rude awakening when you run into the odd obstacle with no obvious way out. It's quite frustrating until you realize the obscurity of the solution. There's a basic formula to progress in all Lego games, Beat up bad guys, Break everything, Build. Don't stray from this and everything in the game will just fall into place.
Controlling your character is intuitive, but may feel clumsy for intricate jumps, though they are few and far between anyway. Ladders placed at an awkward angle can be frustrating to maneuver as what you think is 'up' will most likely guide the character right off the ladder. The Batarang control scheme also feels 'slippery' but now we're just nit picking considering this game doesn't require any extreme accurate button combination's or timings.
Your 2nd character will get stuck on occasion while you move on further, requiring you to backtrack and 'free' them. They can also be uncooperative during situations that require both characters to work together to overcome an obstacle. This used to be a bigger problem in previous Lego games, and it has been improved for Lego Batman but the still, the issue remains.
To spice things up, there are vehicle/chase sections, which allow you to use the Batmobile, Batbike, Batplane, BatCopter and any other Bat prefixed vehicles. Some may be more challenging than others, but flying over Gotham is, and always will be awesome.
The art direction is a mix of the 1960's TV Show and Burtonesque set design. The latter being more prominent during a plane chase sequence above Gotham, where dark deco towers stand high and far into the distance. The Villains are lovingly inspired by the 'intentionally campy' portrayals from the 1960s TV show as opposed to the 'god awfully campy' Schumacher Batman of the 90's. The character animations also take their cues from the 1960's show, with tableau-esque punches and kicks that have henchmen flying off screen. All that's missing are superimposed 'sound effect' words, though obviously incorporating them would've just been a nuisance.
The in game graphics are adequate but there is blatant dithering to reduce the banding in flat textures. This adds a veil of noticeable grain across the screen. The compromise with the graphics helps the game run smoothly though the frame rate will drop slightly when there's a lot happening on screen. Since this game is a multi platform release, it's safe to say it's a graphically watered down port. It's a fair trade off considering the numerous destructible objects on screen. Thankfully, the console features of the game are left intact, so you won't be missing out on anything.
Seeing as Warner Bros. are handling the publishing aspects, they've kindly allowed Danny Elfman's score from Batman and Batman Returns to be used in the game. The music itself adds a grandness to the game it would not have otherwise, and on an almost subconscious level, the familiar themes and musical cues helps legitimize the Batman experience. Later on in the game, some pieces of music may become slightly repetitive, perhaps if they had included Prince's BatDance it would've added variety.
just joking.
The voice acting, which in typical Lego game fashion, is reduced to expressive grunts, moans and groans, and it works well. Batman has a deep hoarse growl, while Robin's death rattle, intentional or not, echoes the sound of a teenager's voice breaking. The Joker's laugh is maniacal and the female villains are sultry and seductive. I could give my opinion of all vocal performances in the game but there are just too many grunts for me to critique. You get the point.
The lifespan of a Lego game is based solely on how driven the player is to go back and collect all the extras. For some, this may be an enjoyable challenge. For others, a once over with all the 30 'true' levels in the story campaign is enough. It's a good thing Traveller's Tales didn't stray far at all from the Lego Game Formula. The Lego Batman package feels complete and although the platforming nature of the gameplay may become tedious with frequent plays, the familiarity to the gaming mechanics feels tried and true, like a Big Mac. The game's cheeky slapstick cut-scenes are probably the best parts of the game, much more a motivator of playing then say, unlocking Alfred as a playable character. Lego Batman is enjoyable fluff, a harmless game that earns more praise than it should have any right to, yet praise it we will, because it's Lego and it's Batman and it's yum, like a Big Mac.
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 8/10
Controls: 8/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Overall:
7.75/10
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Lego Batman: The Videogame [Tiga Review]
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