Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
by Nerdly Sorcerer Supreme
Beware of spoilers
Full
disclosure before I start. Given a choice I will tend to choose Marvel
properties over DC, I feel more at home in their universe and more of
my favourite characters are Marvel. This isn’t to say that I don’t have
my favourites within the DCU, just that I’d sooner pick up a copy of
Avengers over the Justice League, Doctor Strange over Doctor Fate, and
Captain Marvel over Captain Marvel.
One
thing I do enjoy, though, is the Lego video game franchise. I rank the
first Batman game as my favourite yet, so when I heard that there was
going to be a second one, one with an expanded DC roster, my mouth began
watering.
So
let’s get to the plot. Lex Luthor breaks Joker out of prison and the
two team up to try and defeat Batman and Superman. Eventually the
Justice League gets involved as well and mayhem ensues. There aren’t
many twists and turns to the plot, but it’s kept reasonably light. Like
when Joker and Luthor discover the location of the Bat Cave and
casually mention “Oh look, there’s Wayne Manor.”
Wait,
what? Mention? That’s right, for the first time the Lego game series
has proper voice acting and dialogue. I liked the games better without
talking, it added a certain charm and I thought it helped with the
comedic factor. On the whole I don’t think it added much to the game,
but it wasn’t a deal breaker.
The
one little spot that the plot falls flat is that the game felt to me
like it ends abruptly with the likely
next villain making an appearance. After the story ends comes the free
play mode, and that’s where you get to explore the world as any
character you please, discovering the individual advantages and
disadvantages.
The
mechanics are simple, and if you’ve played previous games they
shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Flying is new, and it’s tricky to
figure out, but it’s still enjoyable. I can’t count the number of
times I’d have a character fly close to the ocean just to see the water
spraying in the air, or just hovering in the air, staring around the
city.
To
further the point, being Superman yields the advantage of hearing his
iconic music in the background while he flies, and it still sends chills
up my spine to hear it. The bulk of the music, however, is more Batman
oriented which is fine by me, it’s his name on the title.
I
would be
remiss if I didn’t touch on the roster.
Your primary characters
through story mode are Batman, Robin and Superman (picking up Green
Lantern, Flash, Cyborg and Wonder Woman later on) but come free play
mode you can pick up all sorts of people, from Aquaman to Zod. There’s
such variety, with only a slight emphasis on Batman and Superman’s
supporting cast, that you’re sure to find a favorite character in the
game along with some of the generic henchmen. There’s something amusing
about having the Riddler fighting off his own goons in the middle of
the streets of Gotham City.
On the whole I give the game a solid 8 out of 10. There’s room for improvement, but it’s a welcome addition to the franchise. It receives a good happy Nerdly seal.
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