Review: LEGO Batman stays on the comedic side

October 7, 8:02 PMVideo Game ExaminerQuibian Salazar-Moreno

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The Batman franchise was huge this summer with the blockbuster movie in theatres and whatnot. So wouldn’t it be perfect timing to drop a Batman video game following the smash hit? Enter LEGO Batman

The LEGO games based on Stars Wars and Indiana Jones have been a success, so snatching up the rights to do a Batman version was a decent move. Thing is, the game has nothing to do with the movie. The game also has nothing to do with the animated series and doesn’t follow any stories from any of the comics of Batman’s rich history. So in this game it’s a brand new tale featuring Batman and Robin and like almost every one of his enemies. Of course the Joker is the head boss and breaks out all of the villains from Arkham Asylum and they wreak havoc on Gotham City.

The game begins with three episodes where you play the good guys. As with any LEGO game, there are a lot of destructible items that turn into LEGO pieces, gold and silver coins, and items that you build to get past the level. Throughout the levels you also get to change outfits that can give you different powers. Batman can switch to costumes that allow him to glide over gaps, walk through intense heat and blow up different obstacles while Robin gets a scuba suit, a outfit that allows him to walk on metal walls and computer/tech outfit that allows him to control different robots remotely, among other outfits.

While the game is mostly a beat em’up style game, it does change up the monotony a little bit allowing you to control vehicles over land, water, and air. The concept is still the same though: destroy as much as you can and collect as much loot as you can. As you play, you’ll notice some parts of the levels you can’t get to, like some coins underwater or some switch blocked off by toxic goo. This is on purpose so that when you get Robin scuba gear, or a vehicle that scoops up the goo, you can come back during “Free Play,” which opens after beating a level, to collect the loot.

Once you finish the first three episodes, the game flips on you, allowing you to play as the villains you just captured. While you don’t get to fight Batman and Robin (they are the stars, you know), you don’t get use the cool powers from the likes of The Joker, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze and everybody to take out hordes of police.

While the game is fun, cute and comedic, it does have a few issues. The game, at times, doesn’t really give you a hint on how to solve some of the puzzles. You may have defeated all the enemies, destroyed all the destroyable objects on the screen, and built everything that needed to be built; you can’t get past the level. Then it frustrates you when you finally figure that all you had to do was smash a window to get to the other side of a level. This happens times throughout the game. There’s also an issue with the controls. When you’re jumping or trying to glide over a gap, you may find yourself dying or ending up in some goo because somehow, someway, you were off from landing on the other end.

If you can get over the problems, the game is entertaining and kids will definitely have a blast, especially if mom and dad didn’t let them see The Dark Knight over the summer. Still, the Star Wars and Indiana Jones LEGO games are at the top of the crop, but LEGO Batmanis a solid addition to your collection.

Q’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Gametrailers.com: 8.2 out of 10

1up.com:  C

Check out the trailer: