LEGO Batman: The Video Game

October 3,2008 - The Lego games have become too popular for their own good, and way more popular than anyone would have ever imagined. It’s only suitable then for Traveler’s Tales to release another game based on a popular franchise, this time utilizing the immense success and wealth that has been gained by the Dark Knight film and create Lego Batman. While the game features plenty of the same humor and fun gameplay that the other titles were well known for, sometimes too much of one thing is not such a good idea.

Lego Batman follows its own individual story, with a wide array of characters escaping from Arkham Asylum and begin to destroy Gotham City. Not your overly complicated storyline, but the game does manage to not follow any sort of Batman canon at all, never relying too heavily on events from past movies or comics. Lego Batman does succeed in this attempt, creating a completely unique and original tale for which players can control any character they wish and actually be intrigued by the events before them. This was not the case however with the other games, where a linearity of sorts created a bland sense of exploration.

The game also utilizes one of the largest casts of enemy characters ever seen in a game, with the villains outnumbering the good guys by 2:1. With so many bad guys wreaking havoc, it would have been fashionable to let the action last a lot longer then it usually does. With every level utilizing its fair share of puzzles, exploration and combat, the game only took about nine hours to finish. Still, controlling a LEGO version of Batman and whooping Clayface, Harley Quinn, Mad Hatter and all the baddies from the films was a very enjoyable experience.

About halfway through the game you will end up taking control of the villains and learn their side of the story as to why they hate Batman so much. It’s an intriguing concept, and one that definitely shows the artistic prowess and beauty of the game. Besides this dual storymode, the combat never gets dull either thanks to the wide assortment of special attacks the various characters have. Alfred Pennyworth (you remember Wayne's ol’ butler, don’t you?) can throw his tea tray at enemies while Robin can walk along walls ala Spider-Man. The villains have the same diverse aspects as well, where Harley Quinn is just as crazy as the Joker, Clayface can shape-shift, and Mad Hatter can control minds.

But while meeting up with all the enemies is solid fun, the game never really branches off that idea when it comes down to exploration. Each level feels as drone as the one before it and many of the puzzles amount to nothing more but button pressing and lever pulling. Many times you will also find yourself glaring at the screen for a long time trying to figure out the solution to a puzzle that could have easily been deciphered in two minutes had the level design not been so damn awful. The levels in this Lego game are probably the worst yet out of the three franchises, and that is being awfully generous. Indiana Jones had its fair share of monotonous desert levels, but Gotham City is just as dull and barren as those ever were. Nothing seems to change either when you come back for seconds, as role reversal is just another excuse for the developers to not have to create more levels.

The enemy AI is probably the biggest offense in the game. For a franchise that has gathered so many fans and released three titles before it, it is a shame that the developers have not changed anything about the atrocious AI. Remember those moments in past titles where your dimwitted friend would follow you around while you are trying to solve a puzzle, when all he has to do is stand on a switch? Yep, those moments are back, as well as countless other moments from previous games like allies falling to their deaths and some that never fight back against enemies which will make even some of the easiest battles feel like a constant chore.

The levels that aren’t so drone and dull get replaced by really, really, really bad driving sequences in which case you control a speeder, plane, or some other form of transportation. Just like the other games, these levels amount to nothing more than mindless killfests where you simply mash on buttons to slaughter enemies. However, the controls in Lego Batman seemed to have gotten worse from the previous games, with cars that never handle correctly and guns that will shoot in the wrong direction. Enemy AI also makes another brilliant appearance here as well, as they will either never shoot at an enemy following you or drive so haphazardly it is nearly impossible to shoot yourself anyways.

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