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LEGO Batman: The Videogame Review
Written by Chris Buffa on Monday, September 29, 2008
Lots of heroes and villains to play as, you can drive the Batmobile, cool music, lots of LEGO stuff to collect, neat suits, comic book style cut scenes, wireless multiplayer for two.
Controlling characters with the d-pad isn't as good as using an analog stick, not always easy figuring out where to go, multiplayer requires two copies of the game, plays almost exactly like previous LEGO games.
LEGO Batman: The Videogame is a good pick-up for DS owners, thanks to its numerous playable characters, slick-looking graphics and cool LEGO effects. The Caped Crusader and company wander through Gotham City beating up bad guys, driving all sorts of vehicles and in typical LEGO video game fashion, collecting bricks and building stuff, making it a fun adventure for all ages.
You begin your adventure as Batman and his trusty sidekick, Robin. Gotham City's biggest villains, including The Joker, The Riddler and Poison Ivy hatch a diabolical plot and it's up to you to put them behind bars. What ensues is similar to LEGO Star Wars and Indiana Jones, as you explore environments loaded with collectible goodies and bad guys. You'll beat up trashcans to collect studs and hearts (these refill your health) and piece together LEGOs to make various objects that aid you on your quest, such as switches and levers that reveal hidden passages. In addition, there are multiple suits throughout the game that imbue the wearer with unique abilities. Batman's Glide Suit, for example, lets him soar over gaps, while his Demolition Suit allows him to set explosive charges.
Of course, it wouldn't be a LEGO video game without multiple characters, and LEGO Batman has tons of DC Comics' best. In fact, you can play an alternate version as the villains, giving you the opportunity to be The Joker, Catwoman, Harley Quinn and The Penguin. Like Batman, they have signature abilities that enable them to activate character-specific items, which encourages you to play the game more than once. Vehicles also play a role in LEGO Batman, and fans will enjoy driving the Batmobile and the Batwing.
Throughout the game, you'll have a computer-controlled partner that you can switch to on the fly, but if you'd rather play alongside a friend, you can team up locally. Keep in mind, however, that you'll both need copies of the game.
Since the DS isn't as powerful as the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, the game doesn't look as sharp as the console versions, but developer Traveller's Tales did a great job shoehorning a big game onto Nintendo's handheld. You won't explore the same exact environments, but these pint-size levels have plenty of things to see and do. Just don't expect the same cut scenes. Instead of animated movies, you've got comic book style panels that you advance by tapping the touch screen. They work decently enough, but you may need to examine a slide for several moments to figure out what's going on.
That also holds true with playing the game. Several times, we got lost because we didn't know how to advance or the clue didn't make sense. However, we eventually figured things out, and we doubt kids will have a problem with this.
With vehicles, suits and lots of classic characters, LEGO Batman: The Videogame is a fun DS game worth your time. It's not as attractive as the PSP version and it doesn't take great advantage of the hardware, but if Nintendo's system is all you own, it's worth a trip to the Batcave.
posted 11 months ago