Lego Batman (Wii)

Gamecow’s Price	$29.95
Availability
Genre	Action Adventure
Platform	Nintendo Wii
Release Date	15/10/2008
Rated

Lego Batman continues the tradition of great Lego games.  If you have never played a Lego game before, you don’t know what you are missing out on.  This time round, you get to play either as a good guy or evil guy.

Lego Batman is fantastic fun for the whole family with touches of humour as only Lego can do.  If you don’t get a laugh out of their antics, check your pulse.

Lego Batman (Wii) Product Information

LEGO Batman: The Videogame is the latest game from the award-winning team behind the LEGO Star Wars series of games. With trademark LEGO fun and charm, the game takes you into the world of the ultimate crime-fighting hero.

LEGO Batman: The Videogame brings the one-and-only Caped Crusader to life in a completely original storyline.  Players will take control of the Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin, to fight Gotham City’s most notorious criminals including The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman, Scarecrow, Killer Croc and many more.  The criminals have broken out of Arkham Asylum and are set to wreak havoc on the city. 

Players will also be able to explore their wicked side and fight their way through the game as the villains, experiencing the game from a completely different point of view with all-new criminal objectives!

With a collection of high-tech suits, gadgets and cutting-edge vehicles on hand, players will be able to step into the unique LEGO Batman universe to bring super villains to justice – or, as the villains, to run amok in Gotham City!

Lego Batman (Wii) Review

Unlike previous titles, LEGO Batman isn’t based on any particular film or comic book, instead things are kept simple which has allowed Traveller’s Tales to incorporate a variety of characters. The plot revolves around Gotham’s most dangerous criminals escaping Arkham Asylum and splitting up into three groups, lead by the Joker, the Penguin and the Riddler. In typical fashion, Batman and Robin are called to restore order. Later, players can also play as the villains and see their perspective of the story.

LEGO fans will be familiar with the general mechanics of LEGO Batman. Levels are made up of several rooms and your main goal is to find the exit. This can involve a number of tasks, such as building a tank that lets you knock down a steel gate, flicking switches, or simply traversing to the top of a city building. During your quest you’re accompanied by an AI controlled partner, though a friend can join in via the drop in/out multiplayer option.

It’ll take players around eight or ten hours to play through the story, but one of the great things about the LEGO series is that there is always a ton of replay value. Hidden throughout stages are mini-kits and red LEGO blocks, and by finding them you’ll slowly unlock suit upgrades, cheats and hidden characters. There’s also a quirky fact file which contains brief facts about the Batman universe such as there being multiple Robins and Two-Face’s dependence on his coin. It’s a nice little feature which will benefit those who aren’t too familiar with the comic books. The game’s total lifespan will vary depending if you activate cheats (namely the mini-kit detector) or not, but it’s safe to say that LEGO Batman will keep you occupied for a while.

Visually, LEGO Batman is a lot darker than previous games. In a strange way it’s refreshing for the series, but at the same time it loses some of its appeal. Danny Elfman’s score for Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns can be heard throughout the game, which brings an epic feel to your surroundings. Unfortunately, tunes are repeated over and over again, so things begin to feel a little tiresome. It’s a shame Warner Bros. didn’t allow the use of music from the various animated shows or the newer films, it would’ve added an extra oomph to the experience.

Full review PALGN