[Review] Lego Batman

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Lego Batman: The Videogame is an action-adventure video game based on the comics of Batman, a DC Comics character, and set in the world of LEGO blocks. The game has been developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles, and also for PCs. The game hit the market on September 23, 2008, October 10, 2008 in Europe and October 15 of the same year in Australia.

Playability

The center of the Lego Batman game is similar to that of previous Lego games, such as Lego Indiana Jones: The original trilogy and the Lego Star Wars series. The player controls any of a wide variety of characters from a third-person perspective, especially in fighting enemies, solving puzzles, and collecting Lego "studs", the form of game money. Using combinations of attacks in combat multiplies the amount of "studs" won. The game takes place in Gotham, mainly with realistic environments. Only interactive objects are made with Lego pieces. Occasionally, players must assemble Lego pieces in order to advance in the level, cross obstacles, or unlock new costumes. Players can fight on land, air or sea, using a number of controlled vehicles, including Batmobile, Batbarco and Batwing. New movements of the first series presented at Lego Indiana Jones: the original trilogy are presented in the game. New skills introduced in this game include picking up and carrying on enemies and walking a tightrope through buildings. Up to two players can play in cooperative mode.

There are thirty levels in the game (fifteen for heroes and fifteen for villains), as well as some secret levels, including Wayne Mansion and Arkham Asylum. There are many different environments in the game, usually based on criminal styles of villains, including an ice cream factory, gardening, Gotham sewers, among others. The game is divided into three stories and they are divided equally between heroes and villains. By completing a chapter of the heroes you will unlock one for the villains. Like previous Lego games, levels are unlocked for "Free Play" when a level is finished in Story Mode. "Free Play" allows the player to replay any level he has finished, but with all the characters that have been unlocked so far. This allows access to special areas that contain additional collectibles that the player could not obtain before. This is different in Story Mode, in which the player can only switch between the characters involved in the scene.

The center of the game for heroes, similar to Mos Eisley's Canteen in Lego Star Wars and Barnett College in Indiana Jones, is the Batcave, where the player can buy and additional unlockable characters. The center corresponding to villains is Arkham Asylum, where players can create their own character using parts of already unlocked characters, as well as a limited series of weapons.

Individual characters are able to use unique skills related to their comic talents and powers. For example, the Joker is able to attack enemies and activate machines with a bell in his hand, and The Penguin can plan with his umbrella. Poison Ivy, Gatúbela and Harley Quinn can seduce the guards to open some doors.

Players are able to change the costumes of the main characters (Batman, Robin, Batgirl and Nightwing). Each suit contains unique capabilities and different color schemes. Batman starts with his classic gray suit, while he and Batgirl can wear the Glider Suit (a suit that allows Batman / Batgirl to fly for a short time), the Sonic Suit (a suit that can break the glass), the Suit Demolisher (a suit that allows Batman / Batgirl to activate place and activate bombs), and the Heat Suit (a suit that allows Batman / Batgirl to survive in high temperatures). Robin and Nightwing can use the Technological Suit (a suit that can activate technological panels), Aquatic Suit (a suit that allows Robin / Nightwing to dive into the water), the Magnetic Suit (a suit that allows climbing magnetic walls), and the Attraction Costume (a suit that can suck loose Lego pieces and convert them into bonuses). The devices that provide these costumes must be constructed with Lego pieces in Story Mode, but when the player acquires the costumes, they will be linked to their corresponding characters in the "Free Play" Mode.

The Hush character can be unlocked after finding the twenty-five hostages in heroes and villains levels (excluding vehicle levels). Once the game reaches 100%, Ra's al Ghul can be bought and used as a playable character; and Azrael, Huntress, Black Mask and Spoiler can be created in the Character Creator.

Plot

Lego Batman: The video game is characterized as the first game of Traveler's Tales and Lego to have an original plot. Unlike the previous Traveler's Tales and Lego games, it is based more on the concept of a franchise, rather than following the plot of a particular movie or another story in it. The game features Batman and Robin fighting crime and evil in Gotham. Batman's most dangerous enemies and murderers have escaped from Arkham Asylum and are divided into groups of five, each led by an "intelligent" villain and known with plans to achieve a personal goal:

    The Riddler is after the city's savings in the Gothic City gold reserve.
    The Penguin plans to take control of Gothic City with remote-controlled penguins.
    The Joker intends to blow up the cathedral and spread its lethal gas of laughter through Gotham.

Each group is accompanied by hundreds of thugs and small timers who steal and kill under their orders. Each member of the group also has a specific set of thugs that adapt to their crimes.

The missions for villains mainly show how the villains establish their plans, while the heroes show the destiny and results of the villains and their sadistic plots. The general pattern of each story is that leaders often leave their associates in the hands of Batman or the police once their use is over. In the end, Batman and Robin alter all their plans and send everyone back to Arkham. The Riddler is captured by the clues he leaves behind him, the robot penguins and his team are destroyed, and the Joker does not detonate the bombs. The last scenes show most of the villains missing being back to Arkham, except for the Joker, the Riddler and the Penguin as their plans have failed.

 

Playable characters

There are three chapters with five levels, in which there are five villains. They are listed below:
The Riddle's Revenge

The Revenge of the Riddler is the first. The Riddler wants to steal the gold from the Bank Vault. The characters are as follows:

    El Acertijo - El Acertijo is the leader of the group that tries to steal the gold from the city. Unlike the original version, your cane can control people who have a question mark in their heads. He was defeated by the clues he left. In Arkham Asylum he is furiously screaming.

    Mud Face - The first boss the player must defeat. He and the Riddler steal the bank key, although he is defeated since he stayed. In Arkham Asylum he is seen building ceramic objects with his clay body. Unlike other characters, Cara de Barro can perform a double jump and has a super strength.

    Mr. Cold - The second character to be defeated. He can shoot ice from his cannon and resembles his version of the comic. He and the Riddler steal some ice cannons in their own ice cream factory, but stayed behind to defrost their Cold Girls. It has a super strength. In Arkham Asylum he is seen playing with Lego figures of him and a cold girl. Unlike most of the characters he is immune to toxins.

    Poison Ivy - The fourth character and the only woman in the Riddler group. She is able to perform a double jump and helps the Riddler steal some special seeds. She can grow plants and is immune to toxins. She considers herself an easy boss when the player must defeat her carnivorous plants and then defeat her. In Arkham he is seen growing plants.

    Two Faces - The third and fifth character and the one who sees more time with the Riddler. This pays homage to the movie Batman Forever as it was seen with the Riddler. He helps the Riddler steal a powerful laser weapon, taking it away, being a boss twice, and doing a level of participation in the car chase. It is immune to toxins. In Arkham he is seen throwing a coin.

Trivia: The Riddler group contains all the Batman villains in the Joel Schumacher movies (Batman Forever, Batman & Robin), except for Bane, which was changed to Cara de Barro.

The penguin went crazy with power

    The Penguin - The leader of the group. where he plans to create a machine that will form an army of armed penguins under mental control and invade Gothic City. You can shoot from your umbrella, plan with it, and drop your slave penguins like bombs. In Arkham, he swears his revenge against Batman.

    Bane - The only villain who is caught by the police and not by Batman. He and the Penguin plan to steal in the ports, the satellite dish for his great invention. It is immune to toxins and has super strength. In Arkham, it gives outrageous lollipops.

    Catwoman - The only female character in the group. She and the Penguin are going to steal Gotham's diamond as the core of the mind control apparatus. You can perform a double jump and attack with your whip to disarm enemies. In Arkham, she is seen grooming herself like a cat.

    Killer Croc - He and the Penguin go to the police station to free Catwoman and recover the diamond. He is immune to toxins and has super strength. In Arkham, he tries to escape by biting the bars of his cell.

    Man-Bat - Only available in console versions. He tries to stop Batman and Robín to prevent them from reaching the Penguin's lair in the Gothic city zoo. He has super strength and can plan. In Arkham, he is hung from the ceiling while reading the newspaper.

The return of the Joker

    The Joker / The Joker - The leader of the group. He plans to use his lethal gas of laughter along Gothic. He is immune to toxins and has an electric bell that he uses as a weapon and to operate generators. In Arkham, he is seen pointing a gun with a bang sign after trying to escape by a rope which is taken by Batman.

    Harley Quinn - The only woman on the Joker team. She and the Joker kidnap James Gordon and ends up being captured and then rescued and fight alongside the Joker in the cathedral. In Arkham, he is seen kissing photos of the Joker.

    The Mad Hatter - The only character in the group that does not receive a mission (except in the Nintendo DS version). He and the Joker go to a chemical plant to create the gas of laughter. You can perform a double jump and control people's minds. In Arkham, he is seen drinking tea with a rabbit.

    Scarecrow - He and the Joker go to the art gallery after the fall of the biplane and the helicopter, and they have to find a way out. In the Nintendo DS version, he is immune to toxins. In console versions, you can control people's minds. In Arkham, he is seen along with crows on his shoulders.

    Killer Moth - Only available in console versions. He and the Joker had to rescue Harley Quinn from Commissioner Gordon. In Arkham he is seen staring at a light bulb.

 

Edited September 14, 2019 by axelxcapo