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LEGO Batman 3 is out and has had some good responses from all over the world. We bring you our review for the game for gamers to analyse and get a feel of the same.
Well, its LEGO. It's batman. And it's exactly what you would expect. If you loved LEGO Marvel, this almost feels a bit like a sibling. Fun for everyone in the family. Over the last few years the LEGO games have stuck to their tried and tested formula and as such have attracted some criticism from those wishing for a more deep and meaningful experience, pushing the games into the ‘guilty pleasure’ category. However, the games are loved by most people around and the latest release follows the same tradition.
STORY
The stories within the LEGO games have never been the main attraction but instead it’s the stories they’ve re-told through mimed expressions and slapstick humour that keep people coming back for more. That’s not necessarily true in the case of the Batman games. LEGO Batman 3 is, in essence, more of the same when it comes to story, though its still a fun narrative to follow as you smash your way through the games lengthy levels, though it’s not going to be winning any awards based on its writing. The story isn’t too great but will have you spending some cheerful times in the game. The game boasts plenty of charactes, as always with the game throwing in DC’s most memorable heroes and villains into the fray faster than you would expect. Characters are all given their own voices and chatter their way through levels which is nice. The main campain will take you around 10 hours to get through with levels taking quite a while to plow through. Don’t expect the story to unfold throughout the gameplay, but instead it gets told through the many cut-scenes which are well designed and will keep youngsters entertained a great deal more than adults.It’s not the strongest story you’ll play this year, but in the context of the game it works brilliantly and it’s always fun to see DC’s characters going toe-to-toe with some genuinely ‘laugh out loud’ exchanges between them.
GAMEPLAY
It’s the gameplay that really makes the LEGO games the success they are. If you’ve played one you’ve played them all. You’ll make your way through tonnes of levels, smashing objects and collecting studs, a tried and tested formula that’s been going for nearly a decade now. However, this time things are slightly different in terms of level design. Instead of being given an open-world to explore you’re presented with ‘hubs’ which serve as central, well, hubs that can be explored and lead into the levels, most of which are fairly long, uncomfortably long at times. Levels can take around 45 minutes to get through if you stop to smash everything and attempt to collect all the collectibles. Even if you don’t, there are occasions when the checkpoints are a little too far apart. Well, playing through the levels is still great fun and even better with a second player.
Well-designed levels encourage you to branch away from the set path and try to find the hidden collectibles or simply just to see what’s behind big smashable object A and object B. Traveller’s Tales haven’t changed much up and at this point they really don’t need to. The gameplay is solid and beating down on enemies is still a helluva lot of fun, especially once you’ve unlocked a few more characters and get to play around with their abilities. Some of those characters are naturally more enjoyable to play as than others with those who can fly taking the top spot, mainly because flight has been reworked and as such it’s much more enjoyable with easier controls.
GRAPHICS
Sleek and crisp visuals that can stand the test of time – a general expectation for the LEGO games as it has been for quite sometime, unchanged. The LEGO Batman 3 is no exception again. The graphics aren’t the most fancy ones you’ll ever see on consoles or PC, but they’re perfectly serviceable and the game is a genuine pleasure to observe. Characters are all lovingly detailed and the environments pop out of the screen with their bright and bold contrasting colours. The game performs admirably too with very little in the way of slow-downs or stutters, though there are the occasional frame-rate dips when there’s a ton of fun happening on screen, but it’s barely noticeable and doesn’t affect the game at all.
Overall, it’s just what you’d expect from a LEGO game, nothing more and nothing less and that’s probably for the best. The day the LEGO games go for photo-realism will be the day the series dies. The cartoonish design is all part of the games appeal. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is an entertaining romp with DC’s most memorable characters from both sides of the moral fence. Gameplay is fun, the visuals are superb but the story isn’t the strongest and it’s a genuine shame that a more engaging tale couldn’t be told, there’s a vast history behind the characters that could be explored. Kids will love it and adults will still find enjoyment with all the familiars.
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is out for PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS Vita, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and iOS. Go grab your copy!
