LEGO Batman 2 Review or Why is every LEGO game filled with bugs?

With all the recent talk about how Superman deserves his own game on the level of the recent Batman games, I thought this would be fun to share.  I wrote this review a while back, when the game was first released.  Sadly, we are still waiting for that great next-generation Superman game.

Here’s the thing about Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes; it’s broken.  Travellers Tales have released a game with so many glitches and bugs, that it’s hard for me to say with a straight face that this is one for my collection.

To be honest, my expectations weren’t that high, as I’ve played previous Lego games before and I knew the gist of what I was getting.  However, the ability to finally fly as Superman in a current generation game is what pulled me in.  I rate the game probably a little higher than it deserves based on this alone.  Flying with Supes, whether it be in the story mode, or in the open-world Gotham City, which acts as a hub between levels, is a lot of fun.  The controls are easy to master and there is no need to switch suits every ten seconds like is necessary with nearly every other character in the game.  I know that needing different suits to be able to pull off different abilities is a big selling point for these games, but I’ve always found it tedious.  

The flying is also a welcome change from the very sensitive driving controls.  Yes, being able to drive the Batmobile is a cool inclusion, but what is the point when it’s no fun to do so?  That said, I do love how the game resembles Tim Burton’s Gotham.  I’ve always had a soft spot for those films and being able to hear Danny Elfman’s theme as I run around Gotham is very cool.  When it comes to being Batman in the game though, I don’t find it very fun.  It’s “walk over here, hit this switch, zip up here, change into this suit to solve this puzzle.”  Rinse and repeat.  Again, I know that is the same core mechanic that has been a part of every Lego game since the first.  I’d just like to see some evolution in the gameplay.

Also, I should mention that there are a myriad of other characters to unlock within the game, including Green Lantern, The Flash and Wonder Woman as well as every villain you can think of.  It’s a cool inclusion, but many will not unlock until after you’ve beaten the game.  Just a word of warning to anyone hoping to play as Superman, Green Lantern etc right out of the box..

At the end of the day though, I am not the game’s core demographic.  If it wasn’t for the ability to fly as Superman, use his freeze breath and heat vision, and hear the John Williams Superman theme every time I take to the skies, (the best part of the game in my opinion), I wouldn’t have bought it in the first place.  If you enjoy the original Superman or Batman films and can look past obvious gameplay glitches, pick this up.  There is a fun game here, it just get’s bogged down by Mr. Freeze and his henchmen every now and again.  Let’s hope there’s a patch incoming to fix these issues, but I’m not holding my super breath.