I’ve enjoyed playing the LEGO video games for the past several years, having been sucked in by LEGO Star Wars and its lighthearted interpretation of the prequel trilogy which, up until that point, had given me almost nothing but disappointment. The second installment was the original trilogy, and if you had your saved games on the same memory card, you could play out scenarios where Luke defeats the greatest threat to the galaxy: Jar Jar Binks. Those games came with built-in replay value, and were a nice option for a guy who still liked to play, but couldn’t find the time to immerse himself in epic RPGs between his 45 hours at work and quality time with his newborn son. I already knew the story, and the levels were short enough that I could play through a couple and still accomplish what I needed to without losing track of where I was the next time I powered up the Wii.
A couple years later, I convinced my wife to let me buy an Xbox 360 (one of the few times my son has ever been wholly on my side), and as I picked some used games out for my brand-new system, saw that there were a few more titles in the LEGO lineup. I grabbed LEGO Indiana Jones and LEGO Batman, and LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (which combined the first two games, but added in more functionality and interplay, and slightly better graphics), and my son was almost as excited as I was to get the system hooked up to the T.V. For him, I think, it was like watching and interactive cartoon, and every night when I got home from work, he ask me to play LEGO Star Wars (until I beat it, then he begged for Batman). The gameplay was fairly straightforward, and it gave me a chance to introduce him to some franchises I held dear, but in a slightly more age-appropriate manner.
As I began to fall out of love with the Fable series (the studio deciding to go ahead with aspects that I never much cared for, mangling the things which I absolutely had adored), I found myself appreciating Traveller’s Tales all the more. They took the things that worked and made them better, and only added in new elements a little at a time. There were only just a very few missteps along the way: the way to purchase unlocked characters, the confusing character selection and magic system of the Harry Potter series, the second LEGO Indiana Jones game. On the whole, though, the games improved in line with what players actually wanted to see. Their choice to incorporate voice acting into their games made them more cinematic experience, and with every new release, the open world hub became more dynamic.
I had a lot of fun with LEGO Batman 2 and LOTR (in which they used actual audio from the films), and their movie tie-in for The LEGO Movie was a work of school-age genius. So when I heard that they were doing a third installment in their Batman series, my only concern was the price of a brand new game. I’ve only ever bought a couple games within the first month of their release, preferring to wait six months or so for a price drop of 2/3. If the game was good, it would still be just as good, and if it was a disappointment, I’d only be out $20 or so. But luckily for both me and my son, the game dropped down to about half-price within a couple months, and it was just a week ago that we were able to pick it up.
A couple years ago, I’d been tired of coming home after a long day at work and being ordered to play video games. I tried everything to get David interested in playing by himself, but he seemed terrified at the very notion. Finally, I shoved a controller in his hand and talked him through a low risk level in LEGO Star Wars 3. I actually was able to see his lightbulb moment, and from that time on, it has been me begging to play the 360 when I get home from work (on the weekends, of course. Early on, I laid the ground rule that he couldn’t play the Xbox on a school night). I know it’s probably not the best thing for him, but at least with these games, he’s interacting with the television, and, to be honest, I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for him on this, as I was forbidden to possess a gaming console until I moved out of my mother’s house.
LEGO Batman 3 is a wonderful introduction to the DC Universe, and stunning answer to LEGO Marvel (released the year before). Something that worked so well in the Marvel game was the pervasive humor throughout. The Batman games, while still aimed primarily at children, were a bit darker, though still completely enjoyable. What they have done in this installment is to pay homage to the 75 years of the Caped Crusader, incorporating not only the Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan visions (toned down for younger eyes, obviously), but also the Adam West era as well. As DC is preparing a multi-year film commitment to try and follow Marvel’s box office success, so too does this game follow a similar style played out in its rival from the year before.
The levels are fairly easy to get through in Story Mode, and complicated enough in Free Play that it’s like getting two whole games for the price of one. I like the cast of characters that have for the player to unlock, as it gives me a chance to go off on tangents with my son about various obscure storylines from issues long ago. The Open World and Hub areas now include the Batcave, Watchtower, Hall of Justice, and the Lantern Worlds, all with various missions to play and even more characters to unlock. My only complaint is Traveller’s Tales’ growing dependence on DLC as these releases progress. As I recall, it began with a Character Pack in LEGO Batman 2, which was really for a couple giggles, and not integral to the game itself, to Weapons Packs in LOTR, and now finally a “Season Pass” for this game which includes 6 complete levels, and a host of extra characters. The characters themselves are incidental (I mean, who’s really dying to play the game as Az-Bat?), but that amount is close to a third more a game that just wasn’t added until later. Eventually, I suppose, they’ll re-release it with everything included, but as for now, I’d recommend you hold off on picking it up until it drops down in price a little further if you intend to drop the $15 for the extras.
Overall, I’m still quite satisfied with the game, and my son is quite smitten with it.
Final Score: B+
-Tex