Heroes united: Batman and Robin will meet Superman during their questThe brick’s hit the fan (yet again) in another brilliant outing in the LEGO franchise from the terrific TT developers.They have built a dream game - one brick at a time.And holy-expectations Batman, they had a lot to live up to. Because the majority of previous outings involving the family-friendly gold mine have been in tip-top form.There’s been a-brick-adabra wizardry with LEGO Harry Potter as well as swashbuckling smash 'n' grabbing in LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean. And let’s not forget the LEGO lightsabers from the Star Wars version.All of these titles bow down to the original master, the 11-million selling LEGO Batman. So does the sequel have a hope in Harley Quinn’s hell of matching up to its predecessor. Of course it does.Not only does LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes combine the exciting aspects of the other games, but it tries to expand further with a lengthy single-player mode set in an open-world environment.
And what a joy it is to see the characters finally talking - previous LEGO games used comical grunts and chuckles during cut-scenes. As unique and cute as this was, TT has done the right thing in taking the next step to grow the characters.Story wise, the dastardly Joker is in Gotham and ready to smash some bricks. He interrupts the Man of the Year award ceremony (which, of course, was supposed to be Bruce Wayne’s big night) and things get ugly. That's some cool trick, man! Batman watches in envy as Superman melts metal Joker teams up with Lex Luthor and lets all the bad guys out of Arkham jail. The characters are delightfully detailed and each has their own persona. For example, Batman’s underlying jealousy of Superman slowly bubbles to surface, as Mr S continues to pop up to help out the Dark Knight with his annoyingly awesome powers.Thus begins your action adventure as the caped crusader and his athletic little mate, Robin. Along the journey, you are introduced to a number of DC characters including Superman and Wonder Woman as you try to battle the evil likes of Lex Luthor, the Penguin, Harley Quinn and Two-Face.The story and cutscenes are sliced effortlessly into the gaming experience and there’s no unnecessary hanging around while you wait to get back into the action.
The scenery and effervescent surroundings make for absorbing entertainment which is incredibly hard to tear away from. The action is just as addictive.You'll get to drive the Batmobile around the city As in most LEGO titles, you need to work as a team to advance through the levels. Each character has their own skills and in Batman 2, there are special suits that give you extra abilities. Batman can jump into an Electrical suit to absorb any shocking objects or jump into a Power outfit to blow stuff up. Robin has his own wonderful wardrobe, too. His Athletic outfit allows him to jump, flip and spring himself through seemingly impossible gaps - sticking beautifully to Robin’s circus background.And then there’s Superman, who can do anything. He can fly, freeze water falls with his ice breath (allowing others to then climb up them) or use his laser beam eyes to cut through metal.If there’s two of you playing, you’ll have to share Superman. If you’re on your own and jumping between characters, it can get a little cluttered with three on the screen at once.
But the teamwork ethos makes this a wonderful family game and the challenges are not as easy as you’d think.The collectables are as plentiful as ever (this gamer’s OCD went into overdrive as he desperately tried to collect as many purple LEGO coins as possible). He's behind you: The Joker is up to his usual tricks so it's time to bring him down The coins can be found by button-mashing your way through objects and bad guys. Each character also has his/her own takedown moves which can vary depending on what buttons you hit. It is slightly frustrating that the bad guys are so easy to dispatch of and the lack of AI takes a slight edge off the game overall.As well as that, there is the chance of rescuing an innocent bystander in every level. All this adds to your total score and your gold LEGO brick collection.This means excellent replayability as you jump back into levels already completed in order to collect everything and rescue everyone. The open world aspect to the game really expands the franchise.
You can go cruising around in the Batmobile collecting coins, running over bad guys and shooting plant pots.One small gripe is the lack of a mini-map - despite a trail of light-blue coins showing you the way, it’s incredibly easy to get lost and the final destination is not always as obvious as you’d like. But the sat-nav fail is not the end of the world. In fact, there’s very little that can be said against Batman 2: DC Super Heroes.It is a glorious game which grows in stature - level by level, piece by piece.Superheroes deserve a super game - and Batman 2 is that game. New Nintendo 3DS XL Console - Metallic Black Amiibo Support - Enjoy amiibo functionality with Super SmashImproved 3D - Enjoy more comfortable 3D viewing; get the best image possible with enhanced 3D technology.Better Controls - A second analogue stick and two extra shoulder buttons make for a superior gaming experience.More Power - Enhanced processing power means significantly faster loading times, download speeds and browsing.
Biggest Screen - Maximise your gaming experience! New Nintendo 3DS XL features the biggest screen. New Nintendo 3DS XL Console - Metallic BlueSNES-Style Buttons - Indulge your inner child with Super Nintendo-style buttons, exclusively on New Nintendo 3DS.Customisation - Match your look with your mood using interchangeable cover plates, exclusively on New Nintendo 3DS (covers sold separately)More Power - Enhanced processing power means significantly faster loading times, download speeds and browsing. Nintendo 2DS Blue & Black Console with Mario Kart 7 New courses take players on wild rides over a mountain road, on city streets and through a dusty desertPlayers can show their own style by customizing their vehicles with accessoriesPeople can choose to race as one of their favourite Mushroom Kingdom characters or even as their Mii characterThe game supports both Spot Pass and Street Pass features.Players can compete in local wireless matches or online over a broadband Internet connection
Choose one of three potential partners - Rowlet, Litten or Popplio “Tomodachi” means “friend” in Japanese, and “friends” are at the heart of this gameMake Miis of anyone you want, scan them in via QR codes or import from your Mii Plaza- For the first time ever, Mii characters behave based on the personality traits you select, playing out the drama you set in motionWatch as your Miis develop relationships and go about their lives on the islandShare experiences of your personal soap opera directly on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr via the Nintendo 3DS Image Share service Mario Party Star Rush 3DS Recruit characters like Toadette, Rosalina and Wario to team up with and support you in Toad Scramble starring ToadsChoose from multiple boards in different worlds, each with tricky boss battlesUp to four players can simultaneously roll and move freely around a mapTeam up with up to four Mushroom Kingdom characters who can help you win by participating in different eventsFully refined for bite-sized portable play