Formats Xbox 360 (tested), PlayStation 3, PC, PS Vita, 3DS Developer Traveller's Tales Publisher Warner Bros. Released Out now Lego Batman 2 is the best Superman game ever made. Admittedly the competition isn't particularly strong, even in games where the tight-wearing square has his name on the box. But as soon as the block-headed Man of Steel descends on Gotham City an hour or two into the game, sporting his smarmy grin and foppish plastic hairdo, he steals the show. Robin can barely contain his excitement. But Batman doesn't like this, not one bit, turning into even more of a grumbling mope than he usually is. But not to worry Bruce! You're almost every bit as fabulous in a terrific, hilarious imagining of the DC menagerie and arguably the best Lego game yet. It never fails to impress how wonderfully crafted the Lego games are. It's a series that could have easily gone stale and flaky several years ago. But there's such passion, drive and good humour poured into every new instalment that it's easy to forgive the overriding similarities that form the basis of each new game.
But why would you change it? Lego's staggering consistency is thanks to the core tenets of bashing, building and collecting shiny things. Simple delights that never wear thin and give a point of reference for players to dive into a new game without having to readjust or learn new tricks. There's a meta comment on the game's development in there somewhere, taking the same blocks, breaking them down, before building them into something new. And as far as construction work goes, Lego Batman 2 is comfortably the most ambitious job Traveller's Tales has embarked upon. The game eases you in as Batman and Robin at the start, thwocking and socking their way through a troupe of super-villains after the Joker and his cronies crash the man of the year award. The linear opening stages speak to the previous Lego Batman, with a wardrobe of terrific suits that give the dynamic duo variable powers. A sensor suit for Batman, for instance, allows him to sneak past cameras and hack into electrical devices, while Robin's acrobat suit has the boy wonder flipping across the rafters.
There's a definite art to the levels, with the different suits leading to an excellent co-operative back and forth between the two characters. The areas are superbly designed and stuffed with distraction --nooks and crannies hiding treasure for inquisitive minds. It's why the Lego games are so great for kids (of all ages), offering a constant loop of feedback and reward as you hunt out things to be smashed or built and are greeted with a shower of the sparkly Lego studs that act as the game's currency. Traveller's Tales have become very good at this, and the inventiveness present within each self-contained stage is a beacon of confident, sharp game design. And you could probably stop there and have yourself a jolly old time with Batman and Robin. But Lego Batman 2 takes the whole DC toybox and chucks it into an open-world Gotham filled with gainful distraction. And as new characters appear in the main missions, they become available to use in the open-world city. Superman's arrival is a revelation, then, his flight allowing you to scoot high above the Gotham skyline, as Danny Elfman's Batman theme melts away to be replaced by John Williams soaring Superman soundtrack.
It's a great view too, with a definite note of Arkham City in its sprawling, painstakingly detailed streets. The Penguin patrols the Gotham Zoo complete with gorillas you can hitch a ride on, the Ace chemicals plant casts a sickly, fluorescent glow on the surrounding suburbs and the Amusement Mile has teacup rides and rollercoasters that our illustrious heroes can ride in return for valuable gold bricks. Who would win a fight between Batman and Superman? Pah, the more important question is: who's the best at dodgems? The excellent main missions are presented as self-contained vignettes at locations around the city (and beyond) and we would heartily recommend playing through the narrative before properly delving into Gotham's secrets. You'll have most of the Justice League at your disposal, whizzing around the streets as The Flash or cobbling together special constructs with the Green Lantern. Villains are scattered around the city to find and fight, before being able to add them to your squad.
It's a wonderful playground crafted with real joy and reverence to the source material. However, the one thing you can count on when emptying the toybox all over the floor is that it will make a bit of a mess, and at times Lego Batman 2 can be a little sloppy. As mentioned, whooshing over Gotham as Superman is a real thrill, but try and control him, or the Batwing for that matter, with any real precision and it can become fiddly and unintuitive. Vehicles have an irritating habit of getting stuck on (or in) scenery. Flying characters can cause havoc with the dynamic split-screen in co-op, while at times mission essential objects can be obscured by an ill-positioned camera. Navigating Gotham can be a pain at times too. There's a compass that's included to guide you to locations and secrets, but it's awkward and obtuse, proving no substitute for a decent mini-map. And then there are the usual Lego issues of no online co-op and an occasionally stuttering framerate. They're niggles, rough edges that you wish were squared away but never have a lasting effect on your enjoyment, but they're definitely there.