Like the first two games in the series, LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham begins with the terrestrial adventures of Batman and Robin. It's a slow start, but then comes a moment when it all comes together and the game kicks into high gear. It's not an easy moment to pinpoint, but after much soul-searching and replaying the first few levels of the game when I should have been continuing story mode, I think I've narrowed it down to one perfect moment. The LEGO Batman series thrives on music from past incarnations of its heroes, from the Superman theme from the Richard Donner movie to Danny Elfman's score for the original Batman films, which is honestly starting to get a little old after three game's worth of it. But this — this will never get old. That right there is Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel's theme song from the 1975 live-action Wonder Woman television show, starring Lynda Carter as young boy's confusion. At least that's the role I remember her playing from watching the show in syndication as a lad.
The first time I made Wonder Woman fly in LEGO Batman 3 was definitely the turning point for me. The game instantly transformed from formulaic LEGO adventure to nostalgic romp. This was definitely that moment.maybe it was this. A rocket ride to the besieged Watchtower, orbital base of the Justice League, suddenly transformers into a circular side-scrolling shoot 'em up starring Batman. Here is a LEGO Batman game that's not afraid to push the limits of whatIt's this sort of daring variety I was expecting in LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, a game that didn't live up to its promise as well as it could have. It also backs up my theory that the best Batman video games are already proven games that just happen to have Batman in them now.Greatest Batman game ever. This was that moment. As soon as this multi-wave space shooter kicked in, I knew this was going to be a great game. Although, there was that other moment... nah, most of you wouldn't get it. One of my biggest worries about
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is that it would learn nothing from The LEGO Movie Video Game, my favorite LEGO game release so far. I was afraid this latest LEGO adventure would ignore advances made in the movie tie-in entirely. Turns out that was a silly fear. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham takes the Master Builder mechanic from the movie game and uses it as a way to represent characters with super speed — Flash, Superman, Not Slow Man and the like. Standing one of these characters on a special platform, the player selects a trio of scenery bits and then sits back as they're transformed into something cool at ludicrous speed. As I watched the Flash whip up a massive water cannon out of things the game just had lying around I was overjoyed. That was the moment I realized this game was more than just an extension of the LEGO Batman franchise, but rather the LEGO video game franchise as a whole. It was the best moment in the game so far. Well, there was that other one.
LEGO Batman 2 took forever to introduce its full cast of DC Comics characters, and it felt like as soon as the gang was all accounted for, the game ended. The game kicks off with a Batman and Robin adventure, but soon we're wandering all over the world with some of DC's finest. Here we have the holy trinity of DC Super Heroes — Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman — together at last in a tiny LEGO version of Paris. Superman is larger-than-life (literally, in this case). Wonder Woman is obviously annoyed that Batman's along for the ride. And the caped crusader himself? Not only is this a significant moment in LEGO Batman casting, it's also a showcase for a very clever use of LEGO micro-builds. Superman villain Braniac has harnessed the power of the various colored Lanterns (Green, Red, Yellow, Tartan, Clear) to enhance the power of his shrink ray. Instead of his normal practice of collecting miniaturized cities, he's upgrading to whole planets, and Earth is first on his cosmic geek checklist.
Micro-builds utilize smaller LEGO pieces as an economic way to recreate scenes and objects that would be far too massive at standard minifigure scale. Despite the downsizing, the right builder can really bring out subtle architectural features with a micro-build. It's an ingenious way to depict a shrinking world, one that had me reaching for my LEGO reserves with an eye on recreation. This moment was when I really knew LEGO Batman 3 was more than just a good game. I wanted a title that focused on the best aspects of both the DC Universe and LEGO building, and this is that exactly. Truth is the more I play LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, the more moments of greatness I come across. If the trend continues as I finish the game, pinpointing a singular moment will be nigh impossible. I guess I'll just have to settle for the next best thing. Every time Conan O'Brien opens his stupid blocky mouth. 42 used & new from $17.54 #164 in Video Games > Xbox One > Games 0.5 x 5.2 x 6.7 inches;
5 star75%4 star9%3 star9%2 star2%1 star5%See all verified purchase reviewsTop Customer ReviewsSoooo many glitches!|A no-brainer for 5 stars? Lego games never disappoint|EXTREMELY repetitive, DLC is fun|Good fam fun|just like all other lego video games| Video Games > Kids & Family > Xbox One > Games Video Games > Xbox One > Games See and discover other items: dc cyborg, xbox one kid games Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii U, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox OneHome > Product Reviews > Game Reviews > Lego Batman 3 is cookie-cutter game design at its worst. It’s a perfectly functional game, with bright colors, family-friendly play, and grin-worthy writing, but it’s undeniably safe. There’s nothing remotely interesting or forward-thinking about it; worse even, it manages to step back from some of the new ideas its predecessor introduced. The biggest shame of all is that it’s not broken out of the gate.
At least in that case, developer TT Games might be encouraged to re-think its increasingly stale Lego game framework. This is a series that refuses to grow, even as it chases an older audience. It’s a new adventure for Batman and his pals in the Justice League. Brainiac is out to shrink down the planet Earth for his private collection, and he’s using the combined powers of the cosmic Lantern Corps (and Sinestro Corps) to win his prize. Only the collected talents of DC Comics’ mightiest heroes can hope to stop him. Lego Batman 2 moved the series forward by introducing Gotham City as a freely explorable open world for the first time in any Lego game. Beyond Gotham reins that freedom in, with exploration restricted to hubs like the Batcave and the Watchtower, Justice League’s orbital base. There’s still plenty of stuff to find. Minikit pieces, hidden characters, context-specific collectibles, and more fill every level. Most of it can’t be unearthed on an initial playthrough since the characters in each level – and abilities you have access to – are scripted.
To find and fully unlock everything, you need to run through each level twice, at the very least: Once for the story and again, in Free Play, for the collectibles. The cast of 150-plus characters ranges from known DC faves like Batgirl and Lobo to lesser-known characters like Doctor Fate and The Fierce Flame – but they all draw from the same, limited pool of powers. The Fierce Flame is basically just a palette-swapped Flash; Doctor Fate just combines the abilities of two “core” characters. Then there are random cast members, like Kevin Smith (armed with a sonar gun, for some reason) and original 1960s Batman actor Adam West, unlocked by completing “Adam West In Peril” mini-challenges in each level. They’re joined by DC execs Jim Lee and Geoff Johns, and late-night host Conan O’Brien, who serves as your tour guide in each hub. The result is a game that doesn’t seem to identify its audience properly. Again and again, TT Games has defended design decisions like the lack of online play in Lego games as the price paid for family-friendliness in its games.
But what young gamer really knows who Conan O’Brien is? Is a 10-year-old really going to get excited about playing as Geoff Johns? Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham can’t make up its mind about what type of fan it should serve. There’s plenty to discover outside the story missions. Unlocking gold bricks – the series’ standard marker of progress – opens up access to a series of hub areas, Earthly and otherwise. In addition to familiar locations like the Hall of Justice, there are also exploration zones on each of the Lantern worlds (in addition to the story levels for each one). There are also new VR Missions that amount to quick-hit challenges you can complete for even more rewards. It’s a lot of content, sure, but there’s not enough depth in the gameplay to justify anyone pursuing 100-percent completion. Combat still boils down to mashing on buttons until all the enemies are gone. Puzzles are just simple as they’ve always been, with a static difficulty designed to favor the youngest audience possible.
But it’s been almost 10 years since the first of these titles – Lego Star Wars: The Video Game – arrived, and the series has failed to grow with its audience. The writing is sharp, no question. It’s hard not to grin when Wonder Woman takes flight to the sounds of the old TV show’s theme song. That’s not enough though. The 10-year-old Lego Star Wars fans that are now 20 don’t want to simply mash buttons through hours and hours of mindless entertainment. This is a series that refuses to grow, even as it chases an older audience. The result is a divided experience that leans too heavily on fan service without building in enough gameplay to keep those older players happy. TT Games needs to embrace evolution in its increasingly stagnant catalog of Lego games. It also needs to decide on an audience. Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham can’t make up its mind about what type of fan it should serve. This game was reviewed on a PlayStation 4 using a disc provided by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.