Lego Batman: The Videogame

- Reviewed on PS3 -

Lego Batman: The Videogame released on September 23rd, 2008.

With majority of the Lego videogames being made by TT Games (as of writing this blog post), TT Games have done a phenomenal job with taking major franchises and making some very compelling games out of them.

Combining these real IPs with the fun and endless possibilities of Lego, you have a project that is fun for any and all ages!

Lego Batman: The Videogame takes the Lego game traditions and still manages to keep that dark and gritty Batman universe that any fan (of any level) of the dark knight can appreciate. 

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

I'm still baffled by my experience with Lego Batman: The Videogame as, after all these years, Lego Batman: The Videogame is still an absolute treasure of a title (in terms of Lego games). 

I genuinely believe this specific game takes / took the Lego game formula and really added more detail / depth to the characters, story (stories), music, and overall atmosphere. 

The main two protagonists in Lego Batman: The Videogame are Batman and Robin. Robin has that silly, clumsy, and overall joyous attitude stigma to him, as Batman remains his true self. 

In the beginning cutscene to Lego Batman: The Videogame, all Arkham Asylum inmates, consisting of the most popular Batman villains, have escaped, and the main premise to the story progression, is that you must recapture each villain one by one. 

Each mission in the game focuses around one (or more) specific villain and their backstory, weapons, attitude, etc. 

You will even get a brief description of each villain during the loading screen(s). 

One extremely neat feature in Lego Batman: The Videogame, that adds on to my earlier claim about how TT Games took this title further, is that you (after finishing the first set of missions) can play as the villains and see how they get to where they end up in the hero's missions. 

You can do this by accessing a specific computer in one of the two hub worlds. The two hub worlds are The Batcave (for hero missions) and Arkham Asylum (for villain missions). 

The Arkham Asylum hub world also has random fighting going on everywhere to help support the aesthetic of the Batman world / universe. 

The combat is... well... fine. Yes, you can throw batarangs and other unique throwables, but at the end of the day, these Lego games are more about the puzzles than anything else. 

Every character has unique grapples, strikes, and finisher animations. 

There is multiplayer for Lego Batman: The Videogame and I suggest taking advantage of this fact as the CPU for single player gameplay is, majority of the time, absolutely ridiculous. 

You (as with all Lego games) have infinite lives, and you can make combat even easier with the cheat codes too. 

These cheat codes can be entered into a computer in the hub world(s) and range from More Hearts, Score Multipliers, or even Invisibility. 

Cheat codes are a Lego game staple that I definitely took advantage of in this title, as there are no trophies / achievements unfortunately. 

There are collectibles though for video game perfectionists. Some in Lego Batman: The Videogame include Minikits, Threatened Citizens, Red Bricks, Characters, etc. 

You can use the in-game currency (Studs) to buy more vehicles and characters too. Just go to a computer in the hub world(s) and after selecting your desired category, you will have them unlocked for free play mode.

One fun feature too, is that when buying Batman related allies like Nightwing or Batgirl, those NPCs will freely navigate the hub world too and the maximum currency (Stud) limit is four billion as well. 

You can create two customizable heroes and / or villains of your desire when unlocking specific characters / areas in-game.

Free play mode is your way of replaying completed missions with a select few of unlocked characters at your disposal. For completionists, this will be a must. 

Lego Batman: The Videogame will constantly show you your overall game completion percentage during gameplay too (pause menu, after beating episodes, etc.). 

Lego Batman: The Videogame is for all ages and if your still stuck, Alfred will help with in-game tips (or Joker will, if you're playing Villain based missions)! 

Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and Nightwing all have unique suits for completing puzzles during missions. These include...

    - Demolition Suit

    - Glide Suit

    - Sonic Suit

    - Heat Protection Suit

    - Technology Suit

    - Magnet Suit

    - Attract Suit

    - Water Suit

There isn't any voice acting in Lego Batman: The Videogame, but although that's a minor inconvenience, the music is absolutely amazing and even is cannon with the older, live action Batman movies! 

All these great features and attention to detail makes Lego Batman: The Videogame a must play for Lego (and Batman) fans. 

The lack of trophies / achievements however, severely disappointed me and with the CPU partner not being reliable at times (along with the game breaking glitches you can accidently perform), Lego Batman: The Videogame is almost a perfect video game. 

Pros: 

    - Outstanding Music

    - Sticks with Batman Lore

    - Plethora of Collectibles 

    - Variety of Characters, Vehicles, and Powers

    - Educational Features (Data Logs and Loading Screen Descriptions) 

    - Hero and Villain Missions (Great Attention to Detail)

    - Good Looking Graphics (Even for its Time)

Cons:

    - No Voice Acting

    - Horrible CPU Partner (with Combat)

    - No Trophies / Achievements

My Rating for Lego Batman: The Videogame (on PS3):

4 / 5

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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.