LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

Okay folks, I’ll admit it. I’m a big kid. And as a big kid, three of my favorite things are video games, comic books, and LEGOs. So, when the superhero-styled team up of Traveller’s Tales and DC Comics came together for the first LEGO Batman … well, let’s just say I was a giddy little fanboy. Now this Dynamic Duo has teamed up once again to build a better Batman, brick by brick, in LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. After playing the first LEGO Batman, I was hard pressed to find too many ways in which Traveller’s Tales could have made it better. I mean, when you’ve got something this good, it doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for improvement. Fast forward four years, and out comes LEGO Batman 2 to show just how wrong I was.

The Dark Knight is brings along a few of his comic book crime fighting cohorts for a piece of the action this time around. The first game included a pretty hefty roster of 48 playable characters, but LEGO Batman 2 super-sizes that roster with more than 60 playable characters, including the ten DLC-only heroes and villains. Traveller’s Tales didn’t just inflate the roster with generic thugs or cops (though a handful of those characters still made the cut). Instead, the studio reached deep into the DC stable to include iconic characters like Wonder Woman and Superman, fan favorites like Harley Quinn and The Flash, and even lesser known entries like Hawkgirl and Captain Boomerang. Best of all, each character includes a power set on par with its comic book counterpart. Superman, for example, has super strength, flight, heat vision, freeze breath, and nearly every other power under the (yellow) sun. And Aquaman … umm … Aquaman swims really well.

It’s not just the roster that’s been expanded in LEGO Batman 2. Gotham City itself has undergone some pretty extensive renovations. Now, players actually roam the streets of the Caped Crusader’s home turf, with the city acting as the open world hub. Whether running on foot, flying through the air, or cruising the streets in the Batmobile, players navigate through Gotham between Story missions. There are also minigames, boss fights, and citizens in peril scattered around the streets and rooftops of Gotham. With all of the different collectibles to be found and things going on around you, there’s always a reason to explore and move off the beaten path.

The gameplay mechanics in LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes remains relatively unchanged from previous LEGO games, not that that’s a bad thing. Each mission is set up with a cute intro and then jumps right into the action. Players beat up the baddies, bust up some LEGO set pieces, and use scattered pieces to rebuild a key component. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. It’s a tried and true formula for Traveller’s Tales, but as the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

While the AI does a good enough job for single player runs, nothing beats playing with friends. And LEGO Batman 2’s drop-in/drop-out co-op play means that a good ol’ fashioned comic book team up is never further away than a second controller. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to drag a buddy over to pull up a seat next to you, and online multiplayer has been conspicuous in its absence since the LEGO Star Wars games.

Despite the lack of online multiplayer, Lego Batman 2 is still a blast to play. Packed with content for longtime comic fans and newcomers alike, there’s something in LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes for everyone. Plus, with all the fun new additions to the tried and true formula, such as the open world hub and actual voice acting for the characters, the game easily takes the crown (or rather the cowl) as the most entertaining LEGO game around. So throw on your favorite DC Underoos, tie that towel around your neck, call over your Justice League teammates, and clean up the streets of Gotham one LEGO at a time. You won’t be disappointed.

- PLEASE NOTE — This review is based on the console versions of LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes.  The game is also available on the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita.  While the bulk of the basic gameplay remains the same, these portable versions lack the open world Gotham City hub and feature edited cinematics.