POSTED 23/6/12


LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES

WB Games
PS3 (also on Xbox 360, PC, Wii, Vita, DS, 3DS)

Holy snapping studly plastic paraphernalia, Batman!

Yep, placcy Batman’s back, and he’s goddamned pissed off. Why? Well other than being saddled with that Dick, Robin, this time the douche in tights Superman is hanging around like a red-caped curry fart. It’s abundantly clear that the Bat ain’t a fan, and that’s just part of what makes this adventure really bloody fun. Well, unless you’re a Supes fan, in which case, umm, whatever.

The reason Mr Steelbutt’s on the scene is that Lex Luthor’s muscled in on Gotham, teaming with The Joker for some goal-furthering mutual back scratching – and we’re not talking satiating itchy back spots that are buggers to reach.

Name a DC hero or villain and they’ll likely pop up, and all are eventually playable. For the sake of strewth there’s even a bloke called Captain Boomerang, whose secret weapon is appalling stereotyping. Crikeymatecobberhillshoistvegemitewhaddawhacka!

Basically, if you’ve played one LEGO game then you’ve played this – unless it was LEGO Rock Band, although its animated inbetweenie bits were much the same. Except – and it’s a big except, or ‘accept’ if you’re literacy-challenged - in a series first the characters talk, rather than sounding like vague approximations of Charlie Brown’s teacher. It’s initially jarring, but enhances a story that’s in-joke heavy and often genuinely audible giggle funny (unless somebody dosed us with Smilex). Ace campy ’60s Batman-inspired voice acting helps.

Being mechanically much the same as its predecessors, inherent annoyances remain. Dodgy camera angles causing bullshit deaths, some obtuse puzzles, murky spots, interminable load/save times, things getting immovably stuck etc. Still, we had trouble putting it down, for what that’s worth, and this puppy POW-packs playful protractedness.

Dig the Bat? Dig the LEGO? Dig variety? Then do the Batusi, ’cos this is more holy fun than a boxing ring full of suddenly incapacitated rubber sharks.

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