Wednesday, June 20, 2012
As far as video games go, I’m all over the map.
I like old school classics like ‘Super Mario Brothers’ and ‘Sonic
the Hedgehog.’
I like newer endeavors like ‘Batman: Arkham Asylum’ and ‘Kinect
Star Wars.’
As a horror movie fan, the new ‘Silent Hill: Downpour’ was
engaging and scary (and difficult).
And, quite frankly, I’m addicted to the LEGO video games.
I bought the first LEGO video game years ago – mostly because
it happened to be a 'Star Wars' video game. I didn’t expect much from it, so you
can imagine my surprise when not only was the game engrossing but it was also
challenging. I became obsessed with getting it up to 100 percent.
The strength of sales for the first ‘Star Wars’ LEGO video
game surprised just about everyone.
The game was followed by ‘Indiana Jones,’ another two ‘Star
Wars’ titles, ‘Batman,’ ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Pirates of the Carribbean.’ I’ve
bought them all and, for the most part, I’ve enjoyed playing them all.
The two titles that I didn’t like playing were ‘Batman’ and ‘Indiana
Jones.’ There’s just something about the entries that I found lackluster.
So, it was understandable that I had some trepidation when
it came to buying the new ‘LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes’ – which was released
Tuesday.
I love the LEGO games, I really do, but I didn’t ultimately
decide to purchase the title until about three weeks ago. Quite frankly, I
think it had more to do with the fact that I hadn’t found very many video games
that I was interested in recent weeks – other than ‘Game of Thrones,’ that is.
All I can say is that I’m glad my boredom won out over my
disdain for the previous Batman title. I would have been missing a lot of fun.
First of all, LEGO broke new ground this time around by
having the characters talk. Sure, I enjoyed the hilarious antics of the quiet
LEGO characters, but there’s something endearing about the new talking LEGOs.
So far, and I’m only about a third of the way through the
game, I’ve enjoyed the antics of the characters (special shout out to LEGO
Two-Face, who I’m in love with).
The LEGO video games have always been a mixture of childish
and adult humor. I had to laugh at this game because Robin’s obvious admiration
for Superman is not only hilarious, but somewhat homoerotic. Sorry fanboys, it’s
true.
I’m not a comic book fan, but I am a super hero fan on the
big screen.
That being said, the game does have two drawbacks.
The first is the driving function. I don’t know anyone that
wasn’t geeked about taking the Batmobile out for a spin. The problem is, the
Batmobile, and Robin’s motorcycle and, quite frankly, every vehicle introduced
so far is hard to control. It’s fairly annoying. I’ve had to ditch the
Batmobile twice now and carry on with my mission on foot because it gets caught
up on a bridge or over a railing (yes, I know that’s a commentary on my
driving).
My second quibble is the level length. I know it’s a
personal thing, but I prefer more levels that are shorter in length than fewer
levels that are longer in length.
Essentially, I have the attention span of a gnat, so it
would be nice to be able to play a level in 15 minutes and leave for awhile and
then return. I know that’s a minor quibble, though.
In the grand scheme of things, I’m still taking a tour
through Gotham and all that it has to offer – and trust me, that’s a lot. I
also think the Batcave is cute and unassuming.
Oh, I would be remiss not to mention the graphics – which are
the best of any LEGO game up to this point. That being said, I still prefer the
smaller “common” areas in both the ‘Harry Potter’ titles and ‘Pirates of the
Carribbean.’ The common area in this game is expansive -- and filled with quests.
I can already tell it’s going to take me two weeks to get
this video game up to 100 percent – and I won’t be able to sleep until it’s
mission accomplished.
Then I’ll have just enough time to recover before the title
I’m really excited about – ‘Lord of the Rings’ – comes out in October.
Bring on Middle Earth.
What do you think? Is ‘LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes’ a
worthy entry into the LEGO franchise?
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