| Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developers |
|
| Publishers | |
| Directors |
|
| Designer | Jon Burton |
| Programmer | Steve Harding |
| Artist | Leon Warren |
| Writer | David A. Goodman |
| Composer | Rob Westwood |
| Series | Lego Batman |
| Platforms | |
| Release | |
| Genres | Action-adventure Superhero fiction |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is a 2012Lego-themedaction-adventure game developed byTraveller's Tales and published byWarner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game is a sequel toLego Batman: The Videogame[2] and the second installment in theLego Batman series. The main storyline followsBatman,Robin, andSuperman as they attempt to foil theJoker andLex Luthor's plans to have the latter becomepresident of the United States, joining forces with theJustice League along the way. As a result, the game's cast is larger than its predecessor and includes characters outside of the Batman series.
The game is presented in athird-person perspective, with missions in the game showing an emphasis on exploration. The player is able to complete various side missions within the fictionalGotham City to unlock characters and use them within missions once completed. Unlike its previous games, which uses wordless grunts, the game is the first in Traveller's Tales' Lego series to feature spoken dialogue and an open world.
Lego Batman 2 was released worldwide for theMicrosoft Windows,PlayStation 3,Wii,Xbox 360,PlayStation Vita,Nintendo 3DS andNintendo DS in June 2012. AnOS X version of the game, published byFeral Interactive, was released in September 2012, followed by aWii U version in May 2013. A mobile version of the game, titledLego Batman: DC Super Heroes was released foriOS in March 2013 and forAndroid in March 2016. The game received generally positive reviews for most platforms, and mixed reviews for the 3DS and Vita, and sold 3.4 million copies by March 2013. A film adaptation was released on Blu-ray andDVD in May 2013 as a compilation of cutscenes from the game. A standalone sequel,Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, was released in November 2014.
Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is an action-adventureopen-world game. The gameplay is similar toLego Batman: The Videogame, and presented in thethird-person perspective where the playable character is allowed access through the visible elements of the 3D space they are in, although some missions force the camera to be in a 2.5D perspective.[3] The game is set primarily within Gotham City, althoughMetropolis is also visited as part of a mission. The player can freely explore Gotham City and unlock various characters within it, and some of the elements are broken into "bricks", which the player can use to build new suits or construct objects that can help solve puzzles.[4]
Like its predecessor, the player can defeat enemies by using the abilities each character provides, such asSuperman's super freeze or theJoker's handbuzzer, as well as traditional combat moves such as standard punches and kicks. Most enemies in the game do not carry weapons, although boss levels may have certain weapons or abilities that the player must counter. Combat rewards the player with studs, which the player can use to purchase new characters to use in the game's free roam section, and thereby contributes to their "True Hero" percentage for the mission.[5] Some suits fromLego Batman: The Videogame return inLego Batman 2, such as the magnetic suit for Robin, and the sonic, demolition and sonars suit for Batman.[6][7] Certain adjustments exist between the two games, including the addition of a glass shattering gun to the glide suit (now called the bat suit), and the addition of a gun that can store water to the bio suit (now called the hazard suit). New suits available inLego Batman 2 include the acrobat suit allowing for Robin to traverse areas that require acrobatics, magnet suit allowing for Robin to traverse areas with magnets and control magnetic elements, ice suit allowing Robin to freeze water, sensor suit to go invisible and view X-rays, power suit to destroy silver objects and use super strength, and electricity suit to transfer energy between switches and move through areas with electricity for Batman.[8]
The game takes approximately 15 hours to complete, with the main missions taking 9 hours and the various extras taking 6 hours. These extras take multiple forms. One such form is Citizen in Peril, where a citizen has put themselves in a situation within the various missions where they must be saved by the hero. Another is each mission's gold bricks, which can be obtained through destroying certain objects, and a similar system exists with each mission's "minikits" wherein challenges must be completed in order to find them. Completing these various extras contributes to the total game's completion percentage.
Once a mission has been completed, it can be replayed at any time using the various characters that the player has unlocked in order to complete the aforementioned extras or to accrue more studs to purchase various characters.
A local multiplayer mode is also present using asplit screen. The decision to use a split screen was due to the game's open-world environment. The Wii U version allows the use of the GamePad's screen instead of a split screen, allowing both players to have independent screens.[9]
Unlike its predecessor,Lego Batman 2 features 50 playable characters from outside Gotham City, such as Superman andWonder Woman.[4] TheXbox 360 andPlayStation 3 versions ofLego Batman 2 feature exclusivedownloadable content with two packs of characters, the Heroes Pack and the Villains Pack.Nightwing,Katana,Shazam,Zatanna andDamian Wayne are playable in the Heroes Pack, whileBizarro,Captain Cold,Black Adam,Black Manta andGorilla Grodd are playable in the Villains Pack.[10] These packs were included with pre-orders from some retailers, such asBest Buy andAmazon for the Heroes Pack, andGameStop for the Villains Pack.[11]
Lego Batman 2 features a larger cast of characters thanits predecessor and is the first Traveller's Tales Lego game to feature full spoken dialogue, as opposed to the mime acting, grunts and mumbles of the previous games.[12] Returning characters fromLego Batman: The Videogame include Batman (Troy Baker),Robin (Charlie Schlatter) and theJoker (Christopher Corey Smith), as well asAlfred Pennyworth (Steve Blum, who also voicesBane,Ra's al Ghul andthe Penguin),Nightwing (Cam Clarke),James Gordon (Townsend Coleman, who also voicesMr. Freeze and theMad Hatter),Clayface (Fred Tatasciore, who also voicesKiller Croc andMan-Bat), theRiddler (Rob Paulsen),Harley Quinn (Laura Bailey),Scarecrow (Nolan North, who also voicesHush),Poison Ivy (also voiced by Bailey) andCatwoman (Katherine Von Till). Baker also reprises his role asTwo-Face fromBatman: Arkham City.[13]
Characters new to the series includeSuperman (Travis Willingham),Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown, who reprises the role from theDC Animated Universe),Martian Manhunter (also voiced by Clarke),the Flash (also voiced by Schlatter),Wonder Woman (also voiced by Bailey),Green Lantern (also voiced by Clarke),Cyborg (Brian Bloom),Aquaman (also voiced by Bloom),Lois Lane (Bridget Hoffman),Supergirl (also voiced by Hoffman),Vicki Vale (Anna Vocino) andCaptain Cold (also voiced by Blum, reprising his role fromBatman: The Brave and the Bold).Brainiac (also voiced by Baker) makes a cameo appearance in the game, teasing that in the next game he would be the mainantagonist. Clarke also served as the voice director of the game.
Many years after the big breakout from Arkham in the previous installment, an award show is held inGotham City, Lex Luthor loses the "Man of the Year" award to Bruce Wayne. Suddenly, the ceremony is interrupted by a group of villains led by the Joker, who rob the audience (including taking Lex's watch) and steal the award. As the Joker presents a film about himself, which showcases hislaughing gas that can make people temporarily adore him, Bruce dons theBatsuit and, with Robin's help, defeats Harley Quinn, the Riddler, Two-Face and the Penguin. The Joker escapes via motorboat, but Batman and Robin pursue him to Amusement Mile and capture him.[4][6][14]
As the villains are sent toArkham Asylum, Superman arrives to congratulate Batman and Robin, much to the former's perceived chagrin. Meanwhile, Luthor, who had remained at the award ceremony despite the attack, and watched Joker's film, believing the Joker's gas could help him get elected president, breaks the Joker out of Arkham using the "Deconstructor", akryptonite-powered weapon that can deconstruct unbreakable black objects. The Joker uses the Deconstructor to release more inmates before escaping with Luthor. Batman and Robin respond to Commissioner Gordon's distress call and round up the Penguin, Two-Face, Harley, the Riddler, Catwoman, Bane and Poison Ivy in the asylum's courtyard, as well as Scarecrow inside the asylum, before realizing the Joker has escaped.
While responding to a break-in atAce Chemicals, Batman and Robin realize it was the Joker's doing and search for clues, but the factory is destroyed by a series of explosive chemical reactions caused by the Joker before he left. The pair are rescued by Superman, who puts out the fire, but Batman declines his help in finding the Joker. Batman discovers the chemicals Joker stole could be mixed into synthetic kryptonite, and uses theBatmobile's on-board computer to track their signature to Luthor's mobile Juggernaut. Batman and Robin board the vehicle and confront Luthor and the Joker, but are thrown out into the street before the Joker uses the Deconstructor to destroy the Batmobile. Unable to continue the pursuit, the pair return to theBatcave to analyze a piece of synthetic kryptonite they retrieved, unaware it contains a tracking device, which Luthor and the Joker use to find them. The villains destroy the Batcave and steal Batman's supply of real kryptonite, which was their target all along. Batman and Robin are again rescued by Superman, whom the former reluctantly allows to help.
While Robin salvages what is left of Batman's equipment, Batman and Superman travel toMetropolis and infiltrateLexCorp, stumbling upon a giant Joker-esque robot piloted by Luthor and the Joker. The villains use the robot's kryptonite weapon to subdue Superman and crush Batman with a large crate, unaware that the heroes had swapped costumes prior. Having survived, Batman and Superman pursue the robot and destroy its flying gear before Superman is exposed to its kryptonite power source, causing him and Batman to crash-land in Gotham. The pair make their way to the city hall, where Luthor uses Joker's gas to make the citizens vote for him. Following another fight with the robot, Superman damages its power source, causing it to leak liquid kryptonite, but is left completely weakened. Robin arrives in a multi-colored Batmobile, which counters the Deconstructor's effects, and he and Batman trick Luthor and the Joker into chasing them around Gotham. The kryptonite creates a giant Joker face, which is seen from theWatchtower by Martian Manhunter, who contacts the rest of theJustice League: Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Green Lantern and the Flash. Once they arrive to help, Luthor concedes defeat but attempts to destroyWayne Tower in an act of retaliation against Bruce Wayne.[15]
Superman recovers his strength and he and Wonder Woman try to save Wayne Tower, while the others battle the Joker robot on top, sending it plummeting onto the street below. With the robot destroyed, the Joker and Luthor (now wearingpower armor) come out to fight the heroes, but are ultimately defeated, while Green Lantern rebuilds Wayne Tower's supports, stabilizing it. As the two villains are arrested, Gordon thanks Batman for saving the day, to which he admits he could not have done it without his friends' help, and that he is glad to have friends that he can always count on. As the League prepare to rebuild the Batcave, Green Lantern shoots a beacon from hispower ring into space in victory. The beacon is seen by Brainiac, who utters "I have located it".
The idea of a sequel toLego Batman: The Videogame began shortly after its release. The success of the first game led TT Games to begin development of a sequel. Early in the development process, an open-world design system was considered and later built upon.[16]
The decision to include voice acting into the game was brought up by co-director Jonathan Smith, which resulted in large discussions about voice acting versus mimes and grunts from previous Lego games. After development on the cutscenes had begun, voices were inevitably added.[16]
An idea was brought up to introduce traffic and pedestrians to Gotham City. When development on Gotham City had begun, the development team quickly had issues implementing such a system. After consideration fromJon Burton, the idea was scrapped in favor of a chaotic city with burned-up vehicles and fleeing pedestrians.[16]
An original score was written by the game's composer, Rob Westwood. In addition, the game's background music also consists ofDanny Elfman's score fromBatman (1989) andJohn Williams' score fromSuperman (1978).[16]
Prior to the game's official trailer, a promo for the game was leaked online byLego fansite Bricktuts.[17][18] On March 15, 2012, the game's first reveal trailer featuring gameplay was released to the public.[4] The reveal trailer attracted almost a million views, and another trailer was released duringE3 2012, two weeks before the game's release. During the 2012Game Developers Conference held inSan Francisco, a 45-minute hands-on demo of the game was presented.
A demo was released onXbox Live on June 19, 2012.[19]
Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes was released in North America on June 19, 2012, for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS,[20] followed by a release in Europe on June 22, 2012.[1] The game was released digitally on Windows throughSteam, and later expanded to theEpic Games Store on September 19, 2019.[21]
AnOS X version of the game developed byFeral Interactive was released on September 6, 2012.[22] TT Games later developed a port for the Wii U that was released on May 21, 2013, in North America and on May 24, 2013, in Europe.[23][24] A mobile version titledLego Batman: DC Super Heroes was released for iOS on March 25, 2013, and for Android on March 2, 2016.[25][26] The Xbox 360 version of the game and its DLC later became backwards compatible for Xbox One on January 31, 2019. The game is accessible on PlayStation 4 viaPS Plus Premium.
Two add-on packs, the Heroes Pack and the Villains Pack, were released exclusively for thePlayStation 3 andXbox 360 versions of the game. The Heroes Pack included five new characters:Nightwing,Katana,Shazam,Zatanna andDamian Wayne. The Villains Pack included five new characters as well:Bizarro,Captain Cold,Black Adam,Black Manta andGorilla Grodd. These packs were originally released as pre-order bonuses for certain retailers.[11] Some of the characters from the packs were implemented in the DS, 3DS, PS Vita, Mobile versions of the game as playable characters. The DLC Packs were not released on the Windows, Wii, and Wii U versions of the game, although a Mod for the Wii and Windows version allowed the characters to be implemented into the game.
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 72/100 (3DS)[27] 81/100 (PC)[28] 81/100 (PS3)[29] 62/100 (Vita)[30] 77/100 (Wii U)[31] 79/100 (X360)[32] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Eurogamer | 9/10[33] |
| Game Informer | 8.25/10[34] |
| GameSpot | 6.5/10[36] |
| GamesRadar+ |   [35] |
| IGN | 8.5/10[3] |
| Nintendo Life | 7/10[9] |
| Push Square | 8/10[37] |
| VentureBeat | 75/100[38] |
Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes received mostly positive reviews. According to the review aggregation siteMetacritic, the 3DS version of the game received an average review score of 72/100,[27] the PC and PlayStation 3 versions both received a score of 81/100,[28][29] the PlayStation Vita version had 62/100,[30] the Wii U version had 77/100,[31] and the Xbox 360 version had 79/100.[32]
Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead gave the game a 9/10, and stated it would be an "absolute joy for adults" and "revelation" for kids. Whitehead also labeled the game as "phenomenally assured" and "pleasurable to explore".[33]IGN'sGreg Miller drew similar claims, stating the game did exploring better than any game done before it.[3]
Game Informer's Andrew Reiner highlighted the dialogue between Batman and Robin and the narrative the game presented, in comparison to itspredecessor, and appreciated the depth of Gotham City.[34]Push Square's Mike Mason, writing about thePlayStation 3 version of the game, also brought up a similar point to the former, although experienced technical issues such as the initial time to load the game taking longer than expected and a delay when switching characters.[37]
GameSpot's Tom McShea gave the game a less positive review, criticizing it for non-challenging AI, lackluster vehicle controls and tedious combat, although praised it for its open-world concept and visual design.[36] Writing about theWii U version of the game,Nintendo Life's Gaz Plant criticized the lack of improvements made and the incoherent usage of the GamePad, but like McShea also praised its open-world concept.[9]
TheNintendo 3DS andPlayStation Vita versions of the game received mixed reviews.Nintendo Power criticized the 3DS version's lack of innovation like Plant whilePlayStation: The Official Magazine criticized the Vita version's formulaic approach to the Lego series.[39][40]
During the16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, theAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominatedLego Batman 2 for "Family Game of the Year".[41]
According toNPD Group,Lego Batman 2 was the best-selling video game for June 2012, selling 450,000 units that month.[42] By March 4, 2013, it was reported thatLego Batman 2 had sold 3.4 million copies.[43]
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham was announced on May 24, 2014, and released on November 11, 2014, forAndroid,iOS,Microsoft Windows,Nintendo 3DS,OS X,PlayStation 3,PlayStation 4,PlayStation Vita,Wii U,Xbox 360 andXbox One. Following the events ofLego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, the story follows theJustice League as they attempt to stop Brainiac from shrinking the planet.[44]
Lego DC Super-Villains was announced on May 30, 2018, and released on October 16, 2018, for Microsoft Windows,Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and OS X, and is intended to be a spin-off of the series following the various villains in the series as they attempt to stop theJustice Syndicate who pose as the Justice League in their absence while looking for theAnti-Life Equation forDarkseid.[45]
Adirect-to-video film adaptation of the game was released byWarner Premiere on May 21, 2013, asLego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite. The film was produced, and directed byJon Burton, co-written by Burton andDavid A. Goodman. animated by TT Animation, and features the cast of the game, includingTroy Baker,Charlie Schlatter,Travis Willingham,Christopher Corey Smith,Clancy Brown,Laura Bailey,Rob Paulsen,Steven Blum,Cam Clarke,Brian Bloom,Townsend Coleman, and Katherine Von Till, reprising their roles both through archival recordings from the game and new recordings. The film uses cutscenes from the game's main campaign as well as new scenes to replace gameplay.[46] The movie has anIMDb rating of 6.4/10.[47] The movie is currently available to stream onMax,Prime Video,Apple TV, and free onYouTube with ads.
Lego fan site Bricktuts has uncovered a new promo image for Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, an apparent sequel to Warner Bros. Interactive and Traveler's Tales' successful 2008 Lego Batman videogame title.
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