The LEGO videogame series has always been known for its lighthearted charm, simplicity and flat-out hilarious humor that goes with it. Oh and tons of destruction and re-building. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham has all of that and more to spare in their DLC packs that are, well, short but still fun regardless.
Of course, the main stars of the third installation are Batman and his trusty sidekick Robin (Tim Drakes to be more precise). What starts off as a routine chase to capture one of Batman's rouge villains in Gotham City becomes a fight to save the entire galaxy from the evil Brain-iac and rescue the lanterns from peril.
As stated, one of the key elements of the LEGO games have always been the destruction of the environment and re-building to progress further into the story. Whether you do it by yourself or with a friend offline (cause offline gaming will forever trump online gaming), it's always fun to wreck havoc on everything in your path and re-build things that are, at times, absolutely hilarious but are required to progress. Combat is simplistic. Just run up to an enemy and just press the square button to dish out some LEGO block justice, or hold it to launch a projectile at a swarm of people and objects, or hold the circle button for a special attack. Another gameplay mechanic are special suits for certain characters. For example: Batman has a Stealth Suit that renders him completely invisible to areas guarded by security lasers whereas Robin has a Tech Suit for hacking into unreachable areas. And they aren't the only ones that get new suits either. Speaking of which........
LEGO Batman 3 has a who is who of the DC Universe. Quite possibly the biggest array of superheroes and super-villains ever assembled. The icons are here: Batman, Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Sinestro, Joker, Lex Luthor, Catwoman, Martian Manhunter......and the cult followers are also here too: Cyborg, Plastic Man, Mr. Freeze, Captain Cold, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, The Atom, The Riddler, Red Hood, Red Tornado, Deadshot, Slade. Even people that you've never seen before in the DC Universe and even some other faces that you vaguely remember. This game has over 130 members of this iconic universe (not including DLC and the ability to create two of your own heroes or villians from scratch). Also, don't think that story mode is the end. No no no. Like all of the LEGO games there's Free Play mode. Hey, there was an ice wall blocking your path to somewhere else? Summon Superman to use his heat vision to melt it away. A crack somewhere? Summon Cyborg to destroy it. Can't seem to grab hold of those pesky green bars and rip down that door? Summon a 'heavy' character to put his muscle to good use. If anything, Free Play mode is the bread and butter in this game. With the sheer amount of names in this game, it will take hours on end to get them all and just going through all of the characters that you've rewarded yourself with by performing specific missions and unlocking their content makes it the more rewarding as the numbers pile on.
Needless to say, the PlayStation 4 really makes this game (and sound) stand out above its older counterparts. The scenery looks beautiful, the voices from the characters are really good and stand true to the characters. And the soundtrack? Let's see: hearing the iconic 1989 Batman theme whenever the Dark Knight is on-screen sometimes? Check. Superman AND Wonder Woman's iconic theme songs whenever they start to fly? Check. Batman 1966? Check, check, AND check. To be fair, even with these legendary tracks, the soundtrack is pretty good. I.E: check out the watchtower's control room is a glorified fan favorite in its own right.
LEGO Batman has had a humble beginning in its first outing, LEGO Batman 2 increased the flow by going beyond the first with the insertion of The Justice League. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham goes beyond all two games combined, delivering the biggest roster of heroes and villains ever seen for any DC Comics game and the biggest adventure yet. Hats off to Warner Bros, LEGO and DC Comics for pulling off quite a feat for such a charming game series.