LEGO Batman: The Videogame (PSP)
Who is Bruce Wayne behind that hard, plastic exterior?
10/3/2008 6:24 PM | 0 Comments | Page 3 of 3
What's Hot: Nice addition to Batman mythos; Be hero or villain; Decent port of console game.
What's Not: Similar to other LEGO games; No online multiplayer or coop play; Box copy lies, saying there are two disks inside.
The soundtrack, even in the PSP version, uses clips of the great Danny Elfman's music from the Tim Burton movies "Batman" and "Batman Returns," and it definitely keeps the excitement level high when you're bored with picking up the LEGO studs that allow you to purchase accoutrements and new characters via your store (which resides within the Batcomputer).
That crazy Mad Hatter is one of the villains in
LEGO Batman.
But Traveller's Tales and Warner Bros. must feel that the biggest twist is the ability to become an arch-villain like the Riddler, Harley Quinn or that disgusting blob that once was a B-movie actor, Clayface. They hype this in the opening sequence, where a devilish crew of super-villains attacks Gotham, leaving cops slack-jawed and helpless or laughing hysterically from some Joker-induced gaseous ooze. So if you want to be bad, you can be as bad as you want to be. Just play through a level as Batman and Robin, then return to play as a supreme baddies, and face off against Commissioner Gordon.
LEGO Batman: The Videogame for the PSP is not a perfect game, and it's not completely new, either. The character sprites are too small, and if you're looking for a game that lets you play with a pal, this isn't it. While it is fairly different from the Nintendo DS version, the development team decided against co-op play. I know why they didn't add online functionality: They think that the kids who will make up the majority of folk who buy the game are tweens who don't care about it playing online. But they do. And since a fair amount of adults will play the game, too, there's no reason not to add it. If the next LEGO game has no greater online functionality, critics generally will not be kind.
But there are more than enough thoughtful additions to excite and occasionally amaze, especially when you don the various costumes of super-villains. But if you're looking for a game that lets you take Batman on the road with you, give this one a try.
This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.
