The Batman universe has always been a fan favorite of fans who have followed the Caped Crusader through the various stories from DC Comics. With revitalization from the latest movies, Batman Begins and the soon-to-be-released Dark Knight, Travellers’ Tales decided to shift its Lego universe to include this popular character. Hundreds of fans everywhere cried for joy when the developer announced that its new IP would be LEGO Batman: the Video Game. With nicely detailed environments and clever character design, LEGO Batman is one of this year’s most anticipated titles.

Fear the Dark Knight

You will notice right away that LEGO Batman takes cues from previous LEGO releases for Star Wars and Indiana Jones. It was quite surprising to learn that Traveller’s Tales wanted to bring Batman to LEGO form and with the constant gameplay videos we are consistently fed, the game seems to be shaping up to be one entertaining title.

Expect to see many references to the comic books aside from the ever recognizable characters. Confront the crime of Gotham City with two heroes, Batman with his ever trusty sidekick, Robin. With all the gadgetry you’ve seen in the comics, you’ll be using anything you can get your hands to take down your enemies. You’ll be able to take control of a long lineup of characters including but not limited to Commissioner Gordon, Nightwing, Scarecrow, Two-Face, and more. You’ll be using various LEGO pieces to build many items that you’ll need in order to breeze through each puzzle you may encounter through the game.

LEGO Batman begins as the villains and bad guys of Gotham City are escaping Arkham Asylum. You must gather up these criminals and clean up Gotham City once more. You can expect to be playing with classic vehicles like the Batmobile to cruise around Gotham City, and there are also other vehicles that haven’t been mentioned yet. Along with cool looking hand-to-hand combat, there is also some humor attached as you’ve come to expect from a LEGO video game. Enemies defeated will have the standard break-apart animation but expect a little more style and pizzazz.

The game also features an alternate side to the story. Travellers’ Tales seems to have decided that it would be best to create the game into two different modes. One side will have you playing as the heroes as you try to capture all the bad guys that have escaped from Arkham and put back in their place. You will also be able to play as the villain side and commit all kinds of crimes in Gotham City, escaping and working on some kind of plan to defeat Batman and his allies. You can expect to play this side as the Joker, the Penguin, and several others.

Finally, LEGO Batman will feature co-op play online (via Xbox Live and the Playstation Network) and off. With visuals shaping up with style, and characters looking humorous and playful, LEGO Batman: The Video Game looks to be one hit title that everyone can enjoy when it hits store shelves this September.

Written By: Jereme Puik, Staff Writer