LEGO Batman 2 PS Vita

LEGO Batman 2 Product Details

Released on 22-Jun-2012

• Superman, Batman and friends go evil in Injustice: Gods Among Us

  The team at NetherRealm clearly had a lot of fun playing with the world's most famous superheroes for the crossover hit, Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, because they're now working on an all-new fighting game starring Superman and pals.

  Injustice: Gods Among Us sells itself with the tagline "What if our greatest heroes became our greatest threat?" while the trailer shows armoured versions of DC's most famous heroes fighting each other with very unheroic savagery. At one point Superman punches The Flash into space, knocks him back down to Earth. Other characters are seen hitting each other with cars and throwing each other through buildings. Ouch.

  With the game unveiled at E3, NetherRealm boss man, and Mortal Kombat creator, Ed Boon said "We can't wait to reveal Injustice: Gods Among Us because it will give our fans and gamers an epic experience as they battle like gods as their favorite DC Comics villains and heroes. Our team is excited to make a fighting game that is filled with fast-paced action, incredible story-telling and iconic DC Comics characters."

  Other characters confirmed for the game include Batman, Harley Quinn, Solomon Grundy and Wonder Woman.

  Injustice: Gods Among Us is set for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii U in 2013. If you're hungry for more DC heroics, in a rather less confrontational style, keep your eyes on the ambitiously openworld Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, due on all formats on June 22nd.
  

• LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes - Preview

  
  

  

  DC's Finest Collide

  Like the massively popular original LEGO Batman, which has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide, this sequel has a new story created from scratch. Playing as Batman, Robin, Superman and a host of other classic DC characters, players are tasked with foiling evil plans hatched by Lex Luthor and the Joker, who have teamed up to destroy Gotham. For the first time in the series, developer Traveller's Tales has also opted to give the characters voices in order to flesh out the tale.

  Not including the Rock Band version, this is the eleventh licensed LEGO game in seven years, and while they've all been pretty great, LEGO Batman 2's Gotham City could set the title apart from its predecessors. It's a giant, sprawling open world which players are free to explore as they like using a variety of vehicles including the Batmobile, the Batwing and the Batboat. And each DC character has their own bag of tricks; Superman is able to fly to wherever he wants, for example, while Flash has the legs to make fast cross-town sprints.

  There are plenty of things to do in Gotham, from rescuing citizens in peril by launching batarangs at enemies' plastic faces to solving a variety of puzzles, and the game can be enjoyed solo or with friends thanks to easy drop-in, drop-out co-operative play. All the while you'll be collecting Studs, the currency in all the LEGO games. Found either in the open or after breaking things, they're used to purchase the likes of hints and other playable characters. A new combo system makes it easier to rack up studs if you're able to dish out blows without being struck yourself.

  

  Riddle Me This

  The puzzles in LEGO games have felt a little formulaic for some time now, so we're hoping to see Travellers Tales push the boat out a bit when it comes to level design and original ideas. We're expecting a mixture of simple but fun and think out-of-the-box puzzles, which will require players to use neat combinations of characters' powers and special suits to complete them. Superman's super-breath can freeze streams of water to make platforms to climb on, for example, while he can also melt chunks of ice with his heat vision.

  Each of the game's suits has at least two abilities. Batman's electricity suit enables him to dish out pain with electric charges, and also acts as a portable battery pack that can be used to power all manner of things. Robin has a hazard suit that lets him immerse himself in any type of liquid, including acid. As well as enabling underwater adventuring, the suit can collect and spray the liquids you come into contact with, so you might use water to fry computers or carve through metal using acid. Elsewhere, the sensor suit's powers include X-ray vision for seeing through walls and invisibility.

  

  Suits You Sir

  One simple puzzle we saw involved using the sensor suit to see inside three boxes, two of which contained traps and the third one The Riddler, while another based in Arkham Asylum saw Batman and Robin attempting to slip past Killer Croc. In traditional humorous LEGO game style, the solution was to distract the evil crocodile by roasting up a tasty chicken using an oven powered by the electricity suit.

  With a new, voiced story for the first time, an open world that's ripe for exploration, plus new ways to take out bad guys and solve puzzles, LEGO Batman 2 will hopefully represent an evolution for the franchise rather than simply retreading old ground, and it looks set to offer plenty of fun and surprises for players of all ages.

  Published: 13/06/2012

• LEGO Batman 2 - Review

  
  

  

  Dinner Dinner Dinner...

  Batman! With a cataclysmic showdown against steroid-infused terrorist genius Bane due in cinemas in just over a month, it's fair to say that the Dark Knight has never been darker than right now. Thankfully, here's LEGO Batman 2 to remind us that while the brooding drama of the big screen is all very well, it's also OK for superheroes to be, you know, fun.

  Clubbing Together

  If you've played any of the previous LEGO games - and given how many millions they've shifted, there's a good chance you have - then what's on offer here won't initially seem all that different. The core gameplay is much as it's always been, as you guide dumpy mini-figures around detailed levels, smashing the LEGO scenery to earn studs while using the abilities of your characters to solve a variety of puzzles.

  Once a level is beaten in Story Mode, you can return to it in Free Play, where you're given access to every character you've unlocked, thus allowing you to reach new areas and solve new puzzles. There are vehicle mini-kits to piece together, LEGO citizens who must be saved, and stud totals to beat. You can play solo, or with a friend, though the dynamic camera system that organically separates your viewpoints into split-screen as you move away from each other distracts just as often as it helps.

  

  Cape Expectations

  It's outside of the traditional levels that LEGO Batman 2 deviates most from the formula, and as changes go this one is pretty radical. Gone are the small level hubs of the older games, replaced by a GTA-sized LEGO Gotham City. You're free to drive along its streets, take to its skies and race around in the ocean surrounding it.

  In many ways it's here in this plastic sandbox that the real LEGO Batman 2 game can be found. There are 250 gold bricks to find in the game, and most can only be discovered by exploring Gotham. Some are hidden away on the rooftops, at the end of cunningly designed obstacle courses that only Batman and Robin, and their array of special costumes, can navigate. Others are earned by finding and defeating 22 classic DC super-villains, lurking in the city, waiting to be confronted. And yet more are earned just by exploring and having fun. This is, after all, a game where Batman can ride around on a giraffe, take part in carnival games and muck about with remote control cars and boats. You won't be seeing Christian Bale's gravel-voiced caped crusader having this much fun, that's for sure.

  Navigating Gotham takes some getting used to, with a rather useless in-game radar, but the map tucked away in the pause menu is a clever thing, revealing the location of every hidden object, albeit only momentarily. It'll point you in the right direction, but the sense of discovery is never spoiled by the breadcrumb trails that other open-world games rely on.

  

  Taking Flight

  To go with this more ambitious game world, the available characters have been drawn from every corner of DC's sprawling comic book universe. Most notably, the Justice League characters join the Dynamic Duo, with Superman being the obvious stand-out. Virtually invincible and able to fly, shoot heat rays from his eyes and freeze water with his breath, he's a fantastic all-rounder, and swooping and soaring through Gotham in his red undies is a genuine pleasure. That the game uses the classic Superman movie theme whenever you switch to him merely seals the deal.

  But the other characters are no slouches either. The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg - all have their own unique gameplay gifts, or else they mix and match existing powers in fun new ways. And, as always, there's a generous selection of vehicles to try as well, from the full spread of themed Bat-transport to goofier items like a UFO or a pumpkin car.

  Save The Day

  There's always a danger that the magic will be lost whenever a series spawns so many entries, but the LEGO games continue to tweak and evolve in entertaining ways while keeping the core gameplay as fun as ever. The move to an open-world setting means that kids will have a thrilling sandbox to romp around in long after they've achieved 100% completion, but there's plenty here for adults as well, provided you don't mind a little silliness in your superhero stories.

  Our Rating: 9/10

  What's Good?

  • Gotham's free-roaming LEGO world is amazing
  • The classic LEGO gameplay still amuses
  • DC fans will love the variety of characters

  What's Bad?

  • Co-op camera can be distracting
  • Kids may get frustrated with some puzzles
  • Physics is occasionally a bit wonky
• Arkham City prequel to feature Justice League?

  Arkham City prequel to feature Justice League?

  Rocksteady are planning another game in their massively successful Batman Arkham games. But rather than a sequel to Arkham City, this new game will be a prequel. And this time, Batman won't be alone...

  According to Hollywood bible Variety, Batman will be joined by some of DC Comics biggest super hero characters including Superman, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern. The plot details suggest the film will be set in the period where Batman first fought the Joker, and the formation of super-team the Justice League.

  The report goes on to say we won't see this game until 2014 "at the earliest", which has led to speculation that it may appear on the next generation of consoles.

  For those who want to see Batman team with his super-friends to take on the Joker before then, LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes will let you do just that, with a bit more fun injected. The DC heroes and villains will next be seen in brawler Injustice: Gods Amongst Us.

  Published: 12/07/2012

• The Games We're Excited About!

  
  

  There are lots and lots of great games heading your way in the next few months, and here at GAME HQ we're as excited as you lot are to give them a go.

  So, we went round the digital team with a prodding stick to find out just what games the team here are really itching to play...

  

  Ali - Queen of the Internet

  I am looking forward to LEGO Batman 2. My brother and I worked our way through the original LEGO Batman with a considered method of "shoot everything in the room first, think about the situation later" and it was amazing. It's also the only game where if you die you can still enjoy seeing Robin explode which I did on many occasions as Player 2. I can't wait to see what LEGO Batman 2 has in store!

  
  

  

  Louis - Merchandising Meddler

  Definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, Max Payne 3.

  After playing through 1 and 2 - which gripped me to the very end - I cannot honestly wait for 3.

  Max Payne's method of storytelling is awesome. The comic book cut scenes are stylish and effective, and are not afraid to poke fun at other, outrageous works of fiction (as well as itself). The noir style and twists and turns throughout provide a flourish of love which even the most dedicated of storytellers fail to keep up with. The ingredients are simple, but it's a recipe which works.

  The gameplay might not necessarily be innovative, but it will be intuitive. It might not change the way we think about games, but I know it's going to be a game through and through; fun, accessible and welcoming to noobs and veterans alike. Max Payne 3 is going to rock. Add online multiplayer to the mix, and I can safely say that I'm looking forward to blasting my way into June!

  (My second choice would be Aliens: Colonial Marines, but that's almost too far away to get excited about yet!)

  Kate - Affiliate Assassin

  Bioshock Infinite - Because of the amazing animation and design of the game. Oh, and Limbo 2 - if/when it comes!

  

  Jamie - Builder of Digital Dreamscapes

  I am looking forward to...

  Grand Theft Auto V: Obviously no one really knows exactly when this game is coming out but I cant wait! Seriously excited about a new GTA! Although I hope it is all of San Andreas and not just Los Santos.

  Madden 13: I always get Madden, and it was pretty much the game that made me buy my first proper games console (the SEGA Mega Drive). I'm particularly looking forward to this year's one as I'm hoping they have taken more of the good stuff out of NCAA12.

  Retro City Rampage: This is an indie game that just looks AMAZING! Kind of like a funny GTA but all totally 80s styled. It's gonna be on Xbox LIVE and PSN and I like the fact it looks like you might be able to get this digitally to play on your PS Vita too; it seems like the kind of game you could just lose hours in messing about!

  

  Carl - Design Doodler

  Halo 4. Why? Because it's the best freaking game there is! I'm a massive Halo fan and I'm really looking forward to the next instalment. And really looking forward to seeing Master Chief again. And now we know the release date I know what week to book off work!

  
  

  Aaron - Social Butterfly

  I almost squealed for joy when Luigi's Mansion 2 was announced (Okay, I actually did squeal...). The original Luigi's Mansion was the first game I got on launch day with my Gamecube. It was ALL about Luigi, sucking up ghosts with his Poltergust 3000. The sequel has me itching to play, it will have multiple mansions, a new Poltergust, new ghosts, new story AND it will all be in beautiful 3D. The Nintendo savvy amongst us will know that Nintendo originally planned to release Luigi's Mansion in 3D on the Gamecube but decided the 3D panel was ahead of its time!

  Who ya gonna call? Ghostb-- No, no wait, let's just get the Green hat-wearing Italian plumber from the Mushroom Kingdom instead. No danger of crossing the streams.

  

  Damien - Good Word Writing Man

  I'm actually really looking forward to Lollipop Chainsaw. I'm a big Buffy fan, so the concept of a blonde cheerleader fighting supernatural beasties is one that very much appeals to me. It just looks like it's gonna be oodles of OTT fun. Plus, y'know, the boyfriend's head just kicking around. What's not to like?

  As a stark contrast, I'm also a bit excited by Spec Ops: The Line. I don't usually get on with shooters, but having seen the trailer with the bodies-on-poles imagery, plus the obvious Heart of Darkness influence and the sense of "killing people may actually affect you", I really want to try this one out. I mean, who isn't at least intrigued by what appears to be an anti-war third-person shooter?

  

  James - Captain Category

  Diablo III.

   

   

  Because I've been waiting twelve years for it!

  
  

  So there we have it. These are the games we want to play - what about you? What forthcoming titles have got you so pant-wettingly excited to pre-order and play?

  Published: 17/04/2012

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