PALGN: LEGO Batman: The Videogame Preview

PALGN Writes: "No-one could have predicted the success of the LEGO videogame series. Though both Star Wars and LEGO were well-loved artifacts of most gamer's childhoods, expectations were definitely set at 'novelty' level on release. It was therefore a very pleasant surprise when the first LEGO Star Wars game from Traveller's Tales turned out to be an addictive, enjoyable and witty romp through a greatest hits compilation of the best moments of the prequel trilogy. LEGO Star Wars was accessible to all ages and skill levels, but also deep and rewarding enough to be appealing to the most seasoned of gamers. Most importantly, however, it used comedy as a driving force for the game, and its whimsical, slapstick humour will certainly stick with most players long after the console they played it on has journeyed to the tip.

Another Star Wars and an Indiana Jones LEGO game later, we're looking at the approach of the latest contender, LEGO Batman. Batman marks a change of pace for Traveller's Tales, and again, perhaps a shift in expectations. After successfully parodying and paying homage to two of Hollywood's most well-known franchises in Star Wars and Indiana Jones, you'd expect that Batman would take The Dark Knight, a film fast becoming a phenomenon of pop culture in its own right, as material. Not so. Batman marks Traveller's Tales first attempt at an original storyline within the LEGO series, if not an original setting. According to Warner Bros, who were kind enough to give us a hands-on look at the game this week, the plot of LEGO Batman was worked out in tandem with DC Comics. The look of the game is a mixture of the comic books and the Animated TV Series, though Danny Elfman's scores to Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns are used copiously."