Heroes and Villains, Vehicles and Gadgets

Along with the standard puzzles, LEGO Batman also offers additional puzzles that require characters other than the dynamic duo. These are only solved through the game's Freeplay mode, which is unlocked each time gamers complete a Story Mode chapter. Once chosen, gamers can pick any unlocked character, from the Zoo Sweeper to Commissioner Gordon. However, this single-character selection ultimately appears useless, as the game provides a good batch of characters to use within the chapter scenario anyway. In fact, once the chapter begins, gamers can hit the LB and RB buttons to sift through the current roster and various suits.

The drawback is that the game likes to change sidekick NPCs on a whim -- if the player's character is currently Batgirl and the NPC is Robin, somehow Robin thus becomes Batgirl off-screen. Evidently, the game chooses the best sidekick NPC for the occasion despite what the player previously selected, and honestly, it doesn't make sense to have two identical characters on-screen at one time.

But getting back to Freeplay mode, this portion of LEGO Batman ultimately extends the game's replay value for a good long time. Players wading through the single-player campaigns will discover that some areas can't be accessed with the current characters or objects such as crates or vehicles need moving by someone with a little more strength. Freeplay mode enables the player to return to that particular chapter and use the provided roster of heroes and villains. In turn, secret areas can be accessed and goodies discovered like the coveted red bricks (unlocks special items) and LEGO canisters (Minikit Model pieces). Of course, it doesn't hurt to collect as many studs as possible either, as these serve as LEGO "currency" and can be used to buy unlocked characters, special Batman information and more.

As the game begins, players find themselves in control of Batman as he wanders about in his dark, underground lair. Studs of blue and gold line the platforms like reflectors on a highway, earning easy money with each return home. The Batcave comprises two floors. The top floor is where Batman accesses his suit collection, the Batcomputer, the Arkham Asylum computer terminal and the Trophy Room (where gamers can check out their mini-kit models). The bottom floor features the three campaign "acts" in the form of vehicles -- to begin the act, simply jump into the vehicle by hitting the highlighted "Y" button. Once unlocked, Alfred can be seen walking around with a platter of food, as well as Nightwing (the former Robin, Dick Grayson) and Batgirl.

Batman and Robin both have a variety of suits that grant them special abilities.

However, what doesn't really make sense is the layout of Arkham Asylum, the home base for the Villain portion of the campaign. Once players access the Asylum computer back at the Batcave, the game immediately switches over to Villain mode, giving players control of two bad guys. Rather than two organized floors, the asylum branches off on both sides of the main area and lacks the Hero area's orderly layout. Still, villain missions are accessed in the same manner, appearing in the form of vehicles -- just jump into the boat or jet and a map appears on screen, showing what "chapters" have been completed and the next one available (five in all). The Villain campaign is not as solid as the Hero portion, offering virtually no bosses save for a few run-ins with Commissioner Gordon and his police force. But that's okay. The idea of playing the hero and the villain is rather cool, which offers two viewpoints of the overall LEGO Batman story.

However, what really shines are the individual characters and their abilities. This becomes quite apparent when playing Freeplay mode. The Joker has a cool buzzer that will shock the life out of his victim (think Jack Nicholson in 1989's "Batman") and Poison Ivy actually performs the kiss of death (think 1997's dreadful "Batman and Robin"). The Riddler proves extremely useful as well by remotely taking control of citizens and henchmen alike, branding them with a purple "?" over their heads. This enables players to move NPCs in areas where players can't access, like locked rooms and high ledges. Some characters can freely walk though toxic waste while others can perform extremely high jumps. All in all, every LEGO hero and villain is extremely fun to play and provides a unique offering to the table.

Likewise, a second player can jump into the game at any time, taking control of the NPC hero/villain sidekick via a second controller. However, Traveller's Tales did not implement a multiplayer function for Xbox Live, thus any co-op gameplay is strictly localized. Online co-op would definitely benefit the game, and should be implemented in future LEGO releases. Nevertheless, co-op exists locally only.

NEXT PAGE: Conclusion and Final Score

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