Review: Lego Batman 3 Beyond Gotham

The Caped Crusader joins forces with the super heroes of the DC Comics universe and blasts off to outer space to stop the evil Brainiac from destroying Earth.

Pros:

• Graphics have had a resolution boost bringing even more detail and sparkle sparkle from previous games. Levels look a lot better, Reflections simply shine and the overall presentation is slick.
• Music is what you expect, Superman music kicks in when you fly, Wonder woman has the same treatment. The actual soundtrack is fitting and very energetic.
• Controls are the same as all Lego games proving you do not need to change things that are not broken.
• Roster of characters in the game are incredible! Aside from your go to heroes and villans like Superman and Joker and of course Batman, New characters like Plastic Man, Sinestro and Green Lantern make an appearance. When I play a superhero game and cant name a large chunk of them, I know its a vast collection but means something to someone.
• Suits. you now collect suits which grant new powers. Once found it is unlocked for every level you play afterwards. simply hold down the Y or triangle button to bring up the wheel or you can fast select them with the trigger buttons.
• Story is one that wouldnt look  out of place in a comic book and does a good job of mixing up which characters you play and fight against. With at least 8 hours play time the story is a healthy chunk of game.
• Local drop in and out co op.
• Two views for co op play. Straight split screen or dynamic camera where it changes the split line as you move, go close to each other and the line dissapears all together.
• You unlock hub levels as you go, here you can select levels to play or replay previous levels. In these hubs you can also collect some extra studs, interact with other characters and find secrets and rooms.
• Super hero status is back! Earn x amount of studs to unlock this and earn a gold brick.
• Collectibles a plenty. Find red bricks, Golden bricks, mini kits, characters and Adam West.
• Adam West is all over the game, he is a character that you must rescue several times in all levels. He is usually in some sort of peril and needs help via fighting or simple puzzle solving.
• Free play is the bulk of the game. In this mode you can pick any level and go in and use all unlocked characters. This is dab handy for when you are mopping up achievements/trophies and getting bricks etc.
• Big epic boss battles.
• More shooting sections that play very much like Resogun. Collect power ups and shoot enemies as you fly around a spherical level.
• Full Platinum/Achievement list.
• Cameo appearances from celebrities like Kevin Smith and chat show host Conan O’Brien.
• Loads of replayability.
• Easy to pick up and play.
• Kid friendly.
• Mid level saving is back with checkpoints also making a welcome comeback.
• Cool feature where when you have to be a certain character or you need a particular suit, Press the button and boom it changes straight to the suit or swaps you straiht to the required character.

Cons:

• Co op camera is a nightmare. I dont know what happened with this game but it actually hurts to play dynamic split screen. The bar seems to have a mind of its own, cut off peoples view and generally making the whole game an ordeal.
• levels are longer which can be fine but some levels are not built for such a long session and you soon start seeing filler sections sneaking in.
• Swapping characters isnt as fluid as I remember it. you have to look at the person you want to swap too, Or hold a button down and do it slow old fashioned way. When in a rush this really bugs.
• No proper open world area like in batman 2 which is a shame as it was a great feature.
• You can get lost/stuck a lot more in this game. its not always clear on what you need to do or where you need to be.
• Finding the correct place to stand to trigger button prompts is annoying.

in Summary, the game is brilliant fun especially in co op. The sheer number of characters is crazy. To the point where you can be changing characters mid level. The boss battles are huge and fun, The humour is there as you would expect. For long time Lego fans it will feel familiar and have all the best mechanics of previous games chucked into one, That aside it will feel very much like a step back as it doesnt add that much more and with the free roam going it kind of proves that point. My own personal gripe was the signposting and dynamic split screen bar issues. That aside I had a blast and loved the variety and accessability of the game. Another great Lego game that may not always excel but rarely takes a step back.