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Far Cry 3 And The Stranger In A Strange Land Is everything really better when portrayed in tiny, blocky form? When Traveller’s Tales first introduced us to the Lego character game with Lego Star Wars, we were pretty sure anything with Lego in front of it could do no wrong, but then Lego Indiana Jones came out earlier this year, proving that while they can still be entertaining, some franchises translate much better than others. Now the third pop-culture to Lego translation has appeared in the form of Lego Batman, and while it certainly seems like an easy win, so have so many other Batman games over the years, and look what happened there. Let’s take a look at what happened when the game reviewers took apart Lego Batman block-by-block.
Announced during E3, Sony today released what’s surely the last meaningful PS2 bundle, cobbled together to lead the console’s charge into what’s surely it’s last meaningful holiday season. For $149, you’re getting a PS2, Lego Batman and a copy of Justice League: New Frontier, the animated adaptation of Darwyn Cooke’s amazing comic series. Sony promise that stocks are in “limited supply”, and at that price, we’re liable to believe them.
Good afternoon everyone. Today is September 23rd and ya’ll know what that means! LEGO Batman has finally hit store shelves and you can head on down there to pick one up this very minute. However, if you aren’t feeling obligated to do so, we do have a new launch trailer for you to feast your eyes on. Remember, the game is coming out for Xbox 360, PC, Wii, PS2, PSP, PS3 and Nintendo DS. So basically if you own just about anything, you’re in the clear.
If a lesser developer had had the success with the Lego Star Wars series that Traveller’s Tales did, we’d be buried up to our necks in bullshit by now. As much as I desire to see every major film property made into a Lego-based video game, I’m quite pleased that a more responsible company than I would run is handling the property. Speaking to Eurogamer, Lego Batman producer Rich Earl reaffirms the company’s commitment to quality. “There’s an expectation now that there would be a LEGO game per year, and we certainly feel that one or two games would be the right amount per year, otherwise there’d be a saturation of LEGO games and they’d lose the charm…We’re also conscious that we’re making games for young kids. We don’t want to take the piss out of the consumer and end up making any old rubbish. We’re hoping people feel our games are of a high standard and we want to continue doing that”.
Thank goodness I say. Games like Lego Caligula and Lego Schindler’s List need to stay in my imagination, for the good of all mankind.
TT not going to “take the piss” out of LEGO-game fans News [Eurogamer]
Batman has been the subject of plenty of cartoons over the years. There have been cartoons based on the comics, cartoons based on the movies, so why not cartoons based on a Batman video game? Speaking to GI.biz at the Games Convention last week, Traveller’s Tales producer Rich Earl revealed that a TV show based on their latest Lego project is indeed in the works. The show is being produced by a separate studio in the states, using TT’s assets to bring classic Batman characters to life. “My understanding is that they will use the engine, the Maya files where the characters come to life, but they’ll be creating animated… I think it’s a 20-minute cartoon. I’m personally quite intrigued to see how it comes out. Lego, every time they’ve had a new brand out, they’ve done some CGI stuff as well, but I think this will be quite different”.
This would be a perfect opportunity to bring Adam West back into the Batman fold, as I can’t see Batman: The Animated Series lead Kevin Conroy’s voice coming out of Lego Batman’s little round head.
The latest installment in the LEGO Thing franchise — LEGO Batman — could be heading to the iPhone, reports Pocket Gamer.
There have been earlier Java midlet versions of LEGO games – notably Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, but it would be nice to think that theiPhone would get a proper conversion..
The possibilities for manipulating LEGO bricks using multi-touch gestures could make for an interesting twist on the LEGO gameplay. Even if it is just a port of the DS version, though, it should be worth checking out providing the thorny issue of lack of D-Pad is resolved.
Pocketgamer don’t mention a source for the news — hence the rumour tag — but as soon as we get more details, you shall be the first to know.
LEGO Batman goes crimefighting onto iPhone [PocketGamer]
UPDATE: Many GameStop employees have written to say that the metallic silver DS will be sold at their store. Some said exclusively but others disputed this. The $US 25 is indeed a pre-order minimum price. More as it warrants.
A tipster sent us the attached SKU query (full size mobile phone pic after the jump) which claims a metallic silver DS drops in less than a month (Sept. 7). Also looks like the PS2 “Family Value Pack” that includes the console, Lego Batman and the Justice League: New Frontiers DVD, for $US 149, has a street date of Sept 23.
DS Fanboy reported the metallic silver rumour last month saying it would arrive in September, but didn’t specify a date.
Fair warning, this is not a full screen shot, so if you work at a Best Buy and want to nitpick what’s not shown on the screen.
Rumour: USA to be Awarded Silver [DS Fanboy]
Not only do you get to use a bat symbol to target bad guys and items anywhere on the screen for your batarang, but when you get to play as the Joker, that’s right, play as the Joker, you can use a handbuzzer on enemies that delivers so much juice it shakes the mini-figs to pieces.
I shouldn’t have to go on from there, but I will.
LEGO Batman: The Videogame looks like it will be delivering the sort of over-the-top addictive LEGO fun of both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones games, but with even more memorable and equipment-laden playable characters than both games combined.
“Over the decades there have been lots of stories about Batman, this is a distillation”, said Traveller’s Tale’s Jonathan Smith. “It is our original telling of Gotham City in chaos”.
While the game will have you playing as a “stern Batman” and “try too hard Boy Wonder”, Smith said you will also be able to play as a number of villains including the Joker and the Penguin. The game will include a 15 level campaign divided between the heroes and villains.
The game’s central hub will be the the Batcave and yes, Alfred will be an unlockable playable minifig.
Wasn’t there to see it, don’t know, as this is the E3 Gameplay Trailer for Lego Batman, but it has no sound. Not sure if that’s a bug or intentional. But it begins with Lego Riddler sitting on a toilet, and if I see that I have an ethical obligation to report it to you mature people. (Snicker). Then Riddler and Mister Freeze go out, drive a cop car into a lot of smashable minikits, and Freeze goes apeshit with the gun, freezing Riddler in the process.
This video is 15 minutes long. I’m pissed there’s no sound, because I love the Lego speak in the cutscenes, and God only knows what they’re “saying” in that opening. It looks like a delightful game, with tons of LOL potential.
LEGO Batman: The Videogame E3 2008 Gameplay Trailer (HD) [GamersHell]
