LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (Wii U) Review

LEGO Batman 2 was already a step towards a Justice League game, expanding the world to include a massive roster of heroes and villains. However, it still kept the story focus on Batman, with the other characters having side roles with little impact. Thankfully, LEGO Batman 3 addresses this, with fan favourite characters taking up more of the spotlight.

At the end of LEGO Batman 2, the Superman villain, Brainiac, was seen watching Earth as a teaser to the next game and this game picks up from that. The sub-title of Beyond Gotham is fitting, as the story takes the player far across the DC Universe, dealing with the different coloured Lanterns and their home-worlds. The Lanterns have a fun effect on the cast of this game, infecting them with different aspects of their ring colours, allowing - for example - a cowardly Cyborg, kleptomaniac Green Lantern, and a rage-o-holic Wonder Woman. It's a fun touch to the story that fans will enjoy.

As with all LEGO games, there are winks and nods at fans of all types and ages, some for the comic fans, some for the LEGO fans, and some for the older fans. The other thing that remains the same as other LEGO games is the simple intrinsic charm of the game; even the most stoic fans will find it hard not to crack a smile at some of the nostalgic references.

The game continues the theme from LEGO Batman 2 whereby a number of iconic characters have numerous different suits they can equip to deal with the special block puzzles in a move that feels a little unnecessary. With such a massive cast, it would be better to encourage the player to try out numerous characters than have Batman and Robin be sufficient to deal with most things.

The massive cast really is impressive and a delight for DC comic fans; there are easily over 150 characters to unlock. These characters span the gambit of all the DC Multiverses, not only all the well known comic heroes and villains but lesser known, too, although there is still no sign of Darkseid, perhaps being saved for LEGO Justice League? Anyone would be hard pressed to find a DC character not in this game, mostly because Batman is kind of like DC's Kevin Bacon - just about everyone in the DC multiverse has been related to him in less than six degrees.

The puzzles across the levels are generally quite simple - unlocking the right ability to take out special blocks to get to the hundreds of collectables - but it never really becomes tiresome, as it remains fun to switch between the characters and use their abilities.

Wii U owners may be disappointed as there is still confusion over what plans are for download content on that format, compared to other home console editions. This is the first LEGO game with DLC that actually includes whole new levels to play. Previously, DLC - both purchased and pre-order bonuses - just consisted of characters or outfits, yet with this game there are six DLCs planned and they will include brand new levels - confirmed for all home systems apart from Wii U at the moment. Announced so far is the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy with all its characters, a level based on the Man of Steel movie, and one based on the Arrow TV show. It sounds very promising, and it's hoped that even though the Season Pass might not be available on Wii U, the individual packs can at least be bought. Also, hopefully it is an innovation that translates to future LEGO games.

Since this game was released after the superb LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, though, it's hard not to compare the two, and even harder not to find this game a little lacking. Saying that, all comparisons to one side, looking at this game in its own right, it's a great addition to the LEGO series and an awful lot of fun with a bunch of new characters to try, along with a fun story. It's everything a fan of either DC comics or the LEGO videogames would want.