00:24This year will be a big year for games.
00:26We have high-profile releases like GTA V, Insomniac Wolverine Game, 007 First Light, and Resident Evil Requiem, among others.
00:35One game I'm interested in, or paying attention to because I don't have a modern console to play games on,
00:40is LEGO Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight.
00:42A reboot of the LEGO Batman series which tells Bruce Wayne's journey into becoming Batman and taking inspiration from a
00:48variety of other Batman media.
00:50This made me think of previous LEGO Batman games, and so the next couple of videos are going to be
00:54a retrospective on previous LEGO Batman games, and also LEGO DC supervillains, for good measure.
01:00So from my personal experience, I loved Traveller's Tales LEGO games growing up.
01:05Never really finished the early games, but I enjoyed them, and Batman was no exception to my recollection, and I
01:10remember it being a bit of a departure from the previous LEGO games at that point.
01:13Traveller's Tales LEGO games were usually based on IPs, and at the time, their previous games, LEGO Star Wars and
01:19Indiana Jones games, were comedic recreations of the movies.
01:21LEGO Batman wasn't.
01:22It was the first original story for a LEGO game, albeit simple.
01:26It's mostly Batman and Robin having to get their rogues garrily back into Arkham Asylum.
01:30But it also had the ability to play as villains, and have them get their own perspective on the story.
01:33It managed to make the game feel longer, and also add some variety by playing as different characters,
01:37because if not, you'd be playing as Batman and Robin for all of the game, which would be a bit
01:40boring, whereas the other games let you,
01:42players of a variety of different characters, depend on the level.
01:44You also get different suits for the dynamic URL to help solve puzzles and gain abilities for them.
01:48As again, mostly to diversify gameplay as for the majority of the game, you're playing the same character with a
01:53similar skill set,
01:53so it would be repetitive if they weren't there.
01:56This would become a staple of the rest of LEGO Batman games, but not LEGO DC supervillains.
01:59Now, full disclosure, I never finished this game, and it's been years since I've played it,
02:03so my memory's a bit fuzzy, so I can't go into more detail,
02:06but I remember playing the sequel, and finishing it in full,
02:08so next episode, we're going to talk about the impactful sequel, LEGO Batman 2, DC Superheroes.
02:24In 2012, LEGO had a new theme, Superheroes, which had two of the biggest names in superhero term, Marvel and
02:29DC,
02:29and just around the same time, we got a new LEGO Batman game.
02:32The sequel managed to get up the ante in the big row by introducing the rest of DC Universe,
02:34mainly just teaming up with Superman, and then having the Justice League show up at the last level.
02:38But it's still a great game, and one of the most impactful LEGO games.
02:40It was also a favourite of mine, and I used to play it a lot with my friend on the
02:43Wii back in the day,
02:44and it holds a special place in my heart.
02:46Now, a prominent thing to talk about in this game was that it introduced voice acting.
02:49This was a controversial decision, mostly owing to the earlier LEGO games being mostly silent with grunts,
02:54which did add to its humour.
02:56I like the voice acting, it helps that LEGO Batman 2 has a good voice cast,
02:59made up of roller spires like Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor,
03:01or actors who would go on to play these characters in other projects like Troy Baker as Batman,
03:05and Travis Willenham as Superman,
03:07and it helps tell the story better if they're doing an original story.
03:09But in other games, I do find it a bit perfunctory,
03:13especially in the movie remake games,
03:15where you're kind of confined by the events of the film.
03:17In this game, it does help that there are moments which don't have any dialogue,
03:20which I think makes it a good balance.
03:22Another element was that this was the first LEGO game to go open world.
03:25Other LEGO games mostly had hub worlds,
03:27but this let you play around Gotham City,
03:29and later LEGO games would follow suit.
03:30It's an okay open world.
03:32There are a lot of puzzles to do,
03:34and you can catch escaped supervillains,
03:36but that's just it.
03:37There's a lot of thugs parading around the city as NPCs,
03:40but there isn't much else to do.
03:41LEGO games would add side quests,
03:43alleviating that problem.
03:44The game's story is a lot of fun,
03:45dealing with Batman and Robin having to stop Lex Luthor from rigging the election
03:48with the help from the Joker.
03:49This was from 2012, a different time.
03:51There's a bunch of fun levels, good puzzles to sell,
03:53and super suits are all pretty fun.
03:55It's also probably one of the best games to have Superman in it.
03:57Well, LEGO Batman 2 let you be the world's finest.
04:00Its sequel would let you explore the DC universe,
04:02but you'll find out about that next time.
04:14Last time I talked about LEGO Batman 2,
04:16this time I'm talking about its sequel,
04:18and it's one game I have mixed feelings about.
04:20LEGO Batman 2, beyond Gotham,
04:22sought to move beyond Gotham,
04:24and open up the series to the wider DC universe.
04:26But in doing so, it made the title feel like an artifact,
04:29as it's mostly just a Justice League game.
04:30A pretty good Justice League game, mind you.
04:32It has a good story, Batman and Robin working with the Justice League
04:34to first stop Legion of Noon,
04:36but they haven't to team up with them to stop Brainiac.
04:38Lots of fun levels, good communicable moments,
04:40and the Shrunken Earth level is pretty fun.
04:42The game retains the series' sense of humour,
04:44and the gameplay is pretty good.
04:45Now, it's not just Batman and Robin getting super suits,
04:47but characters like Lex Luthor, Joker, and Cyborg
04:50get in on the action as well.
04:51But the game came out after LEGO Marvel Super Heroes,
04:53which was a game that didn't tie itself to one hero,
04:55and managed to be a good ensemble piece.
04:57And LEGO Batman 3 felt like it couldn't step out of the shadow of the bat,
05:00feeling a bit contained to not just Batman,
05:02but also a certain section of the DC universe,
05:04naming its space side of the universe,
05:05so it didn't feel like a Batman game in full,
05:07giving a game an identity crisis.
05:09The game was also released during Batman's 75th anniversary,
05:12and he is DC's most popular character,
05:14which kind of has a bit of commentary
05:15on how the Big 2 focuses on their characters.
05:17Marvel can use their entire roster,
05:19while DC focuses on one guy.
05:20I mean, it's kind of changed now,
05:22but it's good to promote the rest of the universe.
05:23Also, this game goes back to Hobworld,
05:25then the opening model for LEGO Batman 2,
05:27which feels like a setback,
05:28especially as LEGO Marvel kind of affected
05:30the whole superhero city aspect,
05:31with side quests and appearances from other Marvel characters.
05:34Also, the game was released during the New 52 period,
05:36and there was a sinister push at the time
05:37across all of its media properties
05:38to at least resemble the comics.
05:40The big, probably noticeable thing here
05:42is that all the characters' costumes in this game
05:44all resemble what they were wearing during the New 52 period.
05:46Superman doesn't have any underwear,
05:48Wonder Woman's armour has more silver instead of gold,
05:50and Batman has the weird lines.
05:52But there are things I love about this game.
05:54I love the continuity between the games,
05:55and if Lex Luthor's plan in this game
05:56follows on from his failed presidential bid.
05:58This was a game from 2014,
06:00when you were supposed to take the L.
06:01I love the bit with the emotional spectrum
06:03messing up the heroes.
06:04I loved Zulman Grundy.
06:05I love the cameos,
06:06even if Conan O'Brien's was a bit weird.
06:08I enjoyed the Adam West Batman level,
06:09and I love seeing the wider DC Universe get in play,
06:12even if it's under the guise of a Batman game.
06:14So that was LEGO Batman 3,
06:15and the end of the LEGO Batman trilogy.
06:17But the LEGO DC Universe didn't end there.
06:19So let's find out next time
06:20when the DC Universe goes bad.
06:3310 years since the release of the first LEGO Batman game,
06:35came LEGO DC Supervillains,
06:37a game that lets the bad guys take the reins.
06:44This is a fun game,
06:45having the supervillains lead the game so the heroes
06:47differentiates itself from LEGO Marvel Superheroes,
06:49which this game takes a lot of cues from.
06:51But the game's embrace of the wider DC Universe
06:52feels more fitting than LEGO Batman 3.
06:54Also, the return of the open world
06:55lets you move more freely across several locations
06:58more easier than LEGO Batman 3,
06:59but the game has an interesting idea at the heart of it.
07:01For the longest time,
07:02LEGO games had a create-your-own-character feature.
07:04There was always an extra feature,
07:06but for this game,
07:06they made your own original creation,
07:08Do Not Steal,
07:09a central part of the game's storyline.
07:11Also, the characters are silent,
07:12so you both get a silent character like the old games,
07:14but it reaches a happy medium
07:15between having a voice cast,
07:16and the game has a good voice cast.
07:18While the reoccurring voice actors
07:19like Troy Baker and Christopher Corey Smith
07:20are replacing their roles as Batman and Joker,
07:22but they are replaced by
07:23Kevin Conroy and Mark Cameron
07:24respires from their roles
07:25from the DC animated universe,
07:26among other former DC actors
07:27reprising their former roles.
07:29The story's also good,
07:29combining elements of the
07:30Forever Evil and Dark Sidewall storylines
07:32into one story
07:33gives this film a higher stakes than the last one,
07:35and the new gods are fun in this game,
07:36with them having an equal amount of menace,
07:37but not too scary for a LEGO game.
07:39The game manages to get a lot out
07:40of exploring the right of DC Universe.
07:42You get a level in Arkham Asylum,
07:43a level in Atlantis,
07:44a level in Guerrilla City.
07:45It manages to pack a lot,
07:46unlike the more contained beyond Gotham,
07:48and feels like a good evolution
07:49from LEGO Batman 1.
07:51The focus on one hero,
07:53then having more heroes show up,
07:54going beyond Gotham,
07:55then showcasing the rest of what
07:56the universe has to offer.
07:57So those are the LEGO Batman games,
07:58a pretty interesting series,
08:00both in their respective franchises.
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