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Lego Batman: The Videogame (PSP)
by tom1clare Little did we know, but when Traveller's Tales first emerged with LEGO Star Wars in 2005, they would have on their hands not only one of the sleeper hits of the year, but the beginnings of what would become something of a gaming craze. Even without rewriting the platformer rule book, the game won a lot of admiration for its fun, humorous ... homages to the silver-screen classics, whilst achieving that oh-so-difficult task of entertaining players of all ages. Though the LEGO circus had begun to sprout games thick and fast by late 2009, it didn't trouble LEGO Batman: The Video Game, which turned out to be an absolute corker. Because beneath its familiarly accessible (it reuses the LEGO Star Wars game engine), light-hearted veneer beats the heart of a truly complete 3D platformer, sporting a whopping 30 levels, a simply chasmic selection of collectibles and superlative structuring that perfectly tailors the experience towards maximising the extensive replay value found within. Its gameplay is a distinct evolution of the formula, not reinventing the wheel but recognising little alterations that needed to be made. Whilst it was easy to appreciate the myriad of characters in LEGO Star Wars, differences were rarely much more than cosmetic, extending as far as perhaps the ability to double-jump or use lightsabers. Traveller's Tales have built all of the "goodies" missions in LEGO Batman around "suits"; both Batman and Robin can make use of outfits that allow the ability to withstand extreme heat, glide, travel underwater, blow things up through demolition charges, and there's even a suit that allows Robin to traverse walls in magnetic boots. Since the dawn of time, mankind's favourite past-times have been to build, and to destroy. In between conflicts, we've also learned that it's especially fun to do both with bright plastic bricks. LEGO Batman is thus the thinking-man's war game. Not really; it's a family-friendly 3D platformer. But brick-smashing remains a key element in how the game operates; not only does busting up scenery earn you "studs" (the game's currency) but in many instances leaves pieces of LEGO bouncing around, ready to be used to create new and useful objects. These can range from switches, ropes and platforms to aid your progression through the levels, to vehicles you can motor around on, as well as turrets and electrical charges required to defeat bosses. You'll need a keen eye to succeed, as sometimes you're just after a couple of small bricks needed to form that crucial rung in a ladder, whilst observing the scenery is important as by holding square, you can aim a Batarang to take out certain foes or structures that are out of reach. It may have been released mere months after LEGO Indiana Jones, but make no mistake, there's been a heck of a lot of work done in fleshing this out. Batman's fifteen levels see him teaming up with Robin and travelling all over Gotham City in three mini-stories that chart his battles with the Penguin, Riddler and Joker, and barring the odd flying and driving level designed to add some action emphasis, most will last at least half an hour in length, packing a gargantuan amount of smash 'n' build fun as well as hidden goodies and puzzles. As if this wasn't enough, there are fifteen more stages from the villains perspectives, using Arkham Asylum, rather than the Batcave, as a hub of operations. And if anything, these are even more fun. They rather cleverly work as a flipside to Batman's stories, so whilst the opening level "You Can Bank On Batman" sees the caped-crusader rushing to the scene of a bank-robbery, it's mirror-level "Riddler Makes A Withdrawal" pits you as The Riddler and Clayface as they go about pulling off the heist. The villain stages feature recognisable settings, but the environments themselves are unique with the gameplay taking you through different locations. Add to this the opportunity to play as an incredibly comprehensive roster of famed underlings such as Mr Freeze; Harley Quinn; Catwoman and Killer Croc, and you've got a dreamy amount of fan service. The platforming itself still isn't especially refined; climbing ladders is needlessly cumbersome, as is judging certain jumps and the one-button mash-athon combat, though trouble-free, isn't the most thought-provoking or ideally executed. But it doesn't really matter; LEGO Batman impresses in just how much there is to interact with, how many secrets are buried away, just out of sight. There's so much to every level that really each of the thirty is worth a couple of hours of your time individually - every one has ten pieces that form a LEGO model; a hostage needing to be rescued and a unique (and usually hidden) red brick to be found; whilst amassing enough studs to reach "super-hero" or "super-villain" status grants the player a piece towards a large model. LEGO Batman instils in the player a wonderful belief that should you choose to hang around, experiment and delve a little deeper in what you might find, there'll be lots of rewards in store. ...And whilst the Story mode challenges the player to think logically about how to progress through a level, the Free Play option opened up after completing a level allows the player to use any of their unlocked protagonists in a far, er, "freer" manner, granting access to a hoard of areas and actions that were off-limits in the Story. It's the perfect means of extracting replay value; enticing the player by dangling a host of bonuses in front of them, only to be available second time through. As such, there's literally months of play to be had here and compared to the majority of modern platformers, it's absolutely gigantic. Gotham City looks rather nice in brick form, capturing the streets and various landmarks effectively. On the whole it's as you'd expect from a LEGO game; nothing technically extravagant though nevertheless easy-on-the-eye. Though the level of detail and general activity is very impressive, there is the odd moment here and where the picture seems compressed. Still, the instances when characters scuttle around at light-speed assembling a new construction from scattered bricks is endlessly satisfying, whilst the cut-scenes outline the general plot direction in simplistic fashion, with a well-judged dash of humour. Whilst there's no dialogue and the sound effects are somewhat incidental, the soundtrack is more notable, as it uses Danny Elfman's compositions from the 1989 Batman film, which is a nice touch. LEGO Batman fares superbly on the PSP, though the portable version does suffer from a couple of minor issues. The first is loading times; upon booting up the game, there are a couple of really quite lengthy waits, so it's best to use the console's stand-by function where possible to avoid having to repeatedly sit through these. Strangely, for a game that is essentially co-op in nature, it features no multiplayer options - not even a local, peer-to-peer setup that would have allowed for some classic drop-in/drop-out gameplay. It should be noted however that the computer-controlled ally is no slouch. It's unlikely that you'll find yourself screaming at the screen as they tend to do the right things during co-operative puzzle solving and can handle themselves in combat. It's a real pleasure, when all's said and done. The new suits and vehicles add a sprinkling of variety to an otherwise water-tight platform game, and whilst there's still perhaps a slight clumsiness around the edges lingering over from the earlier LEGO titles, Traveller's Tales' trek into Gotham City sees the positives significantly outweighing the negatives. It may not look a world-beater at first glance, but few recent platformers have had as much thought invested in their design, or offered as much longevity and once again, it's a game that those of all ages can enjoy. This is no Holy abomination, that's for sure. Read the complete review |
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Lego Batman: The Videogame (PSP)
by scoi The Lego series of computer games takes a well known film series turns it into a series of levels and populated them with a lot of things that can be smashed apart. I was a fan of the original Star Wars version, was fun to see films you know so well in Lego form. The let down with the Batman version is that it doesn't follow ... any of the film franchise rather its merely a selection of levels which uncovers a new charachter each time. Gameplay is very similar to the others in the series, get to the end of each level, killing the bad guys on the way and destroying everything in sight to get you lego 'bits' at the end of the level you fight the boss who will have some sort of special power. A simple and fun enough concept. The graphics and movement are smooth as you would expect from such a simple cartoony game. Each charachter has a special feature which you will need to get through the game or achieve maximum rewards from the game, whether it be flying, fire proof, setting bombs etc. Each level has 3 extra aims. Getting enough bits, collecting the lego parts and the special red bricks. Each will give you access to bonus items to help you through the game or extra levels. A good way to get a lot more out of the game. The main story line is simple to complete, being that you can't die in the game. Should you lose all your energy or fall down a big hole you regenerate and lose some of you bits. This makes it a great game for kids to play as they won't lose their concentration by hitting a point they can't overcome. It does struggle on some levels as the game doesnt explain what is required so it may take a lot of running, driving or flying around until accidently figuring out what to do. Frustrating at times but you can't get stuck in the game so theres always a way out. The major problem is the loading time, it take up to a minute to load a level. Sort of understandable when its available for much more powerful consoles. Read the complete review |
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Lego Harry Potter: Episodes 1-4 (PSP)
by CheesySpam Admittedly, I've been hooked on the LEGO games ever since Lego Star Wars: The Video Game came out in 2005. If you look past the fact that they are aimed at kids, you'll find addictive gameplay and excellent graphics. Plus, they're funny, which is rare in video games these days. I enjoyed the Lego Star Wars games on PS2 and ... Lego Indiana Jones on PS3, as well as Lego Batman, but I wanted something new. There had to be something better than Force powers, whips and caped superheroes...why, magic of course! I was delighted when Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 was announced, which would be based on the first four books and films in the series. When it was released around seven months after Lego Indiana Jones 2, I bought it for PSP. So, is it up to the standard of the console games or just a lazy effort? ==Gameplay== The PSP version of Lego Harry Potter basically features the same kind of gameplay as the console versions. You control a Lego character and explore Hogwarts in levels mostly based on scenes from the films. However, there are several differences. When you start the game a cut-scene is shown, which really puts you into the mood of the Lego games. It's funny and looks good. After that, you are taken straight into a level set around 10 years after the cut-scene. You have to find Dudley's presents and at the same time you are taught the basics of the controls - how to walk, push objects and most importantly, use magic. After this, you have the option of being taken to the next level or going to the Hub world. I'll talk about the Hub first. There's not that much to do and it lacks the scale of the various Hubs in Lego Indiana Jones 2, but it's certainly worth a visit. You can go to the shop run by Fred and George Weasley. From there, you can buy characters, unlock hints and purchase abilities that you have unlocked from red bricks. I'll talk about that later. You can then go to the Character Creator. You can edit Harry's hair, outfit and facial expression. There is also a gallery where you can view Lego scenes, based on levels in the game. Lastly, there are four doors where you enter the levels. Once you've looked around, continue with the story mode. You may have passed the tutorial level, but there are still some things to learn. Before you know it, you arrive at Hogwarts and are being taught new spells. You need to know about the 'spell system', as I like to call it. When a blue glow appears around objects, it means that you can use magic on them. For example, this may happen when there is some debris on the floor. If you press X on it, you must press a combination of buttons. In this case, you need to press the circle button three times because you need to repair. You easily learn what buttons to press in what occasion. However, when a red glow appears around objects, it means that you haven't yet learnt the spell that you need to cast on it. You will probably complete the game in less than 10 hours. But you're not NEARLY finished yet. By now, you will have learnt every spell, so you can go back and do everything that you can't have done before. You could find chests that you couldn't open because you hadn't learnt the unlocking spell, Alohamora. It will enable you to reach Wizard Hats, Red Bricks and Wizard Cards. I'll explain about these next. There are five Wizard Hats in each of the 44 levels in the game. For every 10 Wizard Hat you get, you unlock something for the Gallery I mentioned earlier. Red Bricks are quite valuable. There are 15 hidden across the whole game and each one unlocks a special ability and are either hidden or found in plain sight. Some are used for comedic value, but others help you. Lastly, Wizard Cards simply unlock new characters, which you can use for Free Play - when you can replay levels using any character. ==Summary of Each Stage== Stage 1 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - is the longest stage in the game, but is more about teaching you about what to do, rather than fun. It's arguably the worst stage in the game. Nevertheless, the last level is superb and the mini-games are great. Stage 2 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - is far better. Each of the 12 levels feature varied gameplay. You also learn new spells and there are a wide range of environments, including the dark Forbidden Forest and the lively Diagon Alley. The only real negative I can think of is the easy boss in the last level of the stage. Stage 3 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - features some vast levels and there are even more secrets to discover. It tells the tale of how Harry tries to avoid escaped prisoner Sirius Black. Like the previous stage, there are plenty of different environments. It's the best stage yet, but can The Goblet of Fire beat it? Stage 4 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - is a fun, albeit short, stage. Even so, it IS the best stage and is somewhat epic. It features some of the best levels in Lego games yet - there's been nothing better than swimming around in a huge lake avoiding sea creatures and exploring a deadly maze. I expected it though, as it's based one of the best Harry Potter films, which featured some of the best scenes in the series. ==Graphics== Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 on PSP has the same graphical style as on consoles. It doesn't feature a huge amount of detail - after all, it's a LEGO game featuring lots of Lego. But in my opinion, it's one of the best looking games on PSP. ==Sound== The sound quality isn't great, to be honest. It's a bit tinny and sounds like something from a low quality radio. However, it may sound a bit clearer if you use headphones. But the music itself is great - it's taken from the films. There's no talking in the game anyway, so it doesn't matter too much. ==My Verdict== Overall, Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 is a great game. It features addictive gameplay, has a great replay value, features excellent graphics and is funny! The sound quality is average, however, and it's a bit too easy. Plus, I found a glitch that stopped me from progressing in a level so I had to restart it. But if you can overlook these, you'll really enjoy it. This review is also posted on Ciao, under my name YoshiCheesePuff. Thanks for reading! Read the complete review |
Warner Bros. PSP Game |
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Genre: Action & Adventure / PSP Game / Video Game for Sony PSP / Release Date: 2010-03-26 / Published by Warner Bros. Interactive |
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Genre: Action & Adventure / PSP Game / Video Game for Sony PSP / Release Date: 2011-11-18 / Published by Warner Bros. Interactive |
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Genre: Action & Shooter / PSP Game / To Be Announced / Release Date: 2010-10-29 / Published by Warner Bros. Interactive |
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2 reviews Genre: Action & Adventure / PSP Game / Video Game for Sony PSP / ESRB Rating: Rating Pending / Release Date: 2010-06-25 / Published by Warner Bros. Interactive |
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5 reviews Genre: Action & Shooter / PSP Game / Release Date: 2008-10-10 / Published by Warner Brothers - Take control of the Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin, as you build, drive, swing, and fight your way through Gotham City capturing escaped villains and putting them back in Arkham Asylum where they belong. Bat... |
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