LEGO Batman Comments by Dan Whitehead

Vanmunt wrote:
well, this has been getting hammered on other sites... crap puzzles and annoying platform sections, bit of a case of somebody giving a personnal review instead of reviewing the game..

What the ****'s the difference? All reviews are personal. Perhaps, just perhaps, those other reviewers looked at each element purely in terms of their technical achievement, while this reviewer viewed them relatively, in terms of how much frustration they caused within the experience of playing the game as a whole, and found they weren't worthy crying about?

He does mention them, after all...

"Pass me.... the shark......repellent"
Why do people get so bent out of shape by games review? If you don't agree with a review thats fine! If you do, thats equally fine.
Why the need to complain and bitch and argue? I really don't understand why people spend so much time on the internet when they seem to hate all the websites they visit.

On another note is there really no two player co- op? That could be a deal breaker.

Also do kids really play this much more than the other liscenced rubbish thats thrown at them? I know my younger brother used to play all the rubbish games and get bored of them quite quickly. Has anyone ever sta their kids down with both? I mean why aren't we experimenting on our kids more?

On another note is there really no two player co- op? That could be a deal breaker.

The co-op gameplay is still there, it's just not online. They tried that for Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga but I'm guessing it wasn't that popular since they've not used it since.

Also do kids really play this much more than the other liscenced rubbish thats thrown at them? I know my younger brother used to play all the rubbish games and get bored of them quite quickly. Has anyone ever sta their kids down with both? I mean why aren't we experimenting on our kids more?

I'm always fascinated to watch my son playing games. He and his friends are absolutely obsessed with the Lego series. They can spend ages just walking around, finding all the different character animations. He played games like Wall-E and Spiderwick Chronicles when I reviewed those, and he just lost interest after a few hours.

Sounds to me like all those "other sites" already reviewed the game from an adult's perspective, if that's all Vanmunt wanted...

While I admire his crusade to bring about some sort of consistency amongst reviews, I applaud Dan for his more objective opinions :)

It's actually my favourite Batman movie by a considerable margin.

Close second to Batman Begins, personally.

"Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!"

It seems to be something of a tradition for the Lego games to feature a bit where you have to build a dancefloor to trigger a disco version of the theme music, and I was hoping in this game it'd be the Batusi. It's not. But you do get to control a breakdancing robot.

They can spend ages just walking around, finding all the different character animations.

Heh - I do that too. Love the 'sneaky' animations :)

/totally in touch with inner child

MED

Check out recent reviews... Infinate Undiscovery got hammered, 5 out of 10 in the opinion of the reviewer who probably does not enjoy that genre it was a fair score. Myself who likes JRPG's would of gave it a 7, because I like those type of games... hense my comment on a personnal review, I don't like TT games and would not review them because my opinion would be biased..

Dan, I'm with you on this - my son, 8, is on his 5th(!) play through of Indy lego, Star Wars got the same treatment, even my 3 year old will watch his brother play these games.

As you can imagine my eldest is slightly excited about Batman Lego and has started counting down the days until release date (8 days to go dad, where his first words to me this morning!).

Vanmunt,

'I don't like TT games and would not review them because my opinion would be biased.. '

So what you are saying is that you are just trolling?

Check out recent reviews... Infinate Undiscovery got hammered, 5 out of 10 in the opinion of the reviewer who probably does not enjoy that genre it was a fair score. Myself who likes JRPG's would of gave it a 7, because I like those type of games...

I reviewed Infinite Undiscovery and I like JRPGs. I gave it 5/10 because Infinite Undiscovery is an average JRPG.

@Thunder

Nope, just interested too see how lego Batman got an 8 that was all...

@Dan

well, thats probably 2 games we can disagree on then... :P

Hi Dan,

Because you've been so helpful answering queries, could I ask how this plays on the PSP?

As that is my intended platform for this game. I played through SW: Lego on the PSP and it played fine but is it it better on the 360/PS3?

Thanks :)

No idea about the PSP version. I played it on PS3 and 360 for the review, and it also plays pretty well on the DS, so I'm guessing it'll be similar to that version.

@ Vanmutt: Umm, you're not making any sense here I'm afraid.

"I understand that, but reviewing a series you like is a bit pointless.... casing point 'sorry and don't shoot me down' MGS4 reviewed by somebody who admitted they don't like the game.."

So games shouldn't be reviewed by anyone who likes the genre OR by people who DON'T like the genre... interesting approach but might leave the number of reviews looking a wee bit low...

Fact is, ANY review is a personal opinion, there's no such thing as a totally objective review. What Eurogamer does very well is explain how they got to that big ol' score at the bottom of the page. This allows you, me and every other reader to - and take a deep breath at this radical concept - understand the approach taken by the reviwer, judge its relative merits against our own criteria and decide how close to our opinions it's likely to be. If you think a game is given too high a score based on your own preferences then simply discard it and look for a review closer to those preferences.

Personally I'm always grateful when I see reviews that don't follow the average pattern for a game. I may not agree with the reasons for that revew but I'm bloody glad someone's taken the time, and often been brave enough to risk the ire of the fanboys, to take a different view.

@Vanmunt- The point of any good review is to look at the game from a totally unbiased standpoint and evaluate how well it stands up to its premise. I'm not saying every reviewer keeps this level of professionalisim.
Your point about infinite undiscovery- 5 is an average score because when you read the reviews of it it sounds like a standard RPG. It doesn't mean the reviewer doesn't enjoy JRPG's just that this one offers nothing new and what it does offer is not that exciting. However if you are an experienced reviewer even if you do not like the game series you can recognise why it is a good game. Music is a good comparison, for example Bowie is recognised a classic artist but I can take him or leave him. I recognise his talent and can see why people like him but it doesn't match my taste.

Comparisons aren't my strong point but I hope you consider my point.

Fact is, ANY review is a personal opinion, there's no such thing as a totally objective review. What Eurogamer does very well is explain how they got to that big ol' score at the bottom of the page. This allows you, me and every other reader to - and take a deep breath at this radical concept - understand the approach taken by the reviwer, judge its relative merits against our own criteria and decide how close to our opinions it's likely to be. If you think a game is given too high a score based on your own preferences then simply discard it and look for a review closer to those preferences.

We have a winner.

Do kids care about all this v-sync and tearing stuff, then? :) I'm 26 and have no idea what it is, or have ever noticed anything odd or 'tear' like about a game I'm playing.

There's absolutely no mention of what the game actually IS. Not all of us have played Lego games before. Please bear this in mind when reviewing!

"I'm probably closer than I'd like to think to being four times the intended age of the target audience, but I love the Lego Star Wars because I can play it with my girlfriend. Lego Indy didn't do it for us, for some reason, but your review has given me hope for this one. Cheers Dan!"
Same here except sub "wife" for "girlfriend". That and we actually liked Indy too.

Vanmunt wrote"@muscle

I understand that, but reviewing a series you like is a bit pointless.... casing point 'sorry and don't shoot me down' MGS4 reviewed by somebody who admitted they don't like the game..

and also 'opinions are like assholes'............ everyone's got one and they usually stink. "

You totally confuse me. So a person who likes a series of games can't review them. And a person who dislikes a series can't review them. So what you're saying is only people that have never played a series before can review them? Or alternatively someone that has played them before but couldn't form an opinion on the first attempt? What about if that person was asked whether they liked them or not and gave a nonchalant shrug with a "s'alright, spose" response? Would that mean that they qualify?

I'm also confused about the opinions analogy. Firstly you were concerned that this hadn't been as well met as reviews on other sites. Yet you then said that this was just an opinion, and that opinions usually stink. So, and I'm going out on a limb here, why read an opinion and even comment on an opinion that contradicts another opinion. In my opinion.

My head hurts.

Chufty - you could also read the Lego reviews that came before it to reinforce your knowledge of the high and low points the review points to (all are available on this site). Also, read more than one review to influence your buying decision.

I get your point but the info is available to you.

Do the sidekicks actually kill people on this version?

Lets be honest, it is a LEGO game, lego is for kids... now dont get all mad at me, i play lego with my kids and the games are also fun... but I think games sites and reviewers DO need to take into account the target audience. Reviewing "My first baby dragon" or something which is aimed at say a 6 year old and then saying it doesnt have enough depth for a 30 something is stupid.

Games sites SHOULD always take into account the age of the player.. of course less so the type of game, but still no good getting someone who hates FPS games to review them.

Back to the game, the kids are very excited about this (but they cant have it as Santa is getting it for them ;) they have Indy and Star wars (Star wars was better from what ive seen)... and 8 seems like the right type of score for this type of game. I applaud EG for getting a good review of the game based on the type of people who would buy/enjoy it. After all thats what matters.

I'm over 30. I still think it's worth an 8.

@Vanmunt

That wasn't the most eloquent comment I've read, but you've got a valid point. Shouldn't the reviewer be writing for his typical reader? I understand that there are parents on this website who are looking at the review for their children, but surely most are looking to purchase the game for themselves. I don't think it's particularly important either way, particularly if the reviewer is upfront about it as Dan seems to be.

Derblington - Yes the information is available, but it would be useful if the review at least touched on the, you know, gameplay elements of the game. I shouldn't have to trawl through the review archives to find the first lego game so I can read about what I actually do in this game.

Just constructive criticism really, I'm not having a hissy fit or anything :P

@kentMonkey hehe yep, but to make it clear i wasnt suggesting that adults couldnt enjoy or play the game :)

I have now racked up over 30 hours of Lego Star Wars with my 3 yr old son, and we have a right good laugh playing it. I was going to get BAt Man but understand it's a 7 plus game. Can anyone tell me why it's rated above the Star Wars games?

Do the sidekicks actually kill people on this version?

Yes, they do. Not to the extent that you can sit back and let them do the work, but they are actually helpful in a fight now.

I was going to get BAt Man but understand it's a 7 plus game. Can anyone tell me why it's rated above the Star Wars games?

Perhaps because they use "real" guns, not lasers? I know that's why most cartoons in the 80s and 90s had cops who fired ray guns for no apparent reason. Some of the villains might actually be a bit scary to a 3-year-old, I suppose, but there's nothing overtly violent or unpleasant.

There's absolutely no mention of what the game actually IS. Not all of us have played Lego games before. Please bear this in mind when reviewing!

Fair point. It just seems that by the time you're reviewing the third game in a series (or fifth, if you count the first two Star Wars game as well as The Complete Saga) you have to assume that most people reading a review are interested enough to have basic knowledge of the previous games.

... Oh c'mon. The good cop, bad cop routine?

I love playing through these games with a friend, and I'm 21. They aren't particularly thought provoking or challenging, but the core gameplay is just fun and like the review said, there's a lot to discover and unlock. Yes, there's a few bugs that can be annoying but I don't think any of them really ruin the enjoyability of the game. When I died and respawned off the side of a cliff constantly, I never got angry and threw my controller across the room, most of the time I just found it amusing. There's no death penalty and you will eventually get back on the platform. It's just all good fun.

I think the main issue is that this is the third or fourth Lego game now, and it's basically just a reskinned version of Lego Star Wars, for those of us who still enjoy playing through them it's fine, but I think for their next game they should really spice things up a little.

I don't know how but I've got a probem with almost all of these comments.
The game seems rubbish too, for any adult.

Not quite.

Well that was a really helpful review cheers!

I can now safely get my 3 and 1 year old sons this & the complete lego starwars for crimbo, and not feel guilty for them getting me gears of war 2 and left 4 dead :-)

My 3 year old son plays castle crashers all the time (although he only melee attacks at the mo as he doesnt understand the principle of the magic button!) and has got his knight upto level 17 (im only on 29 my self!)

MY one year old can hold the pad ok but his thumbs are too short to reach the sticks or buttons so hes resorted to pressing them various parts of his face (maybe thats why they call em face buttons!), just gotta teach him to not keep pausing the game with his nose on the guide button now! Oh and I have to dry the pad out but he has 16 of his 20 teath through and im quite supprised how reisistant the 360 pad is to teeth marking!

The PSP game is nigh identical to the PS2 one (no camera control in any of them) and that one is identical to the Xbox 360 one save for the graphics. It is the DS version that surprised me with the different set of levels but basically the same mechanics. So, worth getting both versions, at least for me.

@ BigE0n: I think your kids should do hardware reviews: "Personally, I found the buttons too small to mash reliably with my nose, but dimple on the sticks collected my saliva very efficiently." :)

Meho,

Thanks for the info. Gotta get something for my PSP it hasnt been fed in a while.

"Those that I do (Fable 2 and fallout 3 mostly) I am worried they won't be as good as they promise"

How good do they promise to be? Im guessing 84-88% metacritic average wich is good, but not exactly as good as Gears 2 or Left4Dead (90-95% average probably). Fable 2 and Fallout 3 will be great but i dont believe they will be GOTY candidates though.

My 3 year old son plays castle crashers all the time (although he only melee attacks at the mo as he doesnt understand the principle of the magic button!) and has got his knight upto level 17 (im only on 29 my self!)

My son actually managed to beat the final boss in Castle Crashers twice. Once you've started a game with a pooping owl, you've pretty much guaranteed the young boy audience is on board.

Ummmm-Uhhhhh Mr. Whitehead - letting your son play a 7+ game, tsk tsk :P

The lego games are ok. However be warned ; they are easy and get very very very repetitive. I might give it a miss.

Watch some kids playing the LEGO games. It's like crack cocaine to them.

Dan Whitehead sells crack to minors.

@muscleblade- I'm not sure where you getting these scores from. Just based on how good you think thwey are going to be? I admit I forget left for dead but it would not be pushing the boat out too far to suggest i tire of shooters (hence my interest in batman).
Gears 2 I'm sure will be good but from what I've seen up to now wont be much of anything new and although I enjoyed the first one I despise the online matches. Worse than halo for stupid people and very few people play it as its meant. So I don't want to pay 40 smackers for a 10 hour single player campaign and I'm hardly going to be buying it for its riveting story now am I? Sorry Cliffy B.

I been playing this. It's great!