Lego Batman 2: Holy Justice League, Batman!

Traveller’s Tales is releasing a much-anticipated sequel to Lego Batman: The Videogame next month, and we got hands-on with the demo at MCM Expo. While the story of Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes remains mostly under wraps, the game will see the Dynamic Duo teaming up with the Justice League to combat the unprecedented threat of the Joker and his new ally, Lex Luthor. The start of the demo sees Bruce Wayne beating Lex to win the coveted Man of the Year Award, then all hell breaks loose when Joker and his cronies decide to crash the ceremony. After a quick costume change, Batman and Robin must battle groups of goons, solve puzzles and assemble Lego objects to progress through the campaign.

The big change for Lego Batman 2 is that it's set in an open world, so you can expect to find vast numbers of collectables and secrets hidden throughout Gotham City. Due to its vast size, co-op is now split screen. You and your partner can can choose to explore opposite ends of the city if you so choose, or you can stick together. You’ll team up with plenty of familiar faces such as Wonderwoman, Flash, Green Lantern and the Man of Steel himself, Superman. While we didn’t get to play as Superman, we did get to see him in action, flying around Gotham City and using his breath to freeze enemies. Due to the different powers of the assorted DC heroes (and villains), collectables are much more widespread, and require you to use a variety of characters to uncover them all. With over fifty characters to unlock for the Free Play mode, DC Super Heroes will offer a lot of replay value, in addition to its 15 hour campaign.

For the first time in a Lego game, DC Super Heroes will feature a fully-voiced cast of characters, including veterans Kevin Conway and Tara Strong, who play Batman and Harley Quinn, respectively. During the demo we got to play as Batman and Robin, switching between the two characters to utilise their different skill sets to complete puzzles and progress through levels. Using alternative costumes, Batman and Robin gain extra powers such as acrobatics and x-ray vision. We got to try out Robin’s acrobat suit which totally switches up his fighting style by giving him a staff that he can use to hit multiple enemies at once. It can also be used to climb up to previously unreachable areas. He can also turn into a ball at the touch of a button to activate switches and roll over enemies. Batman’s stealth suit allows you to pass through laser security systems undetected and you can manipulate items through walls using x-ray vision.

While the demo we played was only fifteen or so minutes long, it was fun to play. DC Super Heroes retains the fun of previous Lego games, and we’re looking forward to seeing more at this year’s E3. The game is set for release on a whole host of platforms in June. And if you want to watch the Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes demo from the GameSpot UK games stage at MCM, head over to our channel on Twitch.TV.