Format: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
Developer: Warner Bros
I was so excited when I heard this game was coming to the iOS and let me tell you why. I will go on record right now as saying that Lego Batman 2 is the best Lego game that has so far graced the consoles. I will even go one better than that and say that as far as I am concerned Lego Batman 2 was the best family game of 2012. The amount of time my son and I spent playing Lego Batman 2 on the Xbox was just crazy. So when I heard that it was coming to the iOS I was giddy like a school girl.
Graphically this is a fantastic looking game. As well as having the Xbox 360 version at home I have also played the version for the Playstation Vita and the Nintendo 3DS and this iOS version puts them both to shame. I am amazed at how good this looks. The huge DC cast of characters that is in this game look amazing. Batman and Robin are the pair that you start off with much like the console game, but there are many more DC characters for you to play as. The Flash, Superman, Green lantern and Cyborg just to name a few of the characters you will get to have some fun with. One thing that really blew me and my son away was that there are some characters who are in this game that were not on the console versions such as Green Arrow and Deathstroke.
The story is fantastic and if you are a DC fan you will love this take on the DC Universe. The story sees Joker and Lex Luthor teaming up, but as well as this a whole bunch of villains have escaped from Arkham Asylum. There are far to many bad guys for just Batman & Robin so this is why the other DC heroes are needed. If you have played the console version then you know what to expect here, but to me this story never gets old.
As far as the game play goes this hands down is the best portable Lego game I have ever played. I will say that so far console to iOS ports have not always worked out, but this right here to me is the blue print of how you take a great console game and make it work on an iOS platform. It has everything and I mean everything that its big brother console versions have, but it also makes some very small and subtle changes that make it suit the iOS perfectly.
Now for those of you who have played Lego Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman or whatever you will know the deal here when it comes to the game play. But let me explain for those of you who do not. The Lego games are action games with some very basic puzzle elements thrown in as well. You will need to smash everything that can be smashed in order to earn the studs which is the in game currency which can then be used to buy new characters. The amount of stuff in each level that can be smashed is amazing. As well as smashing there is also some building involved where you will need to build an object in order to progress. And of course there are tons and tons of henchmen for you to beat up. It is a very simple game, but one that is just so much fun to play.
One thing that I think has been changed here and for the better is the size of the levels. They have made them smaller here, but not because of iOS limitations or anything like that. The idea is that with the smaller levels the game is more suited to smaller bursts of play. Some levels on the console version can easily take half an hour if your trying to get all of the studs which on a console is not that big of a deal. But here with the smaller levels you can get through them much quicker.
To control your character you have a virtual joystick and some buttons as well. There are a few issues where I would press the wrong button here and there. But the Lego games are very forgiven and you are never really punished that severely if you make a mistake. There is other control options, but for me the virtual stick is the best way. But there is an option that lets you play the game by just tapping and swiping on the screen.
Right now as I type this I am going on record as saying that this so far is my game of the year on the iOS for the first half of 2013. I know that some of you may be put off by the five bucks price tag, but it would be a bargain at double the price. This is a full on game not something thrown out to make a quick buck.