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Genre: Action/Adventure
Format: DVD
Developer: Traveller’s Tales
Mac Port: Robosoft Technologies
Mac Publisher: Feral Interactive
Minimum System Requirements: 1.8GHz Intel Mac, Mac OS X v10.4.10, 512MB RAM, 128MB VRAM, 5GB hard disc space, DVD drive, mouse
Review Computer: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo aluminum MacBook, 2GB DDR3 memory, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Network Feature: No
Processor Compatibility: Intel only
Price: $40
ESRB Rating: E 10+
Availability: Out now
Demo: 574MB BitTorrent

Something you should know about me is that I’ve never been a tremendous fan of either LEGO or Batman. LEGO, because they were always too expensive to get the good kits. Batman, because he was always not Flash Gordon. I mean, I liked the TV show and pretty much all the movies that weren’t attached to Joel Schumacher (yes, that includes Batman Returns, but I never really got excited about any of them.

That’s okay with something like this, though, because the LEGO games are always less about the characters and more about the LEGO. Yes, there are some traits that separate Batman from Star Wars and Indiana Jones, but, by and large, the game is still just about running around and knocking things over. You solve some puzzles, you punch some bad guys, and you never die.

But that doesn’t mean LEGO Batman is just a retread. Although the mechanics and graphics are basically the same as the others in the LEGO series, there’s enough differentiation to make it worthwhile. You’ve got a whole slew of Batman characters to play with and fight against. The characters are fun here, like in the old TV show where even the bad guys were joyful. Yes, there’s gunplay and plenty of fighting, but it feels like you’re out there with ping pong ball guns. What’s better, you get to control the bad guys. You’re not stuck with just Batman, Robin and Batgirl throughout the whole game, you get to play as the Joker, the Riddler, Bane, Poison Ivy, and many others from the rogues gallery of super-villains. After doing so, it’s not hard to see why so many citizens of Gotham turn to a life of crime; it’s just more fun.

You can play through the game by yourself or with a friend, and both are rewarding experiences. Batman and Robin will work together with special moves that are pretty fun to execute, but two-player action can get annoying if you’re not working in close proximity of each other; the viewpoint pans out a bit too far to see what’s going on, and you can get trapped in corners. Although you spend a good deal of your time as the Dynamic Duo, it never becomes too old because the developers included plenty of special suits for you to find and use. With these, Robin can climb walls, Batman can blow up buildings, etc. Although they’re mostly used for solving specific puzzles, they will prove quite useful in combat, too.

And speaking of combat…let’s not. I mean, yeah, there are special moves and button mashing and such, but the fact that you can never really die means the combat is just filler; it’s something to pass the time as you work through the puzzles to reach the conclusion. Thankfully, that’s fun enough, because this is an original story. Unlike the Star Wars and Indy games that follow plot lines of actual movies, LEGO Batman tells its own story, and I certainly prefer that. It does so with Danny Elfman’s soundtrack from the Burton films, though, so it feels a little like that. Gotham is more colorful than in Burton’s vision, but still oddly flat and drab. The characters themselves seem to be pulled from the campier moments in Batman’s history.

Another reason this all comes together well is because the developers seem to really be into it. Considering it’s LEGO and Batman, this could have easily been brushed off as a shovelware project for the kids. Rather, there’s an attention to detail that lifts the game far above the realm of children’s entertainment. The cut scenes are as high in quality as any I’ve seen on the Mac, and the story—although laugh-out-loud funny at moments—takes itself just seriously enough to keep you entertained. These may be LEGO toys, but they’ve got quite a bit of character in those little plastic faces. It won’t be long before you stop seeing them as toys and start seeing them as people who really need to figure out how to get up to that rope to get across to the costume to get over that wall.

So, who’s LEGO Batman for? Well, not for older gamers seeking a challenge, that’s for sure, although even that crowd could find enjoyment in this pleasant romp. Batman fans will dig it, provided their idea of the Caped Crusader can reach past Christian Bale’s iteration. Fans of the LEGO series will also enjoy this. Not much has changed here stylistically or mechanically, and I’ll leave that up to you as to whether that’s a good thing. Personally, I think the LEGO formula still works, so slipping in different franchises and different stories is enough…for now. Once we get to the point where they’re making LEGO Twilight or LEGO John and Kate Plus Eight, it’s time to box them up and store them up high in the closet.