And if you think controlling Robin is cool, just wait until you can inhabit the body of The Riddler or Mr. Freeze. Controlling the villains is the best part of Lego Batman, so it's good that half of the game is devoted to these miscreants. The villain levels are far less predictable than Batman's because of the sheer variety of characters you can control. Every level lets you control a new charlatan, so you'll be able to lash out with your whip as Catwoman in one level and then unleash tiny penguin bombs as the felonious fowl in the next. Though the villains' tale mirrors Batman's story, the levels are different. You'll go through some of the same sections, but you'll predominantly move through new locations, making this adventure twice as long as previous Lego games.
They're probably laughing at Robin.
Though cooperative play makes the experience more enjoyable, Lego Batman is virtually unplayable at times if you opt to go through it alone. The friendly AI is horrific. As in previous games, your AI companion cannot dispose of enemies. This means you'll have to fight off all the enemies and solve all the puzzles by yourself while your AI pal stands around doing nothing. Worse is the AI's complete disregard for puzzles that require two people to solve. For instance, a few puzzles require one person to stand on a platform while another flips a switch. In a few cases, the AI pal will stupidly follow you wherever you walk, which makes it impossible to complete the puzzle without plugging in a second controller and maneuvering both characters yourself. There is one vehicular boss fight where one player has to tow the enemy while the other peppers him with missiles. The battle is nearly impossible to win because the friendly AI refuses to help.
Despite the lack of humor and sometimes obstinate puzzles, Lego Batman can be really fun. The game has a ton of unlockables, from new characters to fancy costumes, which makes it well worth replaying. It's just a shame the problems that have plagued this series since the beginning have yet to be addressed. There is no excuse for distressingly thick-headed AI in such a simple game. If you can rope a friend into playing with you, though, the game is a blast. You'll just have to provide the cheesy Mr. Freeze puns yourself.
Lego Batman (Xbox 360):
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