When I first saw the trailer for Lego Batman 2 I was hooked. Everything I hated about Lego games was thrown out. Gone are the quirky shrugs and beeps that passed for dialogue, instead we get full voice acting. Done away with was the central hub in favor of a sandbox, open world environment. Plus the whole Justice League makes an appearance.

Well I picked this game up recently, and folks, it doesn’t disappoint. My wife and I jumped into some co-op play and I think she’s more hooked than I am. The gameplay is simple and familiar for fans of the Lego franchise of games so I won’t bore you with those details.

The star of the show is Gotham City herself. Dark and brooding(as Gotham should be), the city begs to be explored. You can follow the story missions or free play yourself around Gotham. There’s plenty to collect here, like all Lego games, so make sure to explore to your collector heart’s content.

The voice acting here is superb and is definitely my favorite change over previous Lego games. Fans of past DC animated projects may recognize Clancy Brown’s voice as Lex Luthor, the go to guy for Luthor’s voice in the DC animated universe.

The graphics look great and have the look and feel for what a Batman game should be. The soundtrack was also close to my heart using the music from the 90′s Batman and Superman(when he appears) animated series.

Overall, this was a great game and if you like Batman, Lego, both or are in need of bringing your wife into your gaming world, then this game is for you.

4 1/2 out 5 Nerds