I've never had a Batman game before. Only other "superhero" type game I ever had was a couple of the Spiderman games, simply because of the unique movement through the environment compared to the first person shooters that are my normal bread and butter on a game console.
I purchased it specifically for the Wii-U because I like the Pad's integration in games. Spiderman, Lego City Undercover, it adds a nice touch. And here, as well, it adds to it. Like Lego City Undercover, when you're talking to someone via radio, you hear them on the speakers of the pad. However, this was my first strike on the game - when you turn OFF the sound on the pad (such as when you're playing after kids are in bed using headphones) then it does *NOT* automatically put the sound through the normal output with the rest of the things so you can hear it on the headphones. That was one thing I got used to on Lego City, that if I turned off the volume on the pad, the radio conversations would play both sides over the headphones then. Not this one. And I had several instances where even with the pad volume on, I'd only hear one side of the conversation, it would glitch the other. And sometimes it was the main character's voice missing, not the one that would've played on the pad anyway.
There are a lot of combo moves. If you're not a fan of having to memorize a ton of button combinations for one game, then pass this one. But that being said, you can survive just doing the basics.
Flight is frustrating. Just gliding around and grappling to points to move is easy, but there are "advanced" challenges that require some serious accuracy as to when to stop your fall when flying to get into a tunnel or something, and being a 2D video game, it can be a pain getting that change from dive to level flight at just the right moment. In the forums people talk about having tried a single challenge for two days, and giving up and putting the game away. The challenges don't appear to be tied to finishing or even progressing the game (I haven't finished the game yet, but I've advanced pretty far and to this point not finishing them isn't causing me any issues), but I understand their frustration, dealing with a couple of them myself.
Graphics are smooth - even flying around and having the cityscape all around. Combat is smooth with only a couple instances of hesitation and delay. There are a multitude of attacks to choose from, but you may get bored with the nonstop fighting since each fight is pretty much like the next.
You also can pick up "Riddler trophies" which are hidden things scattered around the city. Most have switches or puzzles of some sort to figure out to open a cage holding the trophy. Some you can't get till later in the game, so if there's one you can't figure out, just mark it on the map and come back to it later when you have more gear and more options.
The interaction with the Wii-U game pad is very well done, other than the sound glitch. But I also had issues when I would go to the upgrades page, since initially it never let me scroll to the sides, so I never knew there were more upgrades available than what was shown on the first page it displays for each category. When I finally tried again since I had maxed out everything I could early on, and found that it could scroll, it wouldn't STAY scrolled, and kept reverting back to the first page. Eventually I got it responding right, but it took a bit. But those were the only glitches with the pad so far.
Switching from Batman to Cat Woman is pretty cool as well, different fighting styles and different weapons and abilities. Those trophies I mentioned above, they come in "his and her" flavors, some are for Batman, some are for Cat Woman.
Going into "detective mode" lets you use your suit's enhanced capabilities, such as seeing things around walls, and it makes finding "bad guys" a lot easier when you're just flying around looking for some butt to kick to get some experience.
Even with the few glitches and problems, it's very enjoyable though. I paid less getitng it quite a bit after launch, and at this price it was definitely worth it.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 0.02 Pounds |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches |
| Item Weight | 2.75 Ounces |
| Brand Name | WB Games |
| Country of Origin | United States |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | Broadway Publishing |
| Part Number | 1000312565 |
| Model Year | 2012 |
| Size | 1 Pack |
