LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes was released on PlayStation 3 in 2013 and was the first major crossover of the LEGO building-block series into the Marvel universe. Traveller's Tales, the studio behind dozens of similar titles based on film licenses, this time combined over a hundred playable characters - from Iron Man and Hulk to Spider-Man and Wolverine - into one free-roaming Manhattan full of side quests, hidden gold bricks, and collectibles scattered across streets and skyscraper rooftops alike.

The story revolves around Doctor Doom, who joins forces with other villains of the Marvel universe to collect fragments of a cosmic cube and reshape reality according to his own vision. This gives players an excuse to roam the streets of New York as a wide range of superheroes, gradually unlocking more and more names from the character roster. The gameplay remains faithful to the series' tried-and-tested formula: a combination of simple platforming action, physics-based puzzles rooted in destructible environments, and constant switching between characters with special abilities needed to open up further parts of the level. Two-player co-op on a single screen makes the game ideal family entertainment that can be played even with children who have no knowledge of comic-book mythology.

The humor, typical of the entire LEGO series, doesn't hold back even against Marvel clichés and skillfully weaves more serious moments together with lighthearted parody scenes in which the characters poke fun at their own superhero mannerisms. Thanks to its huge roster of playable heroes, open world, and plenty of optional content, the game offers dozens of hours of fun even for players who don't know much about comics and just want to enjoy relaxed action without high difficulty demands.

Why play it: For the huge selection of Marvel heroes and lighthearted, family-friendly action across an open-world Manhattan.