LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham expands the building-block series into a space adventure in which Batman and his allies from the Justice League must face Brainiac, who threatens the entire galaxy, including Gotham itself, shrunk into a bottle and stolen along with other Earth and alien metropolises as exhibits for a cosmic menagerie. On Wii U the game again benefits from the GamePad for a clear map and quick character switching, with many characters featuring unique gadgets and suits that change their abilities on the fly, from Superman's strength to Green Lantern's constructs to Batman's detective skills.

The gameplay stays faithful to the proven formula of smashing brick structures, solving cooperative puzzles, and collecting collectibles, but this time with a greater emphasis on trips into space and unlockable areas of a cosmic sector with their own planets to explore. The humor combines parody of comic-book clichés with its own exaggeration, and for the first time in the series the characters are voiced by professional voice actors instead of the traditional pantomime, giving the story both greater weight and wit. Visually the game looked colorful and clean on Wii U, though technically it wasn't a major leap over previous entries in the series, including in the loading speed of individual missions.

Critics received the game as one of the series' most content-rich entries, especially thanks to the wide selection of playable characters from the DC comics universe and the newly introduced voice acting. Within the family action-adventure genre it confirmed that the LEGO formula can still offer fresh themes and new mechanics even after many entries. Today it serves as a rewarding choice for DC comics fans seeking lighthearted, undemanding fun suitable even for younger players, one that can easily be played by two throughout the entire story campaign and further supplemented by free collectible exploration of the space base.

Why play it: Thanks to its wide selection of characters from the DC universe and newly introduced voice acting, it's one of the series' most content-rich entries, a rewarding choice for DC fans and for playing together as a pair.