TT Games have really cornered the market on fun and expansive titles with their hit LEGO series. Last year, they released fan favorite LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes and this year they’ll release the one many have been waiting for, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes.
Like the DC games, “Marvel Super Heroes” allows players to take control of their favorite characters from the Marvel U and each of them have their own special abilities to help you solve problems. With a roster that is said to contain over 100 characters, it’s hard not to feel a sense of glee as you think about what is easily the biggest world that TT Games have created. The demo we played for “Marvel Super Heroes” is the opening of the game, and one that you’ve seen stills and video from. Sandman and the Abomination are attacking Grand Central Station and Iron Man and The Hulk have to stop them.
The most noticeable thing from the beginning is how much bigger these levels are as compared to the “DC Super Heroes.” Instead of working in smaller, sometimes side scrolling levels, you have very open environments with all manner of potential paths and hidden gems. Fans of Iron Man will not be disappointed in his portrayal here as he is fully capable of flying, firing repulsor rays/his unibeam, and even locking onto targets with missiles. Iron Man was the most fun to play as in the demo, though he didn’t have much to do in terms of the level’s content. The Hulk on the other hand was much more useful, lifting up various obstacles to get them out of the way or throw them at Sandman. His fight with Abomination is also really awesome, due to its simplicity and trademark slapstick humor the LEGO games are known for.
Later on in the level, Spider-Man joins the three heroes and brings his own set of unique skills for the player. In addition to web swinging and wall crawling, he is capable of using his Spider-sense to figure out how to accomplish different goals. There are also some instances where only Spider-Man can remove an obstacle so players must coordinate their movements to finish the level. This will be easier when playing co-op, but players that go at it alone will find the transitions between heroes simple.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes offers another upgrade to the series that we haven’t seen before, High definition interface. Some might scoff at the idea of LEGO characters being in HD but it certainly does make them look better, especially in comparison to games just released nine months ago. Some parts could do with improving, Sandman’s sand particles in particular stand out from other characters and buildings, but overall it’s a surprisingly gorgeous game.
Clearly TT games has learned from their previous games, offering up tons of characters to the roster with their own unique approach to play that doesn’t feel remotely stale or repetitive. Where it even goes beyond the previous installments is in its visuals. Fully rendered in HD, the game provides the best looking LEGO game to date. Marvel fans will not be disappointed.
Check out the E3 trailer below!
