Marvel’s Spider-Man

The most successful open-world superhero game is undoubtedly Marvel’s Spider-Man. Available in 2018 for PS4 before arriving on PS5 in “Remastered” form, it sold over 20 million units on the previous-gen console alone. It made you feel like Spider-Man, a given and a nice thing when it came to the combat and web-swinging, but also sometimes like Miles Morales and Mary Jane Watson, which was weird in certain sections.

Nevertheless, its stellar encounters, gorgeous visuals that accurately captured Manhattan, and memorable storyline had us hooked. And while the open world may have adhered to some familiar tropes, the sheer fun it offered, combined with the incredible movement and traversal methods, was simply sublime.

First up, for the entire month will be Moving Out, an indie title all about your small business doing what it can to help a town in their various mover needs. From November 16th into December will be Kingdom Two Crowns, where you a play a monarch trying to protect their kingdom from invaders and other peril. On the 360 side, there is also Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes, the sequel to the hit Lego-themed game that brought in other DC characters into Gotham, which will be available November 16th to the 30th, and then Rocket Knight, a revival of a Sega Genesis IP, that will be there from the 1st to the 15th.

The games will begin being available starting November 1st and will be available to redeem on all Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One consoles, with Lego Batman 2 and Rocket Knight also being available on the 360.

Out of nowhere, Avalanche Studios’ open world action adventure title Just Cause 4 is now available on Xbox Game Pass. Though it originally launched for Xbox One, PS4, and PC not too long ago in December 2018, it can now be played for $9.99 per month. Though it didn’t have the best start sales-wise, this is still a good way to try out the experience for yourself.

Just Cause 4 adds a few new additions to the series’ formula, particularly with extreme weather phenomena like tornadoes and lightning storms that can be used against your foes. Otherwise, it’s another massive world that you can grapple around and wipe out heaps of enemies in one fell swoop. The environmental variety and sheer range of things to do is also nice.

You can read up on Just Cause 4 in our official review here. As for Xbox Game Pass, it currently holds over 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles that can be downloaded and played as long as you’re a subscriber. First-party titles like Crackdown 3 and Forza Horizon 4 are also available on it- from launch itself.

LEGO Batman 2 is also available on Game Pass, and titles like F1 2018 have been teased. Stay tuned for more information when other new games arrive.

March 7 has come early. Just Cause 4 and LEGO Batman 2 are available now + more coming soon. pic.twitter.com/rxLq6SNlb4

— Xbox Game Pass (@XboxGamePass) March 6, 2019

Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 made a comeback at number 2, but many of the spots in the top 10 were occupied by 3DS games. These include Donkey Kong Country Returns, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, which premiered at third, fifth and tenth place respectively.

Dead Island: Riptide continues to hold on at number 4, making up the remainder of the top 5. Meanwhile, Battlefield 3 reappears on the charts at the ninth position.

According to the NPD, the Nintendo 3DS handheld also reportedly sold more than the Xbox 360, marking the end of Microsoft’s reign at the top in the US.

Available at a paltry £1.36 a piece on both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, the Heroes and Villains DLC unlocks a raft of new playable characters in Freeplay mode.

The Heroes Pack contains: Nightwing, katana, Sazam, Zatanna and a brand-new Robin (Wayne’s son, Damian).

New baddies in the Villains Pack are Bizarro, Captain Cold, Black Adam, Black Manta and Gorilla Grodd.

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes has been met with a tumultuous response, one of GamingBolt’s highest rated games this year.

Lego games have a formula that works. Take on an existing popular property, give it a Lego twist, wrap it up in oodles of charm, back it up with some solid if predictable gameplay mechanics, and then bam, you’re good to go. Whereas the amount of Lego games in recent years has gone alarmingly up, the quality has by and large never faltered. Except for when it has.

Lego Batman, released a few years ago, was one of the weaker entries in the ‘Lego franchise.’ For the sequel, developers Traveller’s Tales have enlisted not just the Caped Crusader, but also all of his DC cohorts, in arguably the best Lego game outing in years, that capitalizes on its inspiration, and really makes good on its underlying gameplay foundations.

The premise of the games is suitably silly and over the top. Based on multiple comic book men wearing spandex tights, and wrapped in a Lego exterior, the game, marketed as it is to children, was never going to be another Arkham Asylum or Arkham City anyway. However, DC Super Heroes is extravagantly, gleefully, ridiculously exaggerated, with little to no exposition provided to justify the team up of Lex Luthor and the Joker, as well as multiple DC super heroes teaming up with Batman and Robin. This decision to provide any sort of context to the story or events happening in the game is in spite of a clear spike in the game’s production values. The entire game is now voiced, for instance, and it puts you in an open world that is a joy as a Lego themed playground to mess around in. Simultaneously, the graphics have an all new sheen to them, looking rounder, smoother, sharper, more defined, and just shinier.

Lego Batman 2 shows some clear reverence for its source material. Perhaps as much as the Batman Arkham games, developers Traveler Tales have packed this game with multiple easter eggs and infinite nudges and mentions of the expansive DC universe, going above and beyond the call and including multiple characters in prominent roles when perhaps most of the target audience doesn’t even know of their existence. It is a game that prides itself on its comic book heritage, and it is a game that tries to capitalize on it by trying to familiarize the newcomer to said heritage, and providing plenty of material for the veteran.

Take, for instance, the music. Utilizing both the classic John Williams Superman track that blends in seamlessly with the iconic Danny Elfman scored original Batman theme as you take control of the titular DC heroes and scale the rooftops of Lego Gotham, the music is sure to stir some nostalgia within any comic book enthusiast, especially a DC enthusiast.

Lego Batman 2 is reverent about is source material, and it revels in that. However, contrary to the recent trend of moving towards the grittier, darker, edgier side of comic books, fueled in fact by none other than Batman himself, Lego Batman 2 is childish, cartooney, naive, with all the oodles of charm and the innocence of a Nintendo game. And unlike most games, that manage to nail down charm similar to Nintendo games, but can never quite master the game design (an important part of what makes Nintendo games so appealing to everyone- including kids- in the first place), Lego Batman 2 has it all nailed.

I’ve spoken already about the open world city. I have spoken about the twist to traditional open world mechanics that the infusion of Lego conventions adds to the game. I have spoken about the developers going unexpectedly above and beyond what was necessary or required of them, including in this regard- the fully featured day/night cycle, the random weather, and the AI behavior are all testament to that. It is a compliment rarely given, but Lego Batman 2 is a gem of a game, expertly designed, such that it’s hard to really fault it for anything. And if the really discerning eye does catch anything perceptibly out of place, the game’s heart and its charm are sure to smooth out that frown on your face.

Returning to the open world- it’s the meat of the game. The story is, as remarked previously, unabashedly silly, but the game almost makes a conscious attempt to sideline it and quickly brush it off, racing to its conclusion (which can take a hefty dozen hours, by the way), before presenting you with the true Lego Gotham city, with hidden nooks and crannies, which can only be explored and unlocked by using the appropriate characters’ abilities, sometimes in conjunction. There are additional villains to be hunted, there are free play missions that involve you saving the adorably trouble prone Gotham citizens, there are old story missions to be replayed with new characters. And if you’re just bored, and just want to muck around, you have a seriously enormous city to just wander about in. This game is massive, and by the end, you’ll probably have justified its value to yourself several times over.

Oh, and as for the other characters: there’s Batman, of course, as there is Robin. And then there is Superman, in what is perhaps his best video game incarnation to date. There are also other Justice League members: Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, all the usual suspects. By the end, you’ll have a veritable army of superheroes marching around at your command, in all their Justice League glory.

When you buy this game, you know what you’re getting: you’re getting all the varied and yet familiar gameplay concepts the Lego games have cultivated over the years repackaged in a new setting, a new scenario, with familiar properties, bundled in with lots and lots of charm. In that respect also, the Lego series resembles Nintendo’s brand of video game making a lot.

That is not praise to be lightly bandied about, and yet here I am, consciously having made that comparison twice in the course of this one review. But that is just how good Lego Batman 2 is. Charming and inventive, ridiculous and over the top, exaggerated and reverent, familiar and unexpected, Lego Batman 2 is that rare game that comes every once in a while that actually manages to transcend all demographics and appeal to everyone all at once. This is a game that will obviously cater to kids, given they are whom it’s targeted to. This is a game that will appeal to lifelong DC comic book fans. This is a game that will appeal to us adults, given the sheer expanse and its cheeky boldness in incorporating gameplay mechanics hitherto only reserved for Rockstar’s ‘mature’ open world games. It’s a game that will appeal to everyone, all at once, without really compromising on what it wants to be at all.

This is a game that represents what is undoubtedly an incredibly talented powerhouse at its very finest. Traveller’s Tales, take a bow. You’ve earned it.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

In LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, players take on the role of the Caped Crusader, Boy Wonder and other DC Comics super heroes as they unite to thwart the plans of nefarious evildoers Lex Luthor and The Joker in their diabolical quest to cause destruction and mayhem. Players are put in control of exciting new super abilities such as heat vision, freeze-breath and free-roaming flight, which they can use to explore a vast new Gotham City full of hidden secrets, collectible LEGO bricks and vehicles to drive and fly. The console games feature easy drop-in/drop-out co-op with dynamic split screen, giving family members of all ages a chance to take part in the action-packed LEGO adventure. The handheld games include a Justice League Alliance game mode, a set of battle challenges which pits the entire Justice League against the most evil villains in the DC Universe.

***Please note this walkthrough was not uploaded by GamingBolt.com

Special thanks to Youtube user tetraninja for uploading this walkthrough.

Check out more video game walkthroughs here.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is pretty popular it seems as it has topped the UK charts again and has equaled FIFA 12’s record of four weeks in the top position.

London 2012: The Official Video Game takes the no. 2 spot just liked last week, followed by The Amazing Spider-Man movie tie-in from Activision. FIFA 12 is meanwhile in the no. 8 position, with people no doubt waiting for FIFA 13 scheduled to release later this year.

Dead Island GOTY edition and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier takes the no. 4 and 5 spots respectively.

“Outside the Top 40 there is a debut at No50 for Namco Bandai’s ‘Inversion’ developed by Saber Interactive for Xbox 360 & Playstation 3. The Sims are also back with new release ‘The Sims 3: Diesel Stuff’ at No55,” reports UKIE.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

1. Lego Batman 2: Dc Super Heroes – Warner Bros. Interactive
2. London 2012: The Official Video Game – Sega
3. The Amazing Spider-man – Activision Blizzard
4. Dead Island Goty Edition – Koch Media
5. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier – Ubisoft
6. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Activision Blizzard
7. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Bethesda Softworks
8. Fifa 12 – Electronic Arts
9. Spec Ops: The Line – Take 2
10. Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games – Sega
11. Batman: Arkham City – Warner Bros. Interactive
12. Max Payne 3 – Take 2
13. Fifa Street – Electronic Arts
14. Sniper Elite V2 – 505 Games / Mastertronic
15. Call Of Duty: Black Ops – Activision Blizzard
16. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – Ubisoft
17. Lego Pirates Of The Caribbean – Disney Interactive Studios
18. Battlefield 3 – Electronic Arts
19. Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo – Mind Candy
20. Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure – Activision Blizzard
21. Rayman Origins – Ubisoft
22. Grand Slam Tennis 2 – Electronic Arts
23. Mass Effect 3 – Electronic Arts
24. Dirt Showdown – Codemasters
25. F1 2011 – Codemasters
26. Mario Kart 7 – Nintendo
27. Super Mario 3d Land – Nintendo
28. Wwe ’12 – Thq
29. Diablo Iii – Activision Blizzard
30. Tiger Woods Pga Tour 13 – Electronic Arts
31. Skate 3 – Electronic Arts
32. Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 – Warner Bros. Interactive
33. Saints Row: The Third – Thq
34. [prototype 2] – Activision Blizzard
35. Metal Gear Solid Hd Collection – Konami
36. Football Manager 2012 – Sega
37. The Sims 3 – Electronic Arts
38. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary – Microsoft
39. Grand Theft Auto Episodes – Liberty City – Take 2
40. Mario Kart Wii – Nintendo

It’s been a good week for Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes which has topped the UK Charts for this week again, this makes it the game to top the charts for three weeks in a row. London 2012: The Official Video Game takes the second spot, followed by The Amazing Spider-Man, a film-tie in from Activision.

Here’s a movie review for that if you’re interested, and a game preview too, which our author Jordan disliked a little bit. Spec Ops: The Line came at the fourth spot followed by Dead Island’s GOTY edition. The Secret World’s PC version bombed by placing at number 38 on the full top 40 chart, which you can check out below.

“Also new this week is Square Enix’s ‘Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy’ for 3DS at No19, a new twist in the series since this is in fact a rhythm game featuring music from the original Final Fantasy right up to FF XIII,” according to UKIE.

1. Lego Batman 2: Dc Super Heroes – Warner Bros. Interactive
2. London 2012: The Official Video Game – Sega
3. The Amazing Spider-man – Activision Blizzard
4. Spec Ops: The Line – Take 2
5. Dead Island Goty Edition – Koch Media
6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Bethesda Softworks
7. Fifa 12 – Electronic Arts
8. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Activision Blizzard
9. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier – Ubisoft
10. Fifa Street – Electronic Arts
11. Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games – Sega
12. Sniper Elite V2 – 505 Games / Mastertronic
13. Max Payne 3 – Take 2
14. Batman: Arkham City – Warner Bros. Interactive
15. Battlefield 3 – Electronic Arts
16. Call Of Duty: Black Ops – Activision Blizzard
17. Mass Effect 3 – Electronic Arts
18. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – Ubisoft
19. Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy – Square Enix Europe
20. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary – Microsoft
21. Diablo Iii – Activision Blizzard
22. Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo – Mind Candy
23. Lego Pirates Of The Caribbean – Disney Interactive Studios
24. Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning – Electronic Arts
25. Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure – Activision Blizzard
26. Rayman Origins – Ubisoft
27. Metal Gear Solid Hd Collection – Konami
28. Mario Kart 7 – Nintendo
29. Super Mario 3d Land – Nintendo
30. Wwe ’12 – Thq
31. Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 – Warner Bros. Interactive
32. Grand Slam Tennis 2 – Electronic Arts
33. Grand Theft Auto Episodes – Liberty City – Take 2
34. Need For Speed: The Run – Electronic Arts
35. Football Manager 2012 – Sega
36. The Ratchet & Clank Trilogy: Classics Hd – Sony Computer Ent.
37. Skate 3 – Electronic Arts
38. The Secret World – Electronic Arts
39. Dirt Showdown – Codemasters
40. Mario Kart Wii – Nintendo