As Lego Batman 3 Beyond Gotham's 11th November release date nears I had a close look at the next 30 DC heroes that make up the impressive tally of 150 playable characters.
Having largely stayed within the bounds of the Batman universe in the first game, then introduced a wider DC cast in the second, this third game is where players are let loose on all manner of comic characters -- the well known, the obscure and the downright preposterous.
The all star cast doesn't limit itself to fictional characters with Conan O'Brien recently added to the roster. Screen writer Kevin Smith also gets a look in, adding some comedic value to the proceedings.
The game follow on from the events of Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, as Brainiac uses the powers of the Rings from each Lantern Corps to shrink planets to pocket size and essentially take over the universe. Batman and the Justice League pursuit the Legion of Doom into the far reaches of space to stop them.
The game will largely play like the other Lego games with players progressing through the main story to access characters that enable them to go back to previous levels and access all the collectables.
As well as new characters Lego Batman 3 Beyond Gotham adds new suits and abilities to key characters in the game, with many bespoke transformations and attacks granted to particular DC heroes.
Catering to fans of the comics with unusual and popular characters are key for the series to attract both existing and new players. While the game-play may be familiar, it's this new team of super-heroes that will draw the crowds -- as is evident in the response online when each of these new DC characters was revealed.
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is released on Nov. 11 in the US for Mac, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Windows PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
