Day 298, Game 298 - Lego Batman: The Videogame

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Several months ago, I put together a list of possible franchises I would like to a "Week Of..." series about, in hopes of having some planing going forward with the blog. I know I've been pretty spontaneous and unpredictable when it comes to which game I would be playing each day, although I still contest that there are some patterns and subtle hints I give every so often than can aid in guessing which games to look forward to seeing me write about. The thing is, with the popularity of my week-long series, I wanted to ensure that I was ready for each month, and I could make the each week something special, something of an event.

I shared this list of franchises with a few of my closest friends to get feedback on what they wanted to see, what they thought the readers would like to see, and what kind of stories or experiences I could share with each franchise, as all the ones I picked not only fit my criteria for having an entire week dedicated to it, but also had special meanings to me and my gaming history in one way or another. After spitballing and brainstorming the list, I was pretty set on the franchises I would be writing about for the rest of the year, even going as far as to decide which months each franchise would be spotlighted in. 

Long story short, I put more planning into the "Week Of..." series for the rest of the year than I had put into the entire blog all year. And as they say, the best plans always look good on paper. Going into October, I had pretty much stuck to my plans, but as the month started to get underway, I realized how excited I was for the new Batman games to be released. I started doing some research and realized I could easily do seven days of Batman games, even though one of my favorite ones I had already written about. In hindsight, I'm glad that I made a post about the NES classic Batman game, as that blog was one of my favorite one's I've written all year, so I'm not regretting it. I just wish I could have incorporated it into this week. 

But alas, c'est la vie. 

With that, I want to kick off my Seven Days in Gotham with the game that actually completely reformed my opinion of the Lego games overall, as before this one, I didn't care for them at all. Sure, they were serviceable, and my kids like them, but I guess I just didn't see the overall broad appeal of popular franchises being redesigned in the Lego universe. But then, Lego Batman: The Videgame came along, and I not only fell in love with the game, but I finally understood what all the hubbub was about. 

I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that this was the first Lego game to replicate a well-known franchise that didn't follow the plot or story of the movies those franchises had. For Lego Batman, they created their own storyline and plot for the Caped Crusader, not forcing him to follow movie plots, but simply creating their own story within the Batman universe. And they did a fantastic job of it, also.

Being as long as it has been since I played this game, I forgot how much it truly captivated my fascination. The ability to play as all the characters from the Batman universe than I knew and loved, both heroes and villains, was an awesome feeling. I can't ever remember playing as Batman's villains before, and if I did, it obviously wasn't a very memorable experience. This time, with the combination of all the iconic characters combined with the whimsical charm of the Lego series, and it was a match made in heaven. 

It was clear from right then and there that Lego games were meant to feature comic book characters. 

And sure, Gotham city has always meant to be dark, seedy and little sketchy, but sometimes it's okay to step back and just enjoy Gotham in a different light, and laugh a little about what all makes it the best fictional city in the world. There is no way a Lego game could replicate the grim state of the city properly, so instead, they just went the other way with it. In the end, it's an exceptional Batman game, and one that truly depicts how great the franchise is. 

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