November 11th saw the release of Lego Batman 3 Beyond Gotham on all major platforms. It was the third installment in the franchise and led Batman and pals into unexplored territory; Outer Space. The biggest Lego game to date, Lego Batman 3 features over 150 characters as well as being the first Lego game to have a Season Pass. Six download packs are available with the pass for a price of $14.99 with the first three already available on launch and the remaining three packs to be out in early 2015.
Some new and exciting things were added as is the norm in most Lego games. Each one has its own twist and Lego Batman 3 puts a spin on the Citizen in Peril rescue missions. The original Batman, Adam West himself, is now the Citizen in Peril. Each level as well as the hub worlds feature multiple "Adam West in Perils" that need to be rescued using varying techniques. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without the voice over work of Mr. West who does an excellent job keeping with the humor that we are used to seeing in Lego games. Add that to the incredible voice acting and multiple Hub worlds you can visit, Lego Batman 3 is an expansive game that provides players of all ages a long, fun play through.
We had an opportunity to speak with TT Games' Arthur Parsons about the development of the game as well as some of his favorite features. Take a look at his answers below. Lego Batman 3 Beyond Gotham is available now for all Nintendo, PlayStation and Nintendo consoles.
1. At the end of Lego Batman 2, we saw Brainiac saying he found the green power ring. Was it known then that you were going to do Lego Batman 3 and this route in space or was it something you worked out afterwards?
AP: When the story for LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes was written by Jon Burton, he knew where he wanted to take LEGO Batman should we return to the DC Comics universe, and he had an idea as to how he wanted to bring the wider roster of characters into the story. So this was a very intentional plan on our behalf. As a player you don’t need to have played LEGO Batman 2 to appreciate LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, however, there is the continuity there for players that are familiar with the series.
2. How did you decide the right actor/personality for each character? I mean, the back and forth between Troy and Travis as Batman and Superman is hilarious and Batman's "It wasn't........the speech" lines are incredibly funny. Did you have a harder than expected time filling the roles for so many voice characters?
AP: Casting for the game is one of the most fun aspects. We already knew that we wanted the same core cast from LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes to return, as they did such a fabulous job, and let’s not forget that LEGO Batman 2 was the first of the LEGO series to feature voices, so they set the bar very high. As expected, they all wanted to come back for some more LEGO Batman fun, so then it was just a case of getting voice actors for all the other characters that we envisioned lines for. We had lots of people wanting to come and work on the game, which made our jobs so much easier. I don’t think we’ve ever had so many voice actors, or lines of dialogue ever before, we really packed the game with fun and humour.
3. Was it hard to get Adam West on board? He does such a great job with the voice acting and I know a lot of DC fans who appreciated his involvement.
AP: Adam West was at the top of the list when we were in the early stages of development. With it being the 75th Anniversary
of Batman, we just had to have the man that IS Batman to so many people across multiple generations in the game. In terms of whether or not it was hard to get Adam to participate, he was itching to get involved, and the voice sessions with him were a blast. There are so many references to the old shows in the game that for him it was a pure nostalgia trip. He said while we were doing the sessions that some of the lines he hadn’t said in over 40 years. Obviously we were all absolutely delighted to have him in the game, and it adds a whole other layer of authenticity to it. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham really is the ultimate superhero game spanning so many different aspects of DC Comics, and particularly Batman.
4. How did the space station shooter levels come up in design as they are something new to the franchise?
AP: We always like to experiment with our games, and try new things out, so the space shooter levels and the virtual reality missions were just some fun that we thought up. Whenever anyone plays a game the last thing they want is to be doing the same thing repeatedly, so we endeavor to keep changing what the player has to do. This holds peoples interest, as they are excited to see what challenges they’ll meet next. It’s something we like to do across all the LEGO titles.
5. How involved is LEGO in the production of the games and development?
AP: LEGO is involved in every aspect of the development of the game. We have an amazing relationship with everyone at LEGO, and it is a really collaborative process. We always try and get as many of the toy sets as we can into the game, and ensure that it is a truly authentic experience both from a brand perspective regarding DC Comics, but also an authentic LEGO experience. Every single thing in the game can actually be built, and we have people here in the office who actually build things using real LEGO bricks before we then build them digitally. We have to make sure that if people wanted to, they could build anything they see while playing LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.
6. What was the hardest thing development wise during the production of Lego Batman 3?
AP: For me as the Game Director, the hardest thing about the development of LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is knowing when to stop, both myself and the team. We all get so carried away with the fan service, and the jokes, and the huge character roster, that there comes a time when we just need to stop and take stock of the game. Ultimately we need to get it finished so that people can play it, and knowing where to draw the line is really hard. The entire team and I love what we do, and pour our hearts and souls into making the best games we can, and hopefully when people play LEGO Batman 3 they will see our genuine affection for the DC Comics universe.
7. What can we expect from the three upcoming DLC packs – Arrow, Bizzaro World and The Squad?
AP: The remaining LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Season Pass DLC packs are so much fun – all three of them for completely different reasons. Arrow is obviously brilliant, purely and simply because Arrow himself, Stephen Amell, is narrating the story, and he does it so fantastically well. For anyone who is a fan of the show, they’ll find it hysterical, also playable LEGO Diggle… say no more! The Bizarro World pack is brilliant because the characters are so diverse. They are all really funny, the animations are fantastic, and again the humour is on another level. Nolan North’s Bizarro is one of the most amazing things I think I’ve ever heard. Then last, but by no means least, is The Squad pack, which is voiced by Amanda Waller from the Arrow TV series, Cynthia Adai-Robinson, and is a really humorous look at this group of characters, plus it has Captain Boomerang and King Shark playable – YES King Shark!
Oh and don’t forget that we also have the Heroines and Villainesses pack coming in the New Year too that features amongst others, Raven, Starfire, Terra, Plastique, Vixen, Spolier, Batwoman… there really is just so much awesomeness in LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.
8. Anything else our listeners and readers should know about any upcoming projects?
AP: In terms of upcoming projects… crumbs we’re only just finishing LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. We all need a nice long vacation before we think about anything else. However that said I’d like to think that everybody will stay in touch with us on social media, as it’s the affection for what we do from the people that play our games that really drives us to make the best games we possibly can, and for that we are so very grateful. Until the next time… Same Bat time, same Bat channel…
Unfortunately, we were unable to get a response to our request for a Lego TMNT game (seriously, what's the hold up?) but as you can see the remaining three dlc packs should be out in early 2015. Be sure to check out Lego Batman 3 as it's available now on all Xbox, Nintendo and PlayStation platforms. Thank you to Mr. Parsons and TT Games.
