LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Game Review

Way back in 2013 the first LEGO® Marvel game arrived and was an instant hit, just as LEGO have done an amazing job of blending much-loved franchises with their own little plastic bricks, TT Games delved into the entire history of Marvel comics and movies to provide gamers with a love letter to the Marvel universe, shown through the unique LEGO lens. At the end of LEGO Marvel Super Heroes the Guardians of the Galaxy arrived on Earth, to warn of a bigger threat heading out way, little did we know that would be the set-up for s sequel four years on, especially as during that time we got a second LEGO Marvel game, based around The Avengers and their movie outings. With TT Fusion working hard on the final few LEGO Dimensions packs and The LEGO NINJAGO Movie video game, this has allowed TT Games to spend the last few years on LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2.

Product Description

LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes 2 is an all-new, original epic adventure and sequel to the smash hit, LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes. Bringing together iconic Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains from different eras and realities, this original branching storyline transports players into a cosmic battle across a myriad of Marvel locations ripped from time and space into the incredible open hub world of Chronopolis. Packed with signature LEGO humor for fans of all ages, gamers will go head-to-head with the time-travelling Kang the Conqueror through Ancient Egypt, The Old West, Sakaar, New York City in the year 2099, Xandar and many other imaginative settings in this fun-filled journey spanning the Marvel Universe.

  • Game Title: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2
  • Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
  • Developer: TT Games
  • RRP: £39.99
  • Features: 2 Player Co-op, 1-4 Player Battle, Remote Play, Switch Play
  • Availability: Physical Media, Download

The Gameplay

As soon as you load LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 up and the jaunty opening notes of Redbone’s 70s classic ‘Come and Get Your Love’ blast out as the Milano heads to Earth, you know you’re in for a fun-filled adventure which spans numerous years of classic Marvel comics as well as the big screen outings, which encompass the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The story of game kicks off where LEGO Marvel Super Heroes ends, the Guardians head to Earth to warn of an approaching menace, that not only threaten our world but the entire universe.

The game’s structure is more familiar to past LEGO Games then the recently released game based on The LEGO NINJAGO Movie, so you’ll play the story out across a number of levels, each of which can be revisited in Freeplay mode to collect any of the extra goodies, which have become staple of LEGO titles. The main change in story play for LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is a branching story, although the overall flow of story culminates to the same conclusion, getting there can done by choosing to follows the adventures of various Super Hero teams on their various missions to track down Kane the conquerer.

Once you’ve played through the opening of the game, you find yourself in the Avengers Mansion which acts as the games base hub, here you’ll find the all-new character creator, battle arena and Gwenpool’s room. She takes on the role previously hosted Deadpool, offering wacky missions involving some of Marvel’s more left-field characters. These allow you to earn Pink Bricks, this games version of the more common Red Bricks, which allow you to activate a number of ‘cheats’. More Gwenpool missions are unlocked as you play through the games sprawling openworld of Chronopolis. Which is where the game really opens up and why we haven’t posted our review of the game until now. There are also a few fun new additions to missions namely Quizzes, these appear in two forms – Quiz Terminals, which test your Marvel knowledge and sight quizzes which ask you things about Chronopolis or show you gangs of minifigures which you then have to answer questions about. You can also use Spider-Man to take selfies, which can then be posted on billboards across Chronopolis.

Chronopolis is one of the most diverse openworlds to ever appear in a LEGO game, as it ties into the storyline of the games, which sees iconic Marvel location brought together in one place. From downtown Manhattan to Ancient Egypt, most place are a short flight away. One of the most delightful things about this mash-up of places is the residents of these worlds like to roam to you’ll be strolling through New York and witness a traffic jam that involves a horse drawn wagon, flying hover car and yellow taxi. The hub world is also filled with plenty of things to do, from helping citizens, taking part in races and combining powers of various characters to complete events across Chronopolis. With all these things to complete, it can be a little tricky to keep track of what you need to do, especially if you’re aiming for 100%. Thankfully the map really comes in useful here, each area of Chronopolis has a map terminal, once this is first activated, it distributes token onto the map which allows you to see what needs to be completed and where. You can also access levels from the map making it easy to jump into Freeplay levels.

Despite being based on the most imaginatively creative toys, LEGO Games haven’t really given players a lot of building to do, especially in terms of characters creation. Something fans have been pushing for, for a long time and something TT Games have listened to. So LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 has an impressively in-depth Character Creator Mode. Every single aspect of your character can tweaked, this includes voice, powers and even traits as well as visual elements. It’s like having your own digital box of minifigure pieces. Hopefully this extensive new character creator will become part of future titles are it’s a fun fun of getting creative.

The other major addition to LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is the addition of Battle Mode, LEGO Games have mainly been a single player experience, with 2-player co-op a staple since LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game, but there hasn’t been a specific mode of play for multiple players. This changed with LEGO Dimensions Year 2 content which introduced a 4-player Battle Mode, this forms the basis of LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2. There are two main modes to play , overseen by The Grandmaster – Capture the Infinity Stone, in which players battle each other has the six Infinity Stones crash into the battle arena. Grab the fallen stones and the longer you hold on to them the more points you gain. Then there is Colour Clash, in which each player must splash the battle arena which their trail of colour, while also taking on other players.

The Minifigure

It’s become a tradition for LEGO Games have an included exclusive minifigure and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is no different. It’s also become common for the super heroes games to include some rather obscure characters, one such Marvel hero is Giant-Man. This is the alter-ego of Hank Pym, who just happens to be the original Ant-Man. It’s an OK minifigure but not very exciting and only has fleeting appearances in the actual game, mainly in cut-scenes. The packaging for Giant-Man includes a code to unlock him early in-game as a playable character. Although it’s a nice addition to your Marvel minifigures collection, it’s exclusive nature and unlikeliness to appear in sets, makes it more desirable than the actual minifigure is.

Overall

Marvel is an amazing franchise and TT Games have gone to great lengths to delve into the history of the both the comics and the movies. Little known characters are given their moments to shine through side-missions and fleeting appearances in cutscenes. But even with minimal game time, each character is treated just has important as the more well-known faces. If you’ve never heard of a particular character then each one has a stats cards, which gives a little history of them and which comics they can be found in. The game doesn’t feel as evolved as The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game did, this blended aspects from many past games but also built upon them. I hate it when reviews of LEGO titles merely write them off “as more of the same” it’s no secret LEGO Games have a similar feel to them, thats what makes a LEGO game what they are, but here there does feel as little more content over creativity. That said it’s amazingly good fun to play, with a genuinely interesting story and exceptional character portrayal. From Kane who is brought to life by LEGO Games stalwart Peter Serafinowicz and to character animation such Star-Lords dance action complete with snippets of the music from the movies, who knew we’ve hear ELO in a LEGO game! The game is a Marvel fans dream come true and one which caters for so many players in an fun, user friendly game, kids can easily jump in and play with getting use to overly complex gameplay mechanics and more seasoned players can tackle some of the many challenges dotted across the Chronopolis. TT Games have done impressive job of adding multiple layers to a game which at face value will often be written-off as more of the same, that does the game and the dev team a massive disservice.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. Thans to Warner Bros. UK for supplying us with a copy to review, the opinions within this review of those of our own and do not reflect those of WBIE, Marvel or The LEGO Group. Version review: PlayStation 4 (digital download)

Author: Adam White

Howdy I'm Adam, The editor of BricksFanz.com - your go to source for the latest LEGO news, reviews and much, much more. Some of you may know me from other LEGO sites so you'll know I have a good experience of the LEGO community and a deep, passionate commitment to all things LEGO. I specialize in seeking out the latest LEGO news and products, as well as being an expert on all things LEGO gaming. So welcome to BricksFanz - Fuelling Your LEGO Lifestyle.

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