DC Pretty-Good Heroes

As Traveller's Tales' first open-world LEGO game, LEGO Batman 2 has its share of ingenuity, but also plenty of room for improvement -- especially when compared to later iterations. There's a fair amount of diversity in hero selection, but not until the very end, when the Justice League actually shows up; the costume system grants access to some cool powers, but starts to stagnate mid-game. Superman's (and later Green Lantern's and Wonder Woman's) flying power is cool in missions, but goddamn impossible to control effectively in open-world mode. Actually, open-world transportation in general is pretty lacking, with a confusing map and difficult-to-find vehicle stations. Missions are short, which is just as well because the story doesn't really have legs, centering on a fairly simple plot and underutilizing the DC hero/villain cast available to it.

It's fun, of course, particularly if you have a friend to play co-op with. But open-world LEGO adventures have gotten better, and it shows.

Better than: my expectations of earlier LEGO games, I guess. Hard to pick a good comparison.
Not as good as: LEGO City Undercover, LEGO The Lord of the Rings (Android, iOS, Mac, PC, PS3, Wii, X360), Batman: Arkham Asylum
Now to wait for LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: hopefully they use a real story for that one.

Progress: Finished the campaign, 17.7%.