LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
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| LEGO Marvel Super Heroes | ||||||||||||||||||
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 "Excelsior!"
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NOTE: This page will only focus on the console versions of the game. For the handheld version, titled Universe in Peril, click here.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is an action-adventure game developed by TT Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive for various consoles. The game features gameplay similar to previous LEGO adaptation games, particularly the LEGO Batman games.
In 2016, a pseudo-sequel, LEGO Marvel's Avengers, was released, while in 2017, a direct sequel, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2, was released and continues the story that this game set.
Why It's LEGO Super
- Just like the first two LEGO Batman games before it, this game takes the usual LEGO game formula and adds superpowers to it.
- There are many Marvel superheroes and villains to play as, ranging from household names such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Venom, and Magneto, to more obscure ones such as A-Bomb/Rick Jones, Nightmare, the Guardians of the Galaxy (at the time), and Viper/Madame Hydra. You can even as civilians such as J. Jonah Jameson, Mary Jane Watson, Aunt May Parker, and the Damage Control workers! And of course, once you rescue him in each level and the hub world, you can play as Stan Lee, who has all abilities.
- Several new features were added to keep the gameplay interesting and engaging, including, but not limited to:
- Big Figures are introduced to allow for more creative designs, and with them come the Super Strength and Smash Walls abilities.
- There is a wide variety of abilities based on the superpowers that the heroes and villains have, including Heat (lasers or fire), Magnetism, Flight (and this was greatly improved from LEGO Batman 2), Claw Switches (which only characters such as Wolverine or Beast can do), and even Power Cosmic (which allows you to build black LEGO objects)!
- The open hub world, Manhattan, is a much more lively one with plenty of things to do, including side quests and races.
- Excellent graphics for both the characters and environments, with a nice color scheme that matches the Marvel Comics well.
- To go with the graphics, the locations and level design are creative and well-constructed, with some highlights including the Raft (in "Rock Up at the Lock-Up"), the X-Mansion (in "Juggernauts and Crosses"), Latveria (in "The Doctor is In"), and Asteroid M (in "Magnetic Personality" and "A Doom With a View").
- The story is well-written and feels like you're playing an actual MCU movie and/or a Marvel Comic. You can tell that some of the writers at TT Games were Marvel fans due how faithful the dialogue and characterization are, despite being more light-hearted than either the MCU or the comics.
- Top-notch voice acting, with many actors from previous Marvel cartoons and games reprising their roles here, including Fred Tatasciore (who is the go-to actor for Hulk/Bruce Banner in current Marvel games), Steven Blum (Wolverine), Roger Craig Smith (Captain America/Human Torch), John Eric Bentley (Nick Fury Jr./Black Panther), etc.
- Great soundtrack composed by Rob Westwood that often sounds like it came out of an MCU movie, with the music for "Resuited, Rebooted" in particular sounding like it could be from an Iron Man movie.
- There is a nearly-endless amount of replay value, with many side quests, races, Stan Lee in Peril occasions, and character tokens to be found in Manhattan (the hub world), as well as the Deadpool Levels and their collectibles, including the Deadpool Red Bricks.
- There are many clever Easter Eggs and references to other Marvel media, mostly those from the comics, MCU and even the Ultimate Spider Man cartoon! Some of these include, but aren't limited to:
- Captain America and Human Torch are both voiced by Roger Craig Smith, possibly referencing how Chris Evans played them both at one point. There is even a trophy/achievement that acknowledges this.
- The fact that all three versions of the Mandarin are in the game: Xu Wenwu and Aldrich Killian show up in "Resuited, Rebooted," while you can unlock Trevor Slattery in the Deadpool level "Stunt Show Surprise."
- The Guardians of the Galaxy as a whole: besides possibly foreshadowing their first MCU movie, Star-Lord wears his Sleek-Lord outfit fron 2013, Gamora has her original fishnet costume from her earliest appearances, Rocket mentions his first mate Wal Russ, etc.
- Fun bosses, just like one can expect from LEGO games, including Juggernaut, Magneto, Sandman (the very first boss), Dr. Doom, and of course, Galactus, who is often considered one of the best bosses in any LEGO game.
- In 2021, the game was ported to Nintendo Switch, so now you can play it wherever you go! Also, just like the Switch port of LEGO Jurassic World, it includes all of the DLC characters the other ports needed to purchase first (and wasn't available at all on the Wii U version).
Bad Qualities
- Attaining 100% completion is a massive chore, what with all of the races, side quests, and Deadpool Levels, and there is no reward for doing so.
- While the flying is improved over LEGO Batman 2, it's still pretty wonky and awkward by future LEGO game standards. Thankfully, the Switch version slightly improved it by allowing you to use the right stick to adjust your height while flying.
- Some characters, such as Absorbing Man, aren't all that useful and have very few or no abilities. While this makes sense for the civilian characters, the heroes and villains with very few abilities should have more to balance them out.
- Most of the X-Men characters (with the exception of Wolverine and Storm) are terribly underutilized, with "Juggernauts and Crosses" being their only major level and then some appear in "The Good, the Bad, and the Hungry" (specifically Mystique, Cyclops and Magneto alongside Storm), while all others are unlocked via Character Tokens in the hub or in Deadpool levels.
Reception
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes received generally positive reviews from both critics and users (with the 360 version scoring 80/100 and 7.9/10, respectively, on Metacritic), with many considering it to be one of the greatest LEGO games of all time. Praise was given to the story, selection of characters, open-world gameplay, and humor, while giving minor criticism to the flight controls and lack of a 100% reward. It has gone on to become the best-selling LEGO game of all time.
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