Pre-order LEGO DC Super-Villains

LEGO DC Super-Villains is the latest in the LEGO Superhero series, and the title pretty much covers it. Most of the superhero games have featured superheroes, but Villains is the first title to focus on those dastardly doers of evil. The focus is on making the villains more distinctive and giving them the limelight. How does this work out in the story? The LEGO DC world finds itself harassed by evil counterparts of the heroes from another dimension, and the only ones left to protect the world are the bad guys. After all, they won't let any other villains take over their world.

Super-Villains doesn't break the LEGO mold. If you've played any other game in the franchise, you have a pretty good idea of the gameplay. You take control of one of a huge selection of ne'er-do-wells and travel through areas while solving puzzles by using a character's powers, smashing bricks, and generally causing mayhem in the pursuit of sweet LEGO studs, which can be exchanged for new characters or various other unlockables. The core gameplay has remained very similar throughout the franchise, and Super-Villains doesn't look to change the formula much.

The most interesting aspect of Super-Villains is your own customizable character, who can be customized down to an absurd amount of detail. This isn't just a simple character creator. You can give them pretty much any superpower from the game, from super speed to laser beams, and you can also customize how the powers function. For laser beams, you can choose where they come from, how they look, what color they are, and so on. Every individual element of the Super-Villains can be tailored. There are restrictions at the start of the game that will be gradually removed as you play through the story, and by the end, you'll basically be Amazo the Android. You also can adjust and change your character at any time.

This was the most appealing part of the demo. Yes, it's fun to control Lex Luthor, The Joker or other famous DC villains, but it's even more fun to have an absurd level of control over your created character. LEGO is always about creativity, but the games have been a little restricted in that regard. Giving you a fully customizable figure offers a sense of freedom that most other LEGO games lack. The level of customization makes it feel like more than a gimmick, and it makes great use of the LEGO visual styling.

Of course, the same LEGO sense of humor is still present. You might be playing as the villains, but the game is still going to be wacky and silly. The opening had several laugh-out-loud segments. Lex Luthor's sense of charisma and unflappable confidence make him a fantastic straightman, and the larger-than-life personalities of the villains give the characters interesting ways to bounce off each other. The create-a-character is lacking in the early bits of the story, but the other villains carry the humor.

LEGO Super-Villains is a LEGO game, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. You know exactly what you're getting, and the updates and new features keep it from feeling like a retread. As always, it's a fantastic game for players of all ages, from parents to kids. We'll see how the final version turns out when LEGO Super-Villains launches on all major platforms on Oct. 16.