Last week at E3 (yes, more from E3. And still more to come! This “real life” thing is really rather overrated, no?) we popped into Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s white room to sit on white couches and take a peek at some of their new games. One of their main games that they were showcasing was LEGO Batman, to be released this fall on the Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PSP and Windows PCs (in other words, everything but the N-Gage.) Some impressions and screenshots after the break.

I didn’t have a chance to personally get some hands-on time with the game, as the two gentlemen I was demoing with were rather intense Batman fans, and I know from first-hand experience that nerdy types are not to be crossed with. They took control of Batman and Robin on the 360 version and began exploring a nighttime Gotham City in pursuit of the nefarious and sexy Catwoman. This was part of the “story mode,” where you take control of Batman and Robin against well-known and popular enemies of Gotham City. You can also do the evil thing and play through the story mode as the bad guys, giving the game more depth and variety. There’s also a “freeplay” mode that lets you wander around any level with any unlocked character in order to find extra goodies. Sound familiar?

Something that should be of note to fans of the Batman saga is that the story in LEGO Batman is entirely new, rather than simply a reinterpretation of events from a past comic or movie. Someone who knows every name of every goon will be just as surprised by the story as someone who doesn’t know the Batmobile from a poke in the eye. The game looks to be a good ol’ fashioned action/adventure/sort-of-platformer mixed with the time-tested joy and entertainment of both LEGO and Batman. What’s not for your inner 8-year-old to love?

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