LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes 2

Fairly decent LEGO game with some issues. Quests can be insanely dull. If you want the 100% you will be asked like 30 times to fly around the map to either pick up items or talk to NPCs. Like... it took me almost 45 hours to 100% when most other LEGO games only take 24 hours max and most of the extra time was just doing the same stuff over and over again.
However, if you mute your game whenever Gwenpool speaks the overall game can be pretty enjoyable.

Honestly, although this game often gets a bad wrap for being "worse" than Marvel Super Heroes 1, I feel like that's clouded in nostalgia. While this game's story definitely doesn't make you feel as attached to the characters as much as the prequel did, it is still very good quality. The levels are fun, the puzzles are interesting, and the open world is vast and has a lot of different quests and puzzles to enjoy. As a LEGO game, this is easily one of the most enjoyable ones to play.

So many characters. Lots of easter eggs referencing the comics. Overall, it's a blast to play.

Lego games have to be one of the funest games to play, these games just bring joy , collecting characters unlocking everything feels so good. 10/10

Great game. Too many characters. DLC mission packs are fun. 10/10.

Originally I was going to just do a simple pros and cons list like I did with the other LEGO games since it’s still the same gameplay and graphics. But I’ve seen some people say it's one of the weaker LEGO games, mainly due to being compared to LMS1 and I feel compelled to stand up for it cause of the 3 Lego Marvel games, this one might be my favorite.

Story:
Kang, an interdimensional warlord has set his sights on Manhattan and has trapped a section of it in his little pocket dimension. However, while investigating a way to save their home, the avengers accidentally destroyed the one thing that was holding Kang’s ambitions back and all his pocket dimensions become one big world called Chronopolis. While Kang waits for a worthy opponent, the avengers along with the Guardians of the Galaxy must come up with a plan to reach and defeat the tyrant.

I actually like this plot. Sure it’s simple and there’s some obvious advertising of Marvel stuff at the time like Thor: Ragonork being the obvious example(Not complaining since LEGO Island 2 did that years ago with Adventuers and Knights Kingdom sets), but the setting allows interesting and fun situations like the guardians getting involved with a cowboy bar fight or sneaking onto a nazi zeppelin which ends with a dogfight with Zemo. And sure it has an obvious reveal at the end but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t satisfying.

But why do I like this one the best? Well being better than Avengers is easy since it’s an unfunny recap of the two movies and the only levels I liked were the abridged retellings of Ironman 3 Thor 2 and Captain America 2. And compared to Marvel 1, while the big monster in the end was built up, the game doesn’t really emphasise that threat til the end and makes it feel like the game is dragging its heels. Here, we got a goal which serves as a framing device and we got a core group of characters we follow and any new ones feel like a guest star.

And I know the Xmen and Fantastic Four were cut for legal and marketing reasons and that could be a reason why some people don’t like this one. But honestly I’m glad they were removed since they don’t bloat the main cast, especially the X-men. Sure the Inhumans get shoved as the leads for two levels but they don’t feel as intrusive since they make sure which of the Inhuman’s is our lead and aren’t really main characters.

Gameplay:
Basic gameplay is the same as other LEGO games: Solve platformer puzzles. Beat up goons. Collect studs and minikits. And explore the hub world. So let's start with the level design and combat.

At first, it’s your standard Lego levels with a sizable length with a boss at the end. But during level 3 or 4 you might notice the length of levels aren’t too long. Like maybe one or two sections with the second usually being a boss fight. And I actually like this. With the increased emphasis on the hub world and with 20 main levels plus 10 bonus levels(not including DLC level), The short length makes it feel like the devs respect my time. Sure longer levels were okay in the order games when the hub was just a diner, but these days they are massive worlds just itching to explore and you’ll want to do that with no limits as soon as possible. Plus the levels usually have something interesting going like trying to get the end of a train without the ability to fly or explore Dr.Strange’s house for 5 sigils

As for the combat, it honestly should be weaker since the team attacks aren’t as easy to pull off and it’s nowhere near as good as Ninjago, so why do I like it more? Two things: Enemy variety and beat-em up style bosses. Sure, Ninjago had some variety with heavies or gunners, but Marvel 2 has got lots of different types besides gunners and punchers like dudes with shields, electric shields, flamethrowers, spears, different armour types and ninja’s. And for the bosses, they ditched the 3 or so hearts to just a health bar and after getting used to it, I actually prefer it for these Superhero styled LEGO games as it lets the bosses be more involved with the punching instead of standing around till you break something. That still happens but it feels like a natural break from between phases than the gimmick of the fight. I think the only boss I completely chessed was Carmen but that could be due to a mishap with his AI in his second phase.

As for the open world. It’s really good. It’s a big circle divided into different sections like a snowy New York or ancient Egypt so it’s simple to navigate. None of the races ever annoyed me. The Stan Lee’s spawned together instead of one at a time which annoyed me previously. And while unlocking Gwenpool levels requires you to do sidequests, it’s not awful. It just made me look up a guide to see which missions I should be looking for. There’s even a boss fight for when you complete everything in most of the sections which I think puts a nice bow on things. There are also challenges like finding all the map points or saving all the shield agents under rubble which reward you with vehicles and these aren’t too bad since they require you to explore and listen to your surroundings. The only two I needed a guide for were the treasure hunt and the rap battles since I didn’t know where to start.

Presentation:
Not much to say here. Looks and sounds as good as any other LEGO game. I do Chronoplolis is a wonderful looking hub world through with section having its own feel with Noir being the obvious example with it’s black and white tininted filter but other sections aren’t too bad like the jungles of Wakanda, the dark skies of Medieval England, or how Xander looks like a small alien beach town. It’s probably up there with my favourite hub worlds along with LEGO City and Middle-Earth.

Verdict:
While all the Marvel games are better than the DC line-up, This is my favorite of the three.
9/10

very very fun, lots of content, both kids, teens, and adults can all enjoy!