Batman has always been my absolute favorite superhero. Hands down. Out of all the caped and cowled figures in comic book history, he’s consistently been the most fascinating to me. He doesn’t have alien superpowers; he has unmatched drive, brilliant detective skills, and an unparalleled psychological complexity.

But let’s be honest: a hero is only as good as his rogues’ gallery, and Batman has the absolute best villains in fiction. I have always loved his antagonists, especially the Penguin and, of course, the Joker. And while there have been many incredible interpretations over the decades, Jack Nicholson in the 1989 film will always be the definitive, gold-standard Joker for me.

That deep-seated love for the lore is exactly why my expectations were sky-high for TT Games’ latest release. And yet, it completely blew me away.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight for Xbox is, without a doubt, my favorite game of the year so far, and it easily stands as one of the greatest Batman video games ever made.