Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters Review (Xbox 360)

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is based loosely around the 2011 Warner Bros film of the same name, although it follows a different story. Letting children do what they've always wanted to do - be a super hero, your child will have a raft of super powers at their fingertips, as they face off against armies of giant robots, and mind-controlled warriors, in an effort to defend the galaxy.

As the Green Lantern, you can create a variety of special weapons, to help turn the tide of battle, known as Constructs. Generated through your ring, these Constructs make the combat a whole lot more fun. Whether you're summoning a jet plane and using your enemies like skittles, turning into a giant robot yourself, and stamping anything that gets in your way, creating a giant baseball bat, and hitting a home run with your enemies, with your enemies, or simply grabbing them with your strange, holographic hand, and chucking them off the nearest ledge, it's all very light hearted, and, most importantly, a *lot* of fun. Different Contructs work more effectively against different enemies, so mixing things up, and figuring out which Construct to use, when, is of great importance.

There's in interesting story tying all the action together too, which is sure to have you guessing until the very end, while regular puzzles help break up the action, bringing a bit of brain teasinging goodness to the shamless fun.
Although it carries a nice big 12 on the box, PEGI are erring on the side of caution with Green Lantern. While you're undoubtedly beating people up for practically the entire game, the majority of your opponents are giant robots, so it's not too bad. Half way through the game, you do face off against a clan of sparsely dressed female warriors (the Zamarons, for those who know their lore) - although they aren't sexualised.

The powers you have access to in the game are designed to impress, so whether you're pounding an enemy into the ground with a holographic piston, or smashing them into the sunset with a "hard light" baseball bat, things can seem a bit on the violent side, but, it's all handled in a comic manner, and there's no blood, gore, or swearing. Your children are likely to find it funny rather than scary or upsetting.
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters comes with full support for two player co-operative play, so while your whole family can't get in on the action, it's certainly fun for a parent and child to play together. It actually makes the game easier, too, as you effectively get two lives for the tricky bits. It's still a shame that the second player doesn't earn achievements, though.