For a vastly less child-friendly take on the Batman universe, Gotham City Impostors is also on the way, though the game has suffered a slight setback.

Batman: Arkham City is having a great run during the post holiday awards season. The Caped Crusader’s latest adventure won both Best Action/Adventure Game and Best Story in Game Rant’s 2011 Video Game Awards, and is a clear favorite among players.

Though fans of Rocksteady’s dark take on the material might seem unlikely to embrace a lighthearted vision of Batman, the sales history of the LEGO games tells a different story. Despite the huge popularity of the LEGO Star Wars games, and a product line that includes everything from Harry Potter to Pirates of the Caribbean, the original LEGO Batman remains the best selling game in the series’ history.

LEGO Batman 2 rumors first popped up on LEGO fan-site BrickTuts. Shortly thereafter, retailers in the thick of the holiday rush prematurely sold the related LEGO Super Heroes: DC Universe toy sets – which included an advertisement for the game – leaving no room for doubt that LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes was on the way.

Now that the game is official, a few more details have been revealed, along with a nice, clear shot of Batman and Superman in action. Give it a click for a better look.

In contrast to the vast majority of LEGO games, DC Super Heroes will have an all new story. The sequel expands the first game’s cast to include such immortal characters as Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Green Lantern, who will have to face off against baddies headlined by the Joker and Lex Luthor.

For now, developer TT Games is remaining quiet on which other DC heroes and villains will make appearances. Given the huge number of playable characters available in previous LEGO titles, just about any popular hero has legitimate shot of making the cut. So, Aquaman, right?

Tom Stone, Managing Director at TT Games, tells fans what to expect from the new game.

Customization? Let’s hope Stone is referring to something other than the mix-and-match character creator that has been present since the dawn of the LEGO games. If so, LEGO Batman 2 could be a real step forward for the series. Look for it this Summer on all current platforms.

Much sooner than that (though not quite as soon as initially expected), the Bats and the Jokerz will take their fight to the streets in the gaudy, frankly bizarre – but in a good way – Gotham City Impostors. Monolith’s team-based shooter was expected to launch just days from now on January 10th. Today, word went out that the game won’t see the light of day until February, though exactly when remains unspecified. No reason for the delay was offered.

Ranters, which game are you more interested in: LEGO Batman 2 or Gotham City Impostors? Any thoughts on the GCI delay?

Gotham City Impostors is due February 2012 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes releases Summer 2012 for Xbox 360, PS3, Vita, PC, Wii, DS, and 3DS.

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Batman Logo by liorcifer