Justice League Heroes does not stand up at all against its beefier console counterparts or even the fun arcade style of Justice League Heroes - The Flash. Yes, the Game Boy Advance version of the game is actually better than the DS version of Justice League Heroes on almost every level. It's simply a matter of style, substance and gameplay over what the DS version offers: the feeling of running through a swimming pool full of thick gooey crude oil.. and surfacing to find an ugly blocky world filled with what looks like hundreds of robots. We're going to dissect what's wrong with JLH on the DS in a second, but we might as well tell you now: for your hand-held hero needs look to the Game Boy Advance or the PSP version of the game if you want to have some real fun..

With that said and out of the way, let's delve a little deeper at JLH on the DS. Justice League Heroes lets you take control of Justice League alumni like The Flash, Superman Batman and Wonder Woman, as you battle hundreds of robots and the occasional super villain as you unravel an over-arching plot involving (drum roll) giant robots and mind controlled "Super Friends." During missions you'll get messages from Martian Manhunter directing your current objective.

Though you'll sometimes have the ability to select just who you can control in a given mission, other times the plot dictates who you get the pleasure of dealing with. Unlike the Xbox and PS2 game, the DS version only allows you to control one hero at a time. When and if that hero expires, you'll then get to take the reigns of your back-up character. You can switch between the two by tapping an icon on the touch screen, but most times you won't bother because these characters feel similar in the way they fight.

This is where the game starts to lose points, because (you would think) the whole idea behind a game based on a super hero team is is to take multiple members and utilize their skills. That's not the case here, and while it's not detrimental to your enjoyment to have both characters fighting side-by-side and on screen, it would have been a positive step in the right direction. Much like the GBA version, you at least have access to boosts from other JL team members like Martian Manhunter or good old Green Lantern which can be a godsend in tougher battles. Still it would have been nice to actually be able to play these characters, but we'll have to settle for their cool but brief interjections in the action.

No matter who you pick, you'll battle hundreds of robots, earn experience points and unlock a handful of special attacks that you can unleash on your enemies through 40 or so different locales. While each hero has an arsenal of melee, heavy melee, a ranged attack and special power, all of them offer the same functionality. Worse still much of the combat focused gameplay is plagued by jerky animation and bad pacing all around. A prime example of this is The Flash, who you'd expect to be able to zip around the screen like a bullet - but he just doesn't feel right in this game.

The game's action is presented in a top-down 3D view, and that action consist of navigating bland areas, smashing things and killing robots. Players can break certain objects if they feel like it, but very few objects yield anything useful anyway (besides crates). The items players will seek the most will be health and power meter refills. Health and your power meter tend to regenerate anyway if you can stay out of trouble for a few moments and find a safe place to hide.

Much of the game's environments are pretty generic; an office building here, a street there, some steps to your right, a bunch of crates in the alley, etc. And these worlds aren't all that intricate or beautiful. Everything looks and feels generic in the grand scheme of things and the low level of detail in the environments and characters certainly isn't due to the limitations of the DS so draw your own conclusions.

Unfortunately Justice League Heroes is one of those games that gives licensed properties a bad name by failing on almost every level and squandering an opportunity to create something that does this franchise the "justice" it deserves. It's a real shame but it's not all that surprising given the history of games based on comic books, television and films. If you're really hungry for something portable check out the GBA game or wait for the game to come out on the PSP -- or better yet play the excellent Xbox version of the game from the comfort of your living room sofa.