Batman Video Games; Begins discussion, etc here

[AndrewTS 0]

Batman Begins looks like it could be decent. It can't be any worse than Batman Forever or the Genesis version of Batman Returns.

 

As bad as the console Batman Forever was, The Arcade Game was even worse. An awful Final Fight clone with stiff animation, sloppy control, bad/cheap AI, the gameplay was pointless except for racking up big combos (which isn't as fun as it sounds), and was crap even with 2 players. I owned the Saturn version.

 

16-bit Batman Forever had potential. It looked great for sure, and a well done beat 'em up/platformer mesh could make for a great game. However, it was Batman Mythologies--a fighting game control scheme shoehorned into an action game, complete with the awkward use of the D-pad for jumping. Way too many cheap deaths, too.

 

Ah yes, Genesis Returns. How well I remember that one. That was one of my first experiences of learning the hard way that "identical covers do no mean it is the same game."

 

As I've mentioned before, my favorite Batman game is Adventures of Batman and Robin on SNES. There was also a Game Boy game, Batman the Animated Series, though, also from Konami. Surprisingly, you could play as Robin in that one, unlike AoB&R. It was quite fun, if limited in your abilities.

 

I've alternately heard people say their favorites were also Batman for NES and Return of the Joker for NES.

 

Adventures of Batman and Robin on Genesis had a lot of potential. With a Game Genie, it's a hell of a fun game. However, it's a hard game, and the attack system (for your main weapon, the batarang, to do anything, you have to charge it up. This is time-based, not by holding the button. And an uncharged batarang does practically nothing) crippled any chance of rapid-fire attacks. Shame, because it had two-player mode and *fantastic* visuals and special effects for a Genesis game. If you're a gaming god you might love it, though.

 

I never played Batman and Robin (a PS1 game), but reviews were vicious, it had the Acclaim name, and the source material...meh.

 

Vengeance-- disappointing but on the right track on the consoles. Awful on the GBA. The console version was fun but the controls were floaty, and it's unrealistic to expect players to hit gun-wielding baddies' hands from a long distance away with a batarang to disarm them. A little longer in development for polishing and it could have been a great game.

 

Rise of Sin Tzu-- a decent beat 'em up, but nothing too memorable (consoles). I never played the GBA game.

 

Both Vengeance and Sin Tzu had great cutscenes. Vengeance's especially were awesome because of Joker/Harley. Almost worth playing through the game.

 

A preview for Begins, but it is kind of old. Post any newer ones that might be better if you like:

 

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3139429&did=2

 

FYI, the games are being bundled with a few movie pass for Begins. I've seen a 6/13 release date listed in some magazines, but EB's flyer said 17th for the games. Hmph.

[Anya 0]

I played the NES Batman. It was ok, but like most NES games was impossible. I remember this boss that was like a giant firespitting moth. I wondered where that guy had come from because I don't recall Batman ever fighting a mutant moth in the movie.

 

I played Returns for SNES for like 20 minutes. Seemed like an ok beat em up.

 

I played Forever for SNES. Just really bad. The big thing I remember about that is how much money and time Acclaim spent hyping it up. Blockbuster video used to do these world gaming championship tournaments and one year Batman Forever was like the big main event. So obvious the games involved had to do with payoffs and not what people actually played.

 

And Batman is in Justice League Task Force, a lame fighting game for SNES & Genesis. I think that's pretty much the end of my Batman gaming experiences.

[Epic Reine 0]

Hey! Batman Returns for Genesis owned even though the SNES version was a lot better.

 

The Adventures of Batman and Robin for Genesis sucked.

[AndrewTS 0]

The Game Boy Batman games were pretty hard, too, like the NES one. Return of the Joker on Game Boy--yow, I could barely make it to the 3rd level.

 

JLTF is a fun crappy fighter. Sometimes I pull that when friends are over. I love whupping Superman's ass with Batman. But Cheetah's my fave. Cheap as hell and really quick. They apparently put more effort into her sprite than most of the rest of the game. Too bad Capcom never got a chance to do a DC fighter, let alone the fanboytastic possibility of Marvel vs. DC.

 

On the first run of Revenge of Shinobi cartridges on Genesis, Batman's supposed to be one of the bosses. Those carts are supposed to be extremely rare though, but Tips n Tricks posted a screenshot.

[Black Lushus 0]

Batman on NES was fantastic and somewhat difficult...

[Epic Reine 0]

Batman for NES was hard as fuck. I think I only made it to the 4th level ONCE.

[Guest Askewniverse]

I guess I'm kinda responsible for Andrew starting this thread. Oh well, nothing wrong with a bit more Batman hype.

 

Batman (NES) - this was one of my first NES games and it remains one of my favorites. As a kid, Batman being purple irritated me a bit, but I still loved the game. I remember being in awe after seeing the Batmobile cut-scene. I played this game to death and actually managed to beat it. The game was loosely based on the movie, as most of the bosses weren't in the movie. The weapons (especially the Dirk) were pretty cool and wall-jumping wasn't as hard as you would think.

 

Batman (Genesis) - unlike the NES game, this one was based directly on the movie. The Batmobile and Batwing stage were pretty cool. The game was a bit on the easy side, though. Most of the bosses were a joke. For example, Jack Napier is the boss for the second stage, Axis Chemical Factory. One blow is all it takes to knock Napier into a barrel of toxic waste. I like the game, but it's not something I would play over and over again. Once you beat it, there's really no incentive to play it again.

 

Batman (Game Boy) - I only played this one for a little bit, but I remember that it was pretty hard. Maybe it's because I didn't play it as much, but I thought this was harder than the NES version.

 

Batman: Revenge of the Joker (Genesis) - I didn't like this one very much. It was basically a side-scrolling shooter, which is not something I want in a Batman game.

 

Batman Returns (Genesis) - Batman was purple in the NES original because of the system's color limitations. Where's the explanation for Batman being purple in this game? The only things I liked about this game were the weapons (super Batarang, Grappling Gun, Bat swarm, etc) and the ability to glide using Batman's cape.

 

Batman Returns (SNES) - completely different from the Genesis version and is vastly superior. The game is basically a Final Fight clone, but I loved it. There's a couple side-scrolling pseudo-shooter stages and a Batmobile stage which make the game stand out a bit more. The game also had some pretty cool moves, such as the cape sweep, double noggin-knocker, napalm test tubes, and the ability to toss enemies into the background.

 

Batman Forever (Genesis/SNES) - horrible, horrible game. Bad controls, jerky graphics, and just not very fun to play. I'd rather watch Batman and Robin than play this game for 2 hours.

 

The Adventures of Batman and Robin (Genesis) - I liked the graphics and the ability to choose between using Batman or Robin, but that's about it. I didn't like the gameplay and the game was too challenging.

 

The Adventures of Batman and Robin (SNES) - my favorite Batman game. The graphics and music/sound were great, and the gameplay was just as good. Not only is this my favorite Batman game, but it's one of my favorite SNES games. My only gripe is that the Batmobile stage is ridiculously hard and isn't fun to play. The final stage is pretty hard as well, but it's pretty fun to play.

 

Batman Beyond (N64) - almost as bad as Batman Forever. Punch, kick, find keys, rinse, repeat. At least it was better than Superman 64.

 

Batman: Vengeance - I only played it for a little bit, but from what I played, it was decent.

 

I didn't like JLTF. I liked the concept, but not the game. The controls were too clunky and the special moves were lame.

 

Batman wasn't in my copy of Revenge of Shinobi. I got a purplish Man-Bat type boss instead. Spider-Man was left intact, though.

[AndrewTS 0]

Hey! Batman Returns for Genesis owned even though the SNES version was a lot better.

 

The Adventures of Batman and Robin for Genesis sucked.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I thought Genesis Returns was awful. Just-okay graphics, TERRIBLE animation, crap sound, bad controls (stiff, hard to avoid hits well, and the animation made enemies move around faster than they should). Very unsatisfying. Swinging around with the grapple shot was the best part, IMO, and nice selection of gadgets.

 

The Genesis B&R I found is very polarizing. Either you love it or hate it. Plenty of things done right, but plenty of things done wrong at the same time.

 

Askew:

 

Batman (Genesis) - unlike the NES game, this one was based directly on the movie. The Batmobile and Batwing stage were pretty cool. The game was a bit on the easy side, though. Most of the bosses were a joke. For example, Jack Napier is the boss for the second stage, Axis Chemical Factory. One blow is all it takes to knock Napier into a barrel of toxic waste. I like the game, but it's not something I would play over and over again. Once you beat it, there's really no incentive to play it again. 

 

I didn't play much of this one (never owned it_, but seemed okay. The music was surprisingly good for a Genesis game (certainly better than the Returns music. I kind of liked the big screens/smaller sprites, but they could have done more with that.

 

Batman: Revenge of the Joker (Genesis) - I didn't like this one very much. It was basically a side-scrolling shooter, which is not something I want in a Batman game.

 

I just tried a ROM of it. Dang, it seems they maxi-sized his sprite to take more hits. Nice visuals though. What's the point of ducking if you don't actually duck under hits, though? And yeah, it's more of a run-n-gun game than it should be.

 

Batman Returns (Genesis) - Batman was purple in the NES original because of the system's color limitations. Where's the explanation for Batman being purple in this game?

 

Genesis' palette isn't so hot either, really. Notice how grainy and washed-out everything else is, even? Sure, the environments look pretty cool and are highly detailed, but likely at the expense of making Batman a nicely shaded black.

 

Agreed on SNES Returns, Forever, both AoB&R games; most of the others I hadn't played.

[AndrewTS 0]

Few other random notes:

 

Batman: Dark Tomorrow has a bad rep--anyone play it? It's been often mentioned that the cover is the best part of it.

 

I'd seen the Kemco (publishers for DT) name on a Game Boy Color Catwoman game (not based on the movie). I'm guessing that one is crap, too.

[Anya 0]

They should make Batgirl playable in a game. She was cool on the old tv shows, my favorite DC super hero.

[AndrewTS 0]

Batgirl's playable in Rise of Sin Tzu. It's just a beat 'em up game, but it's not a bad one. You upgrade your moves as you progress and gain more cash. The moves are mostly combos and all of them are basically executed by button-tapping. You can play also play as Batman (duh), Nightwing, and Robin.

 

Oh, and downloaded a ROM of the GBC Catwoman game.

 

Starts off promising enough--Talia tries to get Catwoman to steal something for her father from a museum, but Catwoman wants it for herself. Game begins...

 

*Bad* graphics. GBC can do much better. Passable for a very old GB game, but not something this recent.

 

Sound--nasty. No sound effects, and an annoying little tune that loops really quickly.

 

It's ambitious in some respects. Tons of moves are included--you have multiple melee attacks--kicks, scratches, upward slash. Regular jump and a backflip jump. You can hold up to "sidestep" to avoid any hits or enemies. You can swing with your whip (I haven't found a consistent way to do it), climb ledges, and wall-kick off the sides of platforms to reach higher areas.

 

Your enemies are generic guard dog and generic guard. You go through about 20 huge and friggin' boring-looking sections of the museum with nothing interesting to see or do, then get bored and shut your emulator off.

 

The control completely and utterly sucks. No surprise there. I have no idea how to do the whip-swing, but jumping forward and keeping the jump button pressed down seems to most consistently pull it off.

[LivingLegendGaryColeman 0]

Batman: Dark Tomorrow has a bad rep--anyone play it?  It's been often mentioned that the cover is the best part of it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, I own the X-box one, I got it for $20 when I got my X-box back in November. It was only released on X-box and Gamecube and being the Batman mark I am, I picked it up, even if it was going to be terrible. I remember playing for a little bit and not thinking it was as terrible as I heard, but it wasn't great either. I'll have to go back and retry sometime soon because I am really blanking on how it even started, just kinda enjoying the fact it spawned from the comic.

 

I personally really like Sin Tzu. Not too thrilling, just beat em up, but fun to mess around with, especially when you got a couple buddies over.

[DangerousDamon 0]

 

 

Haha.

[DangerousDamon 0]

 

Here's the spiderman one.

[Jericholic82 0]

I used to own the batman for nes game (thats the only batman game I have ever palyed btw). It was kinda hard. I liekd the wallclimbing ability . I could beat the moth guy, but always seemed to get stuck in the level where you had to go into the sewer I think. sorry haven't played it since I got rid of my nes in 94. (I want it back )

[Use Your Illusion 0]

I remember first reaching those stages in ROShinobi when I was, like, 10 years old. I marked out like CRAZY, totally didnt expect to be suddenly fighting Spider-Man.

 

My favourite Batman game was Batman Returns on the SNES, mindless fun that probably wouldn't be half as fun if Batman wasn't the main character.

[Guest Rodney Mack molests cats]

Am I the only person that ever owned Batman Returns for Sega CD? Yeah it was mostly the genesis version with redbook audio, but the batmobile stages were some of the coolest parts of any game i've played. the graphics were amazing at the time.

[AndrewTS 0]

IGN review: http://ps2.ign.com/articles/625/625794p1.html

 

Since we're likely to see many high ratings for this (like the Spider-man 2 game), it's nice that somebody has picked apart the game's problems. It seems destined to be a rental, not a purchase.

[Scroby 0]

If people are trying to compare the game to Spiderman 2, I would have to give the nod to Spiderman 2 just because there seems to be a lot more you can do in Spiderman 2. Batman from what I played just seemed to be a stright through beat up kinda game. Which I don't mind, don't get me wrong. But I think more fun can be had with Spiderman 2.

[El Psycho Diablo 0]

Spiderman 2 wasn't that good. Considering there were the same damned things people wanted you to do, over, and over..

[Use Your Illusion 0]

I was very anti-Spiderman 2. I hated the control scheme and wasn't too impressed by the pointless little mini-games that involved me tediously chasing after some kid's baloon.

 

Reviews for Batman Begins, the game, aren't too impressive either. Shame, I'd love a really good Batman game.

[Guest Desperate Housewife]

I'd KILL for an openended GTA like Game to play as Batman.

[Karnage 0]

I was very anti-Spiderman 2. I hated the control scheme and wasn't too impressed by the pointless little mini-games that involved me tediously chasing after some kid's baloon.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

"My Baloon!"

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

I loved Adventures of Batman & Robin back in the day, especially the fact that each level centered around one villain and they each had their own unique style (ex. an action-packed roller coaster ride against Joker, a search and rescue mission in the Gotham Museum for Penguin). I never had that much trouble with the Two-Face level, but the Scarecrow level drove me insane specifically that section where you had to drop down and rappel along the bottom of the blimp. I never really did get the hang of it where I could do it consistantly. If I got by that level it was just dumb luck.

[Boner Kawanger 0]

I played Batman Begins at a friend's house yesterday, and man does it seem short. I only got to the Docks (level 3, I think), but there was so much wasted opportunity with the League of Shadows training. One level? They could have at least devoted an entire section to learning how to block by letting me swordfight with Ducard on the ice. Instead I walk around, throw some shuriken, climb stuff, fight some ninjas, and head to Gotham.

[Dandy 0]

I have Begins on PS2, and I like the game. I understand what you said about making the League of Shadows training longer, but I think it was just a clever way to introduce you to the basic controls. The game reminds me a little of Splinter Cell with teaching you how to do all these moves, and then doing a lot of stealth work. I like the fact that you unlock movie scenes and alternate costumes from different eras. This game is fun and passes the time. Requires some thinking and strategy as well.

 

 

Oh yeah, and getting to watch the movie again for free with the movie pass also kicks some ass!