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Platform: GC, GBA, PS2, XB Genre: Action Publisher: Ubi Soft Developer: Ubi Soft Montreal ETA: Fall 2003
Related Links: Review: Hunter - The Reckoning (XB) Review: Hunter - The Reckoning (GC)
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Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu
I’m a big Batman fan – ask anyone who knows me or happened to attended a certain Halloween dance where I was one of four people that actually attended in costume. I was, of course, dressed as Batman. The payoff of course is that girls cannot say, “No” to the Dark Knight. But as usual, I digress.
Here we go with another Batman game, one of the pleasant surprises that came out of E3. Instead of following-up to Ubi Soft's Batman Vengeance with a 3rd Person action game, Ubi Soft has taken a few cues from both the Gauntlet and the Hunter: The Reckoning series (and those punch 'em up sidescrollers of yesteryear). The influence is undeniable and it’s a style that suits the Batman universe. But on with the facts: A
new era in Batman history begins in Batman: The Rise of Sin Tzu – the
first videogame to introduce a new character into the Batman universe. Beyond
madness, beyond evil, Sin Tzu is an enemy unlike Batman has ever
battled. [For a complete character description see below.] He is a
master in the deadly art of war, driven by a single desire: to conquer.
Scouring the world in search of only the worthiest adversaries, Sin Tzu
has descended upon Gotham City and marshaled the infamous villains Bane,
Clayface, and Scarecrow into a superior fighting force against the Caped
Crusader. In turn, Batman has called upon his allies Robin, Nightwing,
and Batgirl to join the fray. To
survive Sin Tzu’s cold and calculated assault, Batman must not only
match wits against this warrior’s fearsome military mind, but also
unleash the most furious attacks in his crime-fighting arsenal. For
Gotham City is a battleground…
Features: The
Rise of Sin Tzu: Sin Tzu, cunning master of strategy and martial
arts, makes history as the first Batman character to debut in a
videogame. To commemorate this event, DC Comics and Warner Bros. have
showcased the talents of renowned comic book artist Jim Lee as Sin
Tzu’s creator and character designer. Four
Infamous Supervillains: Battle Batman’s most infamous enemies
including Bane, Clayface and Scarecrow – each appearing on a videogame
for the first time – and the formidable Sin Tzu. Two-Player
Cooperative Gameplay: Play solo as Batman, or recruit a friend into the
battle as Nightwing, Robin or Batgirl in 2-player cooperative fighting
mode. 35
Batman Attacks: Topple Sin Tzu’s soldiers of crime with more than 35
martial arts moves and combos. 12
Levels: Wage brutal street battles through the Gotham City Docks, Crime
Alley, Arkham Asylum and more.
Although
there’s two-player action (awesome!) I’m sure there will be a few
cry babies out there that’ll whine about lack of four-player support,
which would be the final nod to Gauntlet and Hunter: The Reckoning.
The playable version of Sin Tzu that Ubi Soft had on display
showed lots of potential for great two-player (and single-player) fun,
with Batarangs and cool moves flying all around. Including
Bane, Scarecrow and Clayface are masterstrokes.
This trio of arch enemies just hasn’t received the kind of
attention they deserve, particularly Clayface who has the most
destructive potential. Hopefully,
Ubi Soft snags the voice talent of the Animated Series (and that Kevin
Conroy reprises his role as Batman).
The
one concern I have is with the camera, an aspect that many “tsk, tsk-ed”
while playing Hunter: The Reckoning.
The camera did not adjust very well in some circumstances (like
when a tree was blocking your view) and control over it was limited.
This doesn’t seem the case with Sin Tzu, but we’ll have to
wait until the game is done to drop that verdict. Batman:
Rise of Sin Tzu is expected Fall 2003. -
Omni (August 17, 2003)
Sin Tzu Character Profile Sin
Tzu is the most brilliant and methodical of all of Batman’s foes. He
is not criminally insane – at least not in the classical sense, for he
does not lust for money, revenge, or hatch twisted plots for the master
detective to unravel. Rather, he is an arrogant conqueror who prides
himself in conquering worthy opponents who have never been beaten
before. A
discarded child, Sin Tzu was adopted by a modern thuggee cult, which
plied its trade of religious mayhem and robbery throughout Southeast
Asia. Once, when pursued by police, the cult hid out in the caves of
Chulin, where Sin Tzu discovered an enormous necropolis that not only
contained thousands of statue warriors, but the mystical/military texts
of ancient warlords. Studying this wisdom, he learned not only the
military arts, but the lost knowledge of Mehta-Sua: the channelling of
mental energy into physical energy and vice versa in order to exert a
nearly hypnotic mind control that can turn weak-minded rabble into an
effective fighting force. His
solitary studies complete, Sin Tzu set about building an insurgent army
of fanatics who carried out his lust for conquest. Often acting behind
puppet politicians, Sin Tzu conquered large swaths of Cynna, Vet Nak and
carried out the brutal invasion of Unglong. Sin Tzu is a strategist and
warrior, not a despot. When he accomplishes his objectives in warfare he
vanishes from the scene and gives no heed to the chaos that follows. During
months of solitary meditation, he plots his next move. Then, he appears
in an unexpected place, with a new army, to wage war upon the innocent. Always
on the lookout for a worthy adversary, Sin Tzu heard legends of the Dark
Knight of Gotham City and set out to defeat him on his own turf and
terms. Realizing that he could raise an army of Batman’s enemies, Sin
Tzu arranged to have himself captured by covert international operatives
and taken to Arkham Asylum for clinical analysis. Once at Arkham, he not
only enlisted members of Batman’s Rogues Gallery – after all, in
asking them to fight Batman, he was only asking them to do what they
wanted to do anyway – but began hatching a grand strategy for the
conquest of Gotham City, including the use of an army of common
criminals from Stonegate Prison. As well as a being a grand strategist, Sin Tzu is a master martial artist. Keeping his body perfectly fit with a rigorous exercise regimen and an ascetic lifestyle that forsakes him all pleasures of the flesh through an ancient form of self-torture, he is more than a match for the Caped Crusader in one-on-one combat. Let the battle for Gotham City begin… |
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