PC | DS | Wii | PlayStation 2 | PlayStation 3 | PSP | Xbox 360 | Retired: GBA | GameCube | Xbox

News | Reviews | Previews | Features | Classics | Goodies | Anime | Forums

Batman: Vengeance

Score: 8.2 / 10

Now who wouldn't want to be Batman? (Mr. Nash and I have some great stories about Omni and a certain Bat-suit.) (I'm never going to live that down, am I? - Omni) You get to fight crime, drive that really cool car, and most importantly, black cowls go with everything. For the first time I can remember, a really good Batman game is available -- Batman Vengeance (BV). (Some would argue that the Nintendo Batman was good - but you didn't get to drive the car!!!).

The gameplay itself holds three modes: directly controlling Batman and two modes where you drive the Bat-mobile and Bat-plane. The three modes where you control Batman are: the main interface 3^rd person back view, 1^st person weapon and tool view, and a 3^rd person diving view. The 3^rd person back view is the one the gamer will become intimate with quickly - it's the main game view where all of the investigating and fighting will take place. The 1^st person weapon view is the one you switch to when you want to use Bat-arangs, Bat-nets, and the Bat-grapple. (I'm glad that I was able to avoid referring to the Bat-tussi.) The final control view is the diving view where you are in a free-fall chasing after someone (or something) falling and you intend to save them before they hit the pavement like a 5 gallon Hefty bag full of tomato soup.

 

- Playstation 2 Game Reviews - Action Game Review - Reviews of Games Developed/Published by UbiSoft

The main story arc surrounds the apparent death of the Joker (at the hands of Batman no less - well more like a punch that carried him off of a bridge). Anyways, as Batman you are in charge of beating justice into a variety of criminals as well as keeping the super-villains from achieving their dastardly goals. (Marvel or DC, I am available for script writing duties and boy do I have some great ideas.) You also get to match wits with Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and everyone's favorite, Harley Quinn. This game 

Advertisement

is meant to resemble a dark version of the animated series - from the way the characters are animated, to the dark surroundings, and most importantly the character voices (Mark Hamill reprises his voice role as the Joker), BV does an excellent job of creating the feeling you're playing an episode of the animated series.

The main action during a level has Batman responding to some event (or investigating) but you always have to complete all the goals of a stage before you can progress - and in the right order or you're screwed. Helping you out (much in the same way a 2 year old helps you move furniture) is Bat-girl who does nothing more than remind you to "Be careful. There are enemies there." It's a tad irritating at times. The levels are huge but you still find yourself inspecting those boundaries thinking that is where you are supposed to go to finish the level. As you progress through the levels, you are awarded a score on how well you performed. This score translates into an amount of points which you use towards unlocking new skills for fighting. You can utilize these power moves as you build up your "power bar" (I prefer to think of it as a "PO'd bar) to deliver even more awe-inspiring pain on your unsuspecting opponent.

The game looks and sounds great but does have some weaknesses. The game does regress into a series of jumping puzzles and mindless repetition at times, which is not what I expect from a game these days (it's almost like playing a re-vamped Coleco game). The worst detraction has to be the progression goals. For a game that is rigidly locked into forcing the gamer in a specific direction and method to solving goals, there is nothing more irritating than trying to figure out what to do or where to go when you're just walking around a level and all of the enemies are hog-tied and unconscious. I actually spent 25-30 minutes trying to figure out what to do on the first level and that is seriously wrong.

All in all, Batman Vengeance is good game with a few weaknesses, but is definitely worth a look.

- Tazman

(December 20, 2001)

Digg this Article!  | del.icio.us

Advertise | Site Map | Staff | RSS Feed

Affiliates:

- BDGamers -   - CnC Den -   - CivFanatics-   - Creative Uncut -   - Darkstation -   - DarkZero -   Devil May Cry   - Dreamstation.cc -   

- Fable 2 -    - GameZone -   - Mario-Kart.net -   - PS2 Fantasy -  - PS3 -   -TalkXbox -   - Zelda Dungeon -

All articles ©2000 - 2008 The Armchair Empire.

All game and anime imagery is the property of their respective owners.

Privacy Statement - Disclaimer