Batman-Online.com

IGN has posted a visual history of the Batman games. You can see it here:

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/118/1187243p1.html

I don't think anyone's posted the Angry Video Game Nerd Batman reviews from 2008, so here they are. Be warned, they contain very strong language.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFvtk5toGJg&feature=channel_video_title

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvs6JDSBqoE

And for anyone who enjoyed the music in these reviews, here are Chris Holland's remixes of the various Batman themes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfqmslF2h3s

I think I'll wait until I get out of work before I watch them!

Someone needs to do a comprehensive article about all of the Batman video games. And a video games section of the site would be pretty bitchin', Paul. I volunteer to bulk up any such possible section any way I can, should you like the idea. I personally would love to work on/read a comprehensive catalogue of all Batman games. He's had a lot, and so many of them good/excellent. More than people think.

That sounds like a good idea, Doc. SilentEnigma seems very knowledgeable on the subject of Batman games. Maybe the two of you could compile an in-depth retrospective. It'd make a great feature in the run up to Arkham City's release this October. I know I'd be interested in reading it.

Certainly! I haven't played all of them, but I've played most of them. And I'll try to give the others a whirl, assuming I can find some emulators...

The new site lists video games.

The features section allows you to create an ongoing feature connected to any game, comic etc listed.

I am having trouble getting it to work at the moment...but I will work it out soon.

I love the idea!

This sounds like a neat idea, and the funny thing is that I was thinking about a restrospective too. I had some ideas in my head, but lack of time prevented me from even starting, and didn't know if any of you might be interested in such a thing.

A collaboration will make things a lot better.

So far the only Batman game I haven't seen emulated is Batman & Robin for Game.com, and I think it's not even worth mentioning as a footnote, lol

I don't know if there's enough time to coincide it with the release of Arkham City, but that would be perfect.

EDIT: SilverNemesis, I discovered AVGN from his Batman reviews in 2008 too. I think he's a very funny guy, and most of his reviews are very enjoyable (unless somone minds language that can make a sailor blush, lol)

I'll look forward to reading this feature when it's done. There seems to be a bunch of different Batman Returns games, so it'll be a useful reference to have them all listed in one place.

QuoteSilverNemesis, I discovered AVGN from his Batman reviews in 2008 too. I think he's a very funny guy, and most of his reviews are very enjoyable (unless somone minds language that can make a sailor blush, lol)

Yeah, I'm not usually a fan of expletive-heavy humour, but James Rolfe does it well. He plays the obnoxious nerd to perfection, and in real life he seems like a nice coolheaded person with a vast knowledge of cinema.

A while back he uploaded some videos counting down his 30 favourite movies. He ranked Batman (1989) 23rd on his list. You can see the bit where he discusses it at the 8:48 mark in this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc-E2pEvFKU

It's worth watching the rest of the countdown if you get time. He's got pretty eclectic taste.

After I read the IGN article a few days ago, I DL'd the B89 NES ROM. I can get to The Joker, but damn is he hard. The game brings back so many memories, and is my second favorite Bat-game.

Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Sat, 13 Aug  2011, 23:18
I'll look forward to reading this feature when it's done. There seems to be a bunch of different Batman Returns games, so it'll be a useful reference to have them all listed in one place.

QuoteSilverNemesis, I discovered AVGN from his Batman reviews in 2008 too. I think he's a very funny guy, and most of his reviews are very enjoyable (unless somone minds language that can make a sailor blush, lol)

Yeah, I'm not usually a fan of expletive-heavy humour, but James Rolfe does it well. He plays the obnoxious nerd to perfection, and in real life he seems like a nice coolheaded person with a vast knowledge of cinema.

A while back he uploaded some videos counting down his 30 favourite movies. He ranked Batman (1989) 23rd on his list. You can see the bit where he discusses it at the 8:48 mark in this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc-E2pEvFKU

It's worth watching the rest of the countdown if you get time. He's got pretty eclectic taste.

Yeah, agreed. This is what makes him one of the best online reviewers. His "Angry Nerd" persona is hilarious, but he is quite informed and knows what he's talking about. His other non-video game and non-Batman features (like his trip to the NY locations used for the filming of Ghostbusters) are worth watching too.

Well, better start playing with a Batman games retrospective to make an October "deadline". This will be fun. :)

Quote from: DocLathropBrown on Thu, 11 Aug  2011, 23:44
Certainly! I haven't played all of them, but I've played most of them. And I'll try to give the others a whirl, assuming I can find some emulators...

Your user name rocks! That is all.

Decided to collect these retrospectives for future reference. I don't quite agree with all their opinions (to lenient on some games, too harsh on others), but the gamesradar guy nails it on Batman Returns/SNES.

Gamesradar: http://www.gamesradar.com/batmans-best-and-worst-games/
Video Game Critic: http://videogamecritic.net/extras/batman.htm
Eurogamer: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-10-21-retrospective-batman-article
The Bit Bag: http://www.thebitbag.com/2009/08/23/video-game-retrospective-batman/
1UP : http://www.1up.com/features/batman-videogame-retro-roundup (well written article and solid opinions, but I disagree on Batman 89 for Sega! It's one of the best :p )

Also, three in-depth reviews from Sega-16:
Batman - http://www.sega-16.com/2006/01/batman-the-video-game/
Batman Returns - http://www.sega-16.com/2009/04/batman-returns/
Batman Forever - http://www.sega-16.com/2006/07/batman-forever/

Quote from: DocLathropBrown on Thu, 11 Aug  2011, 23:29
Someone needs to do a comprehensive article about all of the Batman video games. And a video games section of the site would be pretty bitchin', Paul. I volunteer to bulk up any such possible section any way I can, should you like the idea. I personally would love to work on/read a comprehensive catalogue of all Batman games. He's had a lot, and so many of them good/excellent. More than people think.

Old post, yet encouraging, there's at least one more person that thinks Batman games didn't suck before Arkham Asylum came along.

(edit dated June 9)
I wanted to do a proper retrospective on those games, at least the good ones, similar to the format employed by http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/ , one of the definitive retro gaming sites.

They've already done extensive articles about games that are very loosely connected together (different developers, systems, gaming generations etc) and have only the licence as the common core (e.g Asterix, Donald Duck). Their style is very informative and is more about facts about the games, when known, as well as explaining and describing how each game works, and less about expressing the personal opinion of the writers.

However, something like this takes a lot of time and research, and I don't think it's worth it.

Access to work on features will be available within the next 4 days.

I will do a video to show those who wish to be staff how to add video games to the database listings so it can have a "spotlight" page.

Here's a video from Mike Matei over at Cinemassacre.com, checking out some old Batman games that weren't mentioned in the AVGN review.

http://cinemassacre.com/2012/07/19/mike-reviews-some-batman-games/

Quote from: Paul (ral) on Sun,  3 Jun  2012, 23:31
Access to work on features will be available within the next 4 days.

I will do a video to show those who wish to be staff how to add video games to the database listings so it can have a "spotlight" page.

Obviously that was BS!

10 more lines of code and the features section is ready!

.

Quote from: SilentEnigma on Wed,  1 Aug  2012, 23:20
http://whatculture.com/gaming/10-greatest-batman-video-games-of-all-time.php

Is it August the 1st, or April the 1st? At least that's what I thought when I saw the above list, published today.

He loses credibility by NOT including the original NES Batman in the list (but still using a screen), by forgetting about Ocean's movie game for Amiga (which had pioneering, for the time, racing stages), and for his choice as #2. He doesn't even aknowledge #2's negative critical reception by virtually everybody, even by lenient review magazines of the 90s (GamePro). Too bad I don't have the time and the energy for a proper list at the moment.

In his defense, Return of the Joker was considered the better of the 2 games. But Batman and Robin was a better game than Batman Forever. And considering Arkham city #6 was absurd.

http://youtu.be/s4r3fePzVvA
http://youtu.be/nO3VYv81CHY
http://youtu.be/6cb5HhJ1PlA
http://youtu.be/3kgS5YPycm0

-This retrospective is very well done. Check it out!

.

EDITED OUT

http://youtu.be/aAvEj3htht8
Here's an embedded version. How is the amiga version of the game?

EDITED OUT

Quote from: SilentEnigma on Wed, 26 Sep  2012, 23:17
Random thought. The Batman & Robin game on the PSX isn't that bad. I refreshed my memory recently, and decided to do a full playthrough of it. As the first proper 3D action/adventure starring Batman, it was pretty decent. It's the film's name that harmed it's reception in late '98, and taints its current reputation. It came out more than a year after a universally panned film; it was too ambitious for the time, trying to mix several things together (it's basically one of the first 3D sandbox games), and Probe maybe needed even more time; it certainly is a bit rough around the edges when it comes to controls, but it does some things right, and is certainly much better than the film itself. The attention to quality seen in Die Hard Trilogy and Alien Trilogy (Probe's previous efforts before this) were still there.

Also, some aspects and hidden stuff in the game show that some of the team were fans and loved what they were doing. There are references to B'89 (newspapers, some architecture, one location you visit is Axis Chemicals), and there's even an ad for Shreck's store. I think more people would appreciate what Probe was trying to do if it was based on one of the previous movies, the comics, or the animated show.

I have the game too, I don't play it mainly because the controls are too hard and it's difficult just figuring out exactly what to do. That being said it was a good pioneer game like you said with a sandbox enviroment. And truth be told as much as batman and robin does get criticized it is a decent film to base a video game off of.

EDITED OUT

EDITED OUT

EDITED OUT

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eReVWssS84I (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eReVWssS84I)

The Adventures of Batman and Robin (1995 Sega Genesis) - This was a very good 2D platformer, probably one of the last till games turned 3-Dimensional. But damn it was HARD. And long! I played this game when I was 11, but I didn't get to finish until I played 10 years later, and I had to use a cheat code to do it! The game had somepretty interesting pick-ups (batarangs could suddenly surge out electrical currents). But what I  the music itself was techno-inspired which I thought was strange since I was used to hear opera-style music in anything Batman related media (the composer is appreantly the same guy who would work on the Hitman games). Not the 2D background graphics were top quality at times.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DxTVoZIj8E (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DxTVoZIj8E)

The Adventures of Batman and Robin (1994 Super Nintendo) - Easier game than the Genesis one, but not quite as fun. But at least this one had a password system, unlike the Genesis game.

EDITED OUT

EDITED OUT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axSCQWOrWH4

These are my favourites from what I have played:

Arkham Asylum
Arkham City
Lego Batman 2
Lego Batman
Batman Vengeance
Batman Begins
Rise of Sin Tzu

I strongly suspect Arkham Origins will be in the top three of my list.

EDITED OUT

EDITED OUT

James Rolfe and Mike Matei are doing a playthrough of the NES Batman '89 game over on Cinemassacre.com. They discuss the movies a little bit too (very pro-Burton). Here's the first part.


The second part will be uploaded next Monday.

Was just watching that. Haha.   ;D Love James and Mike, and the game as well. I agree with their opinions on where the films should go.

The second and final part has been uploaded. Will James and Mike beat the Joker? Watch to find out.


This really reminds me of when I finally beat the original NES Ninja Gaiden when I was a student back in 2007. I committed a whole weekend to doing it. It was horrible. I had terrible headaches afterwards, and I knew the last stage off by heart because it took me so many attempts to beat the final boss. But I eventually did it. It was my greatest accomplishment as a gamer.

BATMAN: The Video Game requires a lot of focus on memorization and understanding the 'physics' of the controls. I have less trouble with it than they did only because I've spent more time 'feeling' the nuances of the game and its controls. And for one thing, the Batarangs are faster to use against enemies, and they should have been using them against The Joker. Batarangs also can hit him twice if you time the use right.

You should make a playthrough vid of your own, Doc. Show them how it's done. I'd probably suck at this game, but I bet you could do it no problem.

The guys from Cinemassacre uploaded this fifteen minute video of themselves playing Batman Returns on the SNES.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJXQDmbRWNs

I never knew that you could make Batman throw bombs to kill all of his enemies. It would've helped me finish this game more than only one time.  :-[

Mike and Ryan at Cinemassacre play the SNES Batman Returns while discussing the movies and comics.

I still think B89 on NES is my favorite Batman game. I play it all the time. I think it's the best Ninja Gaiden clone out there, and I also think its better than Ninja Gaiden, which I also love and still play.

Cool vid. Never get tired of this game but for one flaw: these boring two-plane levels where Batman attacks only with batarangs. The Final Fight-style action is where this game excels, Batman has Haggar's strength and Cody's speed.

16:04 And this is how they can't hide their Nintento allegiance, lol.

One thing I love about the Batman Begins game is how it almost feels like playing in 1989's world. Different designs, but it's very pulpy and atmospheric with a similar colour palette (for lack of a better term). Playing it, I wonder what if Nolan's Batman took place in a proper Gotham. As I'm someone who can easily jump from Commodore 64 to PS4 and everything in between, it's a game I sometimes revisit. A PC version never came out but thank God for the Dolphin emulator which not only emulates it flawlessly, but makes it look better with higher resolution.

Begins is a good Batman game and it shouldn't be overlooked. It was doing Arkham things before Arkham (stealth, fear levels, etc), and I agree about the atmosphere. It has a dirty and dangerous feel and I respect the developer didn't go for a cheap money grab given it's a movie tie-in. The Batmobile levels weren't the best, but they weren't terrible either. The game attempted to give us a complete Batman experience and for the most part it succeeded. We also got a playable Bruce Wayne.

Here's my updated list:

Arkham Origins
Arkham Asylum
Arkham City
Arkham Knight
Batman: The Telltale Series
Batman Begins
Lego Batman 2
Lego Batman
Lego Batman 3
Batman Vengeance
Rise of Sin Tzu

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Fri, 16 Jun  2017, 00:24
Begins is a good Batman game and it shouldn't be overlooked. It was doing Arkham things before Arkham (stealth, fear levels, etc), and I agree about the atmosphere. It has a dirty and dangerous feel and I respect the developer didn't go for a cheap money grab given it's a movie tie-in. The Batmobile levels weren't the best, but they weren't terrible either. The game attempted to give us a complete Batman experience and for the most part it succeeded. We also got a playable Bruce Wayne.

Here's my updated list:

Arkham Origins
Arkham Asylum
Arkham City
Arkham Knight
Batman: The Telltale Series
Batman Begins
Lego Batman 2
Lego Batman
Lego Batman 3
Batman Vengeance
Rise of Sin Tzu

Definitely. Prior to the Arkham games, many considered that to be the best batman game. My rankings (in reverse order)
Batman Returns (SNES): not a bad game but I found it far too difficult
Arkham Origins: still enjoyable but definitely too glitch for a modern game
Batman Begins
Lego Batman
Arkham Knight
Lego Batman 2
Lego Batman 3: I think the third game is the best but it could be argued the second one is the better batman game
Arkham Asylum
Arkham City: great follow up and the city is outstanding.

Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Mon, 11 Aug  2014, 19:27
James Rolfe and Mike Matei are doing a playthrough of the NES Batman '89 game over on Cinemassacre.com. They discuss the movies a little bit too (very pro-Burton). Here's the first part.

http://youtu.be/R_i6Sr4LIJM

The second part will be uploaded next Monday.

Someone's animated a segment from James and Mike's playthrough of the NES Batman. You'll never look at a Terminator the same way again.


The bit with Nicholson's Joker flipping the bird was just begging to become a GIF.

Quote from: riddler on Thu, 22 Jun  2017, 14:39
Definitely. Prior to the Arkham games, many considered that to be the best batman game. My rankings (in reverse order)
Batman Returns (SNES): not a bad game but I found it far too difficult
Arkham Origins: still enjoyable but definitely too glitch for a modern game
Batman Begins
Lego Batman
Arkham Knight
Lego Batman 2
Lego Batman 3: I think the third game is the best but it could be argued the second one is the better batman game
Arkham Asylum
Arkham City: great follow up and the city is outstanding.

I think third person Batman games are going to be rested. I get the feeling the studio thinks we've had a decent fill of that template. And I guess they're right. The free-flow system works, but it can run the risk of becoming repetitive.

I've been playing a lot of PS4 lately – whenever I can. The Last of Us, God of War, Bloodborne, these types of games. This stuff is right up my crime alley. There's two words to describe them – HEAVY DUTY. They're better than movies in certain respects. Not only do they look incredible, but the violence is brutal and the themes are intense. There's a level of poignancy I haven't really encountered anywhere else, that has remained with me long after the initial experience.

I've been playing games for years, but I don't think you can compete with the stuff they're putting out today. Nintendo games are fun, but these are a whole other level. Same goes for the Arkham series, really. I love throwing myself into these huge worlds and getting lost in the fantasy and lore. If I didn't have a job, I'd have long hair, a beard, pizzas and coke and a well worn couch where I'd remain playing games, and then going to sleep.

The Spider-Man game will be worth a look. I'm interested in that, but the movies? Not so much. If it's a modern version of the SM2 PS2 game, I'll be satisfied. I think it will be, honestly, and it'll be Spidey's version of the Arkham revolution.

But something I really want to see, and there's talk it may happen this week....a SUPERMAN game announced by Rocksteady, that would be in the same world as their version of Batman. If that's the case, it's going to be incredible. I'm not sure if colors has a PS4 – but if not, he would have to consider buying one. Fingers crossed.

James and Mike at Cinemassacre have posted a video on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive version of the Batman 89 game.

I found this nice video by game designer Jon Burton, as he analyses how the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive version of The Adventures of Batman and Robin pulled off some of its most impressive animation effects in the console's history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0S92Fs5gOg

Quote from: The Laughing Fish on Sat,  4 Sep  2021, 15:10
I found this nice video by game designer Jon Burton, as he analyses how the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive version of The Adventures of Batman and Robin pulled off some of its most impressive animation effects in the console's history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0S92Fs5gOg

Here is the second part of the game's animation breakdown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7b0uUEl5hc

This game and Toy Story were really creative in circumventing the Genesis/Mega Drive's hardware limitations. Beautiful looking games.

A YouTuber called PatmanQC has a channel reviewing retro games, and he made a couple of videos focusing on game adaptations of Burton's Batman.

The first video I'm posting looks back on the rare arcade game based on B89 by Atari.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MW0NyAeRS8

Like PatmanQC, I played the game on a MAME emulator a decade ago. What struck me is the sequence of levels are very similar to the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive game by Sunsoft, except the Batmobile and Batwing levels were in first person/rail shooter mode in the arcade. I thought the 2D scrolling levels for both vehicles in the Genesis/MD game were much more fun to play. The level design for the game was definitely a highlight and the backgrounds were near accurate to the movie, but I never liked the awkward way of Batman walking around with his cape wrapped across his chest. His sprite movement should've been better too.

I never knew Jack Nicholson had a final say of approval for the game. It must've been written in his contract among all the royalty and marketing bonuses he would get for the movie. I read someone saying on Reddit that the revisions for the game concerned recording new lines as ordered by Nicholson, but I don't know if that's true. The only unfamiliar voice clips I recognised in the game that wasn't in the movie was Joker's laughter in Flugelheim Museum.

It's an entertaining game to play for half an hour, but despite its superiority in level and sound design, I prefer the 16-bit Sega game by Sunsoft.

The second video is a compilation of all licensed games based on BR.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUjFj7Nk5D0&t

I've only played three BR games: the SNES game by Konami, the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive game and the Sega Master System version. Unsurprisingly, the SNES game is by far the best. I'll go far and say it's the best 16-bit movie tie-in game, and the game itself could've been played at an arcade. Plus, you gotta appreciate how you can replicate some moves from the film i.e. pulling off the "You missed" speargun trick against the stun-gun clown at the start of the first boss battle, and butting both criminals' heads together. My only criticism of the game is the difficult Catwoman boss battles, she can kill you instantly after two or three hits if you get too close to her. The game could've used a Bat-Skiboat level like in the Sega CD level, but overall, it's a great beat 'em up game.

The Sega Genesis/MD and Master System versions were rubbish. Drab graphics with awkward and unreasonably difficult gameplay. I never liked how the boss battles on the Master System version suddenly blacks out the entire background either. This must've been due to hardware limitations.

The Sega CD may seem better thanks to the Batmobile and Bat-Skiboat levels, but it otherwise retains the same ugly level design as the 16-bit version, just with better music.

The MS-DOS looks very imaginative for its time, and the point-and-click gameplay fits right at home with Batman's ability to do detective work. But it looks pretty time consuming.

Upon watching the review for the B89 Sega Mega Drive game, I forgot you could make Batman block, like you could in the BR SNES game. I remember I once tried to recreate the moment in the film when Batman ricocheted Jack Napier's gunfire right back at him, but I could never pull it off because there wasn't enough room and space. A rather useless function.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0VrheLt89k&ab_channel=SegaLordX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A-ca29WKD8&ab_channel=SegaLordX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1PdtMnSfLU&ab_channel=SegaLordX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igNKpQ0UADc&ab_channel=SegaLordX

https://youtu.be/5_9IrgTOjWw

https://youtu.be/VjqNGo74_iE

I have played both of my two choices on the original hardware.

Best Batman 1989 game: The arcade game by Atari.
Sometimes it can be hard to tell where to go (Axis Chemicals level) and the action feels a little like Rolling Thunder. But with movie accurate enemies and the only '89 game with Danny Elfman's music, this one wins just as much on its movie authenticity. It feels like the movie.


Best Batman Returns game: SNES
This one wins on its movie accuracy and its gameplay. I've never seen another Final Fight clone that has this many moves. Truly the greatest licensed game of the 16-bit era. I can't recommend this one enough!

I think B89 on NES is my favorite Batman game of all time. Side scrollers are still my favorite style of video games, and B89 is an incredible one on the NES. Tight controls, amazing music, fun bosses and stages/levels, it has everything you need for a fun experience. It doesn't follow the movie closely(few games did back in the 80s and 90s), but it's one of the best. It's right up there with Mario, Ninja Gaiden, Mega Man, etc.

I love it!  8)

Nice compilation of all Batman Beyond game content over the years.

https://youtu.be/vyCzU_SXTOM

I played Return of the Joker on an N64 emulator years ago. Very disappointing game, it's nothing but a simple standard beat 'em up. It felt like I was playing an unfinished game at times because the gameplay was so unremarkable. It's only saving grace is it's better than Superman 64, which isn't saying much.

I don't remember there was a Batman Beyond skin in the Ultimate Edition of Injustice: Gods Among Us. It seems it uses the same skin from the Arkham City DLC, but it wasn't available in my copy of the game. I do remember the skin was available on the mobile version though.

I really like the Batman Beyond skin in Arkham Knight. It looks militaristic and futuristic all at once. Another reason they chose this design is that they needed to animate Batman to unmask himself in some scenes, and they couldn't do that if they kept the animated version.