Batman
Reviewed by Billbowsky
I, along with millions of other gamers, have always said that movie
translations into video games NEVER worked out. Batman is probably
the first and best example of why this is true. The graphics, control,
music, sound, and enemies were all pretty bad, even by NES standards.
Unless you lived under a rock during the 80's, you should know the
plot: Bruce Wayne, millionaire by day, Batman by night, must stop
the evil Joker from taking over Gotham City by turning everyone into
smiling idiots. Tim Burton made a great movie, SunSoft made a bad
game. Batman is no where near frightening or powerful, and the fact
that he beats up little rubber mice more then humans shows how little
the game actually stays with the movie. Unless you are mentally
ill, don't play this game.
Graphics 4 out of 10
Where do I start? The beauty of Tim Burton's movie was his portrayal
of Gotham City as a dark, sinister, sin-filled city. Well, Gotham City
doesn't even look like a city; it's more of a dark purple background
with some occasional green signs, but that's it. The toxic waste
facility looks the same, but with a small river of toxic waste flowing
below. The only level that looks anywhere near the way it should is
the sewer levels. They have water, drain pipes, and even turbines.
Now, let's move on to characters. Batman looks small on the screen,
like everything else. (For some reason, SunSoft decided to have one
large background in this game.) Batman doesn't even look like Batman: he
is all one color, and it isn't even black- he's a light purple. The only way
you can tell it's Batman is when you jump, because his cape comes flowing
out. And all the enemies are the same colors: they are either purple, tan,
or a combination of tan and red. It's terrible.
Music and Sound 3 out of 10
The music is the same for every level, and even if it changes you wouldn't
notice because you're too busy trying to make Batman wall-jump (more
on that later.) The sound effects sound the way they should: Batman punches
and it makes the swoosh sound, enemies explode -albeit very weakly.
Nintendo always had bad sound, but it sounded campy, or at least something
out of a porn. But this game sounds TERRIBLE. The only reason I gave it a
three is because it actually has sound.
Game Challenge 10 out of 10
The only thing I like about this game is it's difficulty. The first two
bosses and levels are easy, but the next two levels and their bosses are
HARD. You will quickly find yourself hating the jumping devil guys, and
the bosses, especially the Two Blocks Of Death will drive you crazy. Not
to mention the final fight with the Joker. You seen to always run out of
weapons just when you need them. Unless you have a Game Genie, good luck.
Game Play-Fun 4 out of 10
The bad control, graphics, sound, and difficulty doesn't leave you much
time to have fun. All the good things that could have been in this game-like
the BatHook, or a cool utility belt- aren't in it. Instead, they give you a
Boomerang, Gun, and Three Shot Ninja Star that all run on the same tank
of ammunition. These might seem cool, but they quickly become really
big pains in the butt, because Batman moves at the speed of rocks and the
weapons never fire when you want them to. The only thing that is even
remotely cool in this game is Batman's ability to wall-jump.
Replayability 1 out of 10
If you find yourself playing it past the second level, than be prepared to
either go insane or break the game. If you somehow manage to beat it, like
I had to because I refuse to write a review on a game I have yet to beat,
you will most likely throw this game in your closet so you won't have to
look at it ever again.
Game Value
If you bought this game in the past for $40 dollars, you waisted your money.
If you bought this game at a store like Funcoland for 2 dollars, than you still
got waisted. This isn't even worth buying so that you and your friends can
make fun of it.
Overall 2 out of 10
This game is one big piece of garbage. I hate bagging on old NES games,
because they are the best games in the world, but this one deserves it.
This game is too hard to beat without game genie and still equally as hard
with it. Please, do yourself and society a favor and don't buy this game!