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Good, but...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: January 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I expect a lot more from an X-Box game. I understand that this is a game with multiple versions on all the major platform systems. The problem with this type of game is that it's only as good as the weakest system it's made for, in this case the PS2. I don't have any problems with the PS2, but having seen the graphic possibilities from my other Xbox games, I'm a bit spoiled. If this were my first Xbox game, or it were another PS2 game for me, I might be able to go up another star.

The big highlight of the game is the excellent CGI cut-scenes featuring the voice-actors of the animated series. It was those scenes that really created the atmosphere of the animated series and made the game worth playing. Each scene was like a little reward that reminded me of the old-school games from my youth. The in-game graphics also retained that art-deco quality of the series, but not without flaws.

Of course the coolest thing about the game is being able to control Batman and all of his cool gadgets, and it does an excellent job in that respect. I was a big Batman fan as a kid, and even as an adult I have to admit that Batman is still uber-cool to me. It's hard NOT to like Batman. In the game you get to fly the Batplane, beat the crud out of henchmen, whack the Joker with Batarangs, and swing from building to building on a grappling-line. The game tries to do so much, that inevitably there are some weaknesses in the interface, but I didn't find that too irritating.

Unfortunately the novelty of being Batman wears off pretty fast. Some of the missions get tedious, especially the Batplane scenes. If I were a kid or a young teenager this game would be a lot more fun, but as an adult whose played WAY too many games, I found the game play a little too antiquated. It's not bad, but it's old-school console roots made me realize how far games have come.

My biggest complaint however is the graphics. While I like the simple deco style taken from the series, I found the visuls a bit too grainy and rough. As I said before, the graphics are on-par with a PS2 game, but I think other Xbox gamers will agree it doesn't really meet the bar. If I were writing this review for the PS2 version it would be much different I'm sure.

So in summation, if you are in the 14 and under crowd, or just a major Batman fan, you'll probably really enjoy this game. If you're and old fogey like me that expects performance from a game rather than novelty, you might want to skip it or rent it. Either way, it's not a bad game, just not up to my standards.

Thank God for Blockbuster

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: January 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I thank my lucky stars that I decided to rent this game prior to purchase. The game itself isn't all that bad, but...

It needs some sort of quicksave. The only way to save the game is to:

1. Quit the game your playing.
2. Save the game.

The problem with this is:

1. It takes far too much time.
2. Your never really sure where the last checkpoint was. (i.e. I saved a game today after an hour or so of gameplay on the same level, finally got to a cut scene and then saved. Turned the game on tonight and I'm right back where I started from today.)

Another major problem with the lack of a quicksave is the same problem Tomb Raider had when it first came out. If you die you have to go through the same portion of the game over and over and over and over (tedious isn't it? well, so is this aspect of the game). This really shouldn't be such a big deal but, it is.

The instruction booklet is a bit vague and I'm not sure about the 500 batmoves that I've seen advertised. Maybe there are that many I just haven't seen them, have no idea how to perform them, or where or how to learn to perform them. Or maybe, "Batman lifts his left foot and bends his knee and moves his left foot forward and places his left foot on the ground" counts as four moves, I don't know.

Other than those major flaws the game is playable but not ownable. The graphics are fairly decent and the cinematic cut-scenes are outstanding.

So unless you are the Number One Batfan of all times rent this game prior to ownership. Dealing with a loss of five bucks is a lot easier to stomach than losing ten times that amount.

Very cool...controls a bit difficult

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 27, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Overall, this game is very cool and feels as if you are right in the animated cartoon that this is based on. Graphics are excellent as well as the cut-scense which are nicely done. Batman's movements are very fluid and using the different items we all know and love from the famous utlity belt is great.

My favorite is being able to jump from up high and glide down by extending your cape into a pseudo glider/parachute. Also, free-falling is pretty fun as well ( as in jumping off a bridge to catch someone who has fallen/been thrown off). Thank god that once you catch the falling person in mid-air, the game takes over and grapples you back to safety automatically (I'm only human, ya know)

The only con is that control does take a little getting used to. Most of the time, you move Batman in a 3rd person perspective (like Tomb Raider) but you must often switch to 1st person mode to use the different items such as the bat-grapple and batarangs, etc. While it's easy to switch back and forth, it takes some practice is remember the different controls for each mode....

Not a Solid Port and Doesn't Save Correctly

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I've had to restart this game three times because for some reason the game wants to save to a memory card instead of the hard drive The people who ported this one from PS2 didn't thoroughly Q&A this critical feature. Don't eject the disk or you will lose a days worth of playing!

Dialogue and cut scenes take up much valuable game time and are pretty obnoxious if you are restarting the game from the beginning.

The punch kick combat is very primitive as are the car and jet controls. There is a game called Oni by Bungie that has breathtaking grappling and kung fu moves and it predates this one by at least a year.

Rather than being a real game this is more like a narrative of the T.V. cartoon and you get to play a bit here and there. I'm not alone on this please read reviews under other game platforms. One person hits on what I'm trying to say by comparing it to Dragons Lair or Space Ace.

Or perhaps we could be looking at a new form of interactive cartoon/gaming hybrid? If so it should cost half the price of a real game!!

A Comic Book Video Game Done Right..

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Reviewer warning: Since I am biased to the character and the entire Batman mythos, my ranking maybe higher than others.

As a Batman aficionado, I couldn't wait to get Batman Vengeance for the Xbox. And the game is great on some levels. It totally immerses you into Gotham and the characters that reside in the grimmest city of them all. Going up against the Joker, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Harley Quinn and the Joker were akin to playing for the World Champion Boston Red Sox (another dream of mine). The story line seems very different than most of the previous incarnations of Batman through out the years as it involves the strange abduction of a child who may not be what he seems. The rendered graphics for both the environment and the characters appear just like a 3-D cartoon. The splicing of the game's "cinematics" and "real time" action is hardly noticeable. Once and awhile, there are some helpful hints that are provided through an on-screen display to help out the gamer if there seems to be a problem getting past a level. The option to save your game to the Xbox's hard drive was very nice as the game directions only state the use of the 8MB flash memory. And the use of the original actors' voices from the TV series brings a sense of authenticity that is really appreciated to this gamer.

Unfortunately, as for Xbox game play, there are some issues that are hard to overlook. While Batman Vengeance looks just like a 3-D rendering of The New Batman Adventures television series, it is only a direct port (or in other words, conversion) from the PS2 game that was released in the Fall of 2001 which does not take advantage of the graphical features and processing capabilities available in the Xbox platform. There are frequent load screens that appear in-between scenes that definitely slow down the play of the game. There is no saving "on the fly" as the game requires you to quit your current progress, go to the opening screen, and then save. The use of the gadgets (Batgrappler, Batarang, etc.) can be somewhat confusing due to the sheer volume of items available (all items are shown but not always available) and the small font used for the quantity number in the lower left of the weapon display (hard to tell between 5 & 8 sometimes). Also, Batman Vengeance is also somewhat like Two-Face (who does not appear in this game, much to my dismay) as it does not know whether it is an action/adventure third person game (like Tomb Raider) or a first person shooter game (like another Xbox game, HALO) since you must toggle between the two.

Overall, the game pleases more than it disappoints. It is fun to play once you get use to the toggling between the two perspectives and seeing the graphics are enough for any fanboy used to seeing visual garbage put out on other gaming systems to make the purchase. But for the hardcore gamer, you may want to check out HALO first as it is a game created specifically for the Xbox and uses the Xbox's strengths quite well.

Really fine game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 48
Date: December 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game looks really good, not only because of the graphics, but all of Batman's gizmos and gadgets from all of the movies are here, even the Batmobile and the Batplane. You fight jokers henchmen, Ivy's, Mr. Freeze's, and you even fight them! This game looks awesome through and through.

Now this is a Batman game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I would say this is the best Batman game I've ever played. The Batman games on Playstation are good, but confusing and hard to control.
I like how they got the actual voices for the characters and not some phony ones who stand out like a sore thumb.
The free falling and the airplane chase take the cake.
The only two things I don't like about the game are: they don't tell you exactly what to do and where to go, and you can't turn the camera around and get a better view.

From A Veteran Gamer---Don't waste your money

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: May 13, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is awful for several reasons.

1. The controls are awful
2. Way too much jumping around
3. Poor Storyline
4. You can't really use the gadgets during combat you mostly just punch.
5. The cut scenes like racing and flying the helicopter are next to impossible with the controls one bad turn and you get the I failed message, and you have to start all over again.
6. Lack of being able to save at any point.

Other than that it's great, Ha ha.

If you want a Great Gaming experience trade this game in for Halo, Max Payne, or Blood Omen 2 Even it it takes 3 for 1.

Terrible pitilful game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: March 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game stinks on all 3 systems (4 if you count GBA). There is more jumping around than fighting. And the fighting is just punching. So the whole game is jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, punch, punch, punch, jump, jump, etc. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!

This is the Baest Batman game EVER!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: January 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Ok it be better if it had multiplyer but this is truly a fun game. I'm a big fan of Batman and rate this five stars because it's not to easy nor hard.

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