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Batman returns with the gang

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: November 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The premise was so promising: Play not only as Batman, but as Robin, Batgirl, and (finally!) Nightwing! Put them doing some amazing moves, and throw in a villian created by Jim Lee (of the "Hush" storyline earlier this year). How could you lose? Well, they somehow found a way. Fighting is cool at first, and as you "buy" the more impressive moves, it looks better at each turn. Unfortunately, the game's levels are identical. You either rescue the civilians or diffuse the bombs before they go off. After doing that for an eternity, you are rewarded with a boss battle, then it's back to the timed events. Unfortunately, the cooler moves you purchase take a few seconds to execute, and when you're timed, you can't afford to use those precious moments to look good. If they'd removed the timer, it would have been ok. If they'd scored on style and finesse, it would be ok. If they'd just give you a little free movement here and there rather than "go down this hall, now turn right", it would be ok. Instead, we are given the same basic level a hundred times and are penalized for doing fancy stuff with it. If they'll keep the premise and redo the game completely, they'll have a winner on their hands. As it is, it's a rental that you'll bore of long before it's due back.

Good old-school "Beat 'em up" featuring ALL the Bat-Gang

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 14
Date: September 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

A throwback to those "beat the heck out of everyone" games that were all the rage back through the mid 90's.

The newest Batman game finally does something that no other game based on the Dark Knight has done:

Allow you to play as Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, or the big man himself in two-player, side-by-side action!

Each character comes with their own fighting style and moves. It's about darned time!

The gameplay is very nice and intuitive. You'll get a good feel for the attack system within the first minute or two; Punch, kick, jump, grapple...

It has more finesse than the old punch-fest-games, which allows for more repeat gameplay and less repetitiveness. You can use combinations to perform special moves, time your hits for special attacks and assist the other player in combat to get bonus points and perform kicka$$ stunts.

Of course, what would a Batman game be without the gadgets, and this one has 'em; grapple guns, smoke bombs, batarangs, and a grip more stuff I've forgotten at this time...

The character of Sin Tzu was created for the game specially by comic book writer Jim Lee. The developers are hoping that the game will be enough of a success and that the fans will like the character enough that they can incorporate him into the Batman comic universe like they did with Harley Quinn from the Batman: Animated cartoon.

I dunno about that, but I DO know that I'm looking forward to wasting many hours in front of my T.V. with a buddy when this one hits the streets for all the game systems the end of October!

THE ONLY RISE IS LEVEL OF BOREDOM

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: November 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Another Batman game for the PS2. Can you tell I'm excited. That's because I'm not.

This is UBI Soft's second game based on the Batman animated series. The first, "Batman: Vengeance" had it's problems, but it had a great storyline, beautiful cut scenes, and some genuinely exciting levels. While "Vengeance" was a third-person adventure in the same vein as "Tomb Raider" or "Enter the Matrix" with its puzzle solving and switch hunting, this follow-up is a straight beat 'em up action brawler like "Final Fight". Players can choose to patrol the streets of Gotham as Batman or one of his "family" members: Robin, Batgirl, or Nightwing. It doesn't really matter who you pick though, because all the characters have the same moves. Variety is not this games strong point.

"Rise of Sin Tzu" loses it's fun value after about 5 minutes. After that, it's just level after level of fighting the same guys over and over and over and over again. A rewards system allows you to purchase new abilities, a la "The Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers". While you would think this would add more replay value, it doesn't because the special moves aren't that great and are the same for all 4 characters.

The cut scenes mostly consist of Batman talking to various Gotham characters through a two-way radio. The colors in the cinematics are much brighter than the ones from "Vengeance", making them seem much more cartoony. And then there's the plot. Anyone who's read Batman comic's "Hush" or "Knightfall" storylines won't be impressed with this game's story. A new villain uses members of Batman's rogue's gallery to tire out the Dark Knight before a major strike.

The new foe is Sin Tzu, a warfare, general, conqueror, genius type of guy. He was unenthusiastically created by Jim Lee. He has a Yin-Yang figure on his forehead and he's Asian. Real original. On a positive note, the game uses other villains such as The Scarecrow, Bane, and Clayface instead of such overused characters like The Joker or Mr. Freeze.

And back on the negative side, the dialogue in this game is horrible. The original cast from the Animated Series can be heard mumbling some of the worst lines in the franchise. At one point Batman proclaims that, "Bombs are for cowards!"

Overall, a boring waste of money. I rented this for only $5 and I'm disappointed. Don't make a mistake and pay a full $40 to own this dribble.

Batman of the Rings

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: July 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Batman of the Rings.

This has got to stop. Given the sheer quality of the Batman animated series, it blows me away that the games can be so sub-par. The games appear to be made for six year olds while the series itself often deals with concepts and ideas that are beyond them. How many other animated series have people dragged into drug rehab centers to see what drugs do to their kids or the level of sexual tension between Batman and Catwoman? There is no reason that I can see that a Batman or Superman game cannot approach the level of quality in game play that can be achieved by such titles as the Legacy of Kain series, Spider-Man or even SOCOM.

In playing through Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu, it dawned on me that I was probably going to wear out my Xbox controller given the sheer number of times I had to mash the buttons just to beat up wave after wave of bad guys. Quite literally, you are a one man (or woman) army against a never ending parade of thugs- Batman never beat up this many guys in an entire season of the cartoon! And it's always the same- work your way through some goons before you can move to the next area, (you cannot progress down a hallway thanks to invisible force fields that fade once you whack the previous area's bad guys), and pray you do it fast enough before the civilian dies or the bomb explodes. I hate artificial limitations in games- it smacks of bad design. I expect obstacles, but not overly obvious time wasters.

Either this game uses the Lord of the Rings game engine, or its an incredibly accurate copy. The game play is the same- earn XP to buy combat moves and special abilities or coins to unlock trophies to view. I wouldn't mind that so much, but the game play never changes- rush into an area, follow-the-path, and pound bad guys- that's it, that's all. In all honesty, it should have been more like the Spider-Man games- more three-dimensional movement and the ability to gain ground from opponents and search out health power ups if you get too low. Graphically, it is one big piece of eye candy as areas are beautifully detailed and effects are lively while the colors are vibrant, just like the animated series. All the voice actors are there as well, making pithy one-liners as they punch out the villains. The music is superb all around, and Carey Tagawa does an awesome job voicing Sin Tzu.

The combat system is neat, but too limited by its design and game premise. Earning more powerful attacks and combos is a great idea, but you are hampered by your environment, even though you're meant to use it against your foes, as they will against you. You can't explore- it's all combat. No ability to jump on to objects or climb, no real use of what Batman is known for- he's a detective! He solves crimes, but in this case his methodology involves beating up every scumbag in Gotham until he gets the right ones. The cut scenes are all Batman-based, so it's a little disconcerting when you defeat Clayface as Batgirl only to swap to Batman for the movie.

This game loses so many points for its annoying features- artificial impediments, being a fighting game masquerading as an adventure game, stupid mission goals that only vary between protect the civilian, protect the door, and disarm the bombs. And don't give me one way and only one way to beat the end-level boss, let me devise my own or pick from a list of possibilities. Make me think, let me solve puzzles, not just bash things, it gets old very fast. So mega points for the look and sound of the game, but minus loads of kudos for everything else. Let me jump, swing, climb, swim, explore, drive, and fly, not just follow the game designer's whims and the path they have laid out for me. I expect more for my money and so should you.

One of the best Batman video games

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have to give this game a thumbs-up. It's an action/fighting game, and a follow-up to Batman: Vengeance. Now that it's available at a reduced price, I would urge any Batfan to buy it. At full price or reduced price, Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu is fun and kept me interested in the storyline. Sin Tzu is a new mastermind, similar in scope to other international Batvillains Ra's al Ghul and Dr. Tzin-Tzin. You can play as either Batman or another member of the Gotham Guardians: Robin, Nigthwing, or Batgirl. You'll battle endless henchmen, as well as The Scarecrow, Clayface, and Bane. The controls are good, and the overall presentation immerses you into a three-dimensional version of the recent Batman cartoons. Overall, it's worth the purchase and playtime.

The Best Video Game Ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: May 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I got this batman game just today at gamestop in ventura.When I started playing it,it was so coolthat there is a lot of combat controlls that any of the four playable charcters can do.Well today I am on level 2 where I have to rescue 8 civilians.It is hard because you cannot escape in the direction your going.This game is so cool that there are four playable charcters like batman,robin,nightwing,and batgirl.When I have to battle thugs some of them were carrying a pumpkin bomb but it was a bomb that contains fear and the screen gets all wiggly and stuff but I can still fight the thugs when they have the bomb that contains fear but when I went to the pause menu I saw a sign called tips.I selected it and it just gives you hints I mean that was cool you don't need to unlock tips it is just in the pause menu.In the upgrade section they have like different combo attacks when you ever select a combo move it minus points but if it is low,you can't get it that means that you have to get more points.I still give this game 5 stars for being the most video game I ever played.

The Outstanding Batman Game Yet!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I got this game in may and I gotta to admit it,it is a really good game and I still play this game and today I played it with my cousin in my house and he was having fun with it a bit that I might get this game for his xbox because this is just an outstanding game to play because you get to play two players in this game and so I got this game for my playstation 2 at gamestop and this game rocks and it is better than batman vengeance which was the first batman game that ubisoft created,but when they created this game and I read reviews about it that it was a really bad game but when I got it in may and started playing it and this game was the outstanding game and the fact that you get to play 2 players so my cousin came to visit and I told him that we should play this game and it was fun for him and I think it was fun for him a bit but I think he might want this game for his xbox and I might get it because this is just a too cool game to play and don't LISTEN to people who gave it bad reviews because they don't know what this game is all about because it was a VERY FUN game that there is lots of combo moves and I like the buddy moves when in two player mode because it is fun to use those when in two player mode and get this game it is worth this game and go BUY this game and DON'T listen to people who say don't buy this game because it was a very bad because they are just jealous that they couldn't beat this game because maybe they don't like the timer and when you lose but to me it was an OUTSTANDING game and I like it very much and it is sooooooooooooooooooooo OUTSTANDING game and I highly recommend this game to any batman fan and this game is VERY OUTSTANDING AND FUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!

Terrible!! A huge let down.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

There are somethings I'll never understand. Basic Geometry, how Michael Bolton became successful.....and how a great and iconic character like Batman can never have a decent video game. The first Batgame for Playstation 2, Vengence, had it's moments. Though it wasn't "great" it at least felt like a Batman game. Batman Dark Tomorrow was an outright disaster. And now it looks like Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu continues the downward slide for the Dark Knight.

Rise of Sin Tzu's biggest downfall is it's gameplay. Where as Vengence attempted to be more of an adventure oriented game, Rise of Sin Tzu takes an entirely different approach. It's pretty much a straight forward beat 'em up game. But unfortunatley it doesn't know how to keep you interested in it to make you keep wanting to play. The game descends into punching and kicking your way past various non-descript bad guys and the occassional gas bomb lobbed in to the fray by the villain the Scarecrow. Two players can play in a co-operative mode simultaneously but it does little to change the gameplay. The game is interesting for about ten minutes then boredom quickley sets in. After the first few levels I could see that there was pretty much nothing else this game had to offer.

The graphics on this game are decent. Batman, Robin, Batgirl and Nightwing all move with convincing ease and fluidity. But the environments are rather plain and sterile. They look like they could be just about any street anywhere. There was nothing to indicate that this was Gotham City. It could have been Cleveland for I knew. The sound was also very generic. Sure Batman and company uttered some pretty good "one liners", but it got old fast.

The controls are very easy to manage. They are however wasted on a game like this. The time it will take you to become accustomed to the controls is maybe about five to ten minutes.

This game managed to let me down on just about every level. I'm not even sure if a hardcore Batfan would even enjoy it. Ubi Soft has shamelessly squandered the potential for this licence. At this point the only thing that I think would inject new life into the franchise is if the game license changed hands and went to a company like Activision, Electronic Arts, Eidos or anyone else. If you can track down a copy of Batman: Vengence, you would be better served playing that. Though not perfect it's the better of the two Batman games.

good....but not great

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

batman rise of sin szu succeeds in injecting some new life into the beat em up genre with some old school thug bashing cooperative play. in that regard this game rocks. even though the story lacks depth and can be overly simplistic, anyone who enjoyed the batman animated series will enjoy the adventure. i was also glad to see that all the original voice actors were invlolved and the game also has some decent bonus features which i think more games should do. all in all, anyone looking for a double dragon/turtles in time style melee action should give this game a try, double if your a batman fan. on a side note, this game isnt that great from a single player point of view, so if you dont have anyone to share the thug bashing with...rent first.

Best Batman game to date for ps2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I rented this game because I had noticed some people saying this was not very good and I have not liked Batman games of past , but this game is quite good , The graphics and design are great the levels are a little repetive but the game is still well worth 20 bucks and the 2 player mode is what really made this worth playing for my son and I try it you'll see no split screen is a big plus and go to gamespot.com for the type in cheat codes you'll need them to get through the Bane boss and Sin Tzu boss battles , and by the way I am now going to buy this game and you should too.

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