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A good play but not much depth

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: July 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Initially my review of Batman Begins was going to be a lot harsher but then I remembered my past Batman gaming experience - that would be Dark Tomorrow. The three hours I lost attempting to play that maddening, unrewarding, poorly animated game were among the least satisfying of my life... I'd have to say it was more disappointing than playing Pac-Man on the Atari 2600 back in the day.

But Batman Begins is a galaxy removed from Dark Tomorrow and, indeed, any other super hero-based game I've ever played. The visuals are superb, smooth and life-like. Backgrounds are rendered with great care and sensitivity to the Blade Runner-aesthetics of the source material (the film). The audio also is top notch. The game producers managed to get nearly every cast member from the movie to voice their characters which, to their credit, they perform with aplomb.

The problem arises with the game play itself. It is a terribly easy game; it seldom allows you to really screw up. For example, when on a ledge, Bats automatically goes into "careful mode", creeping along the ledge until he gets to a point of safety and you have to hit a release into order to resume a normal posture.

Another oversight has to do with the weapons. One of things that makes Batman Batman is, in the words of the Joker, all those "wonderful toys" he carries in his utility belt. Indeed, this was an element I figured would have been a slam dunk for the producers. Even the god-awful Dark Tomorrow allowed the player to access an array of offensive and defensive weapons whenever he or she desired to use them. In Begins, the "toys" are few : smoke bombs, flash bombs, throwing stars (well, "bats"), a "batarang" (used once during the whole play), a hacking tool, and a grappling hook. But the relative poverty of the utility belt is not the problem. The problem is access to the tools themselves. The game only allows the player to use them during scene-specific moments. So if you had the thought that it would be good to throw a smoke bomb before you entered a room in order to disorientate your foes, forget it. You have to go into the fight first before you are given the option of using an item from the belt.

And this is the general problem with the game. There isn't a lot of agency on the part the player. You intuit where you need to go within a very minimal geographical perimeter. You can never get "lost" because the game subtly pushes you forward and lets you know what you are to do next. Everything is laid out of you.

There is some strategy involved with figuring out how to get the drop on your opponents, but usually there is only one way to do this - spooking your foes to get them to drop their guns, then fighting them hand to hand. The actual fighting is fairly fun as Batman has a good array of attacks and combinations.

The Batmobile missions are pure candy. Anyone who has played Grand Theft Auto, or even Simpson's Hit and Run, will not need too much practice to get the hang of the car. But the geography is even more limited than the "walking around" world. The player essentially follows a "track," drives real fast, occasionally smashes into cars (where, inexplicably, no one seems to get hurt - perhaps its a difficulty-level thing), and does the Speed Racer jump over the occasional obstacle. Again, fun, but not necessarily challenging.

The thing about living in the post- Grand Theft Auto III world is that players are now expecting a lot more versatility with the worlds their digital counterparts inhabit. One of the supreme charms that the GTA3-generation of games offers is the ability to do things before, during, and after missions. In fact, while in my own play of GTA Vice City, I have spent so much time scooting around the airport doing jumps on my motorcycle that I haven't really picked up a mission in weeks! Sadly, Batman Begins offers no such off-mission fun whatsoever. This is a shame considering Bat's detective persona. He could bop around Gotham fishing for clues, hooking up small-time criminals, or even having Bruce Wayne moments at a basketball game. Perhaps the makers have this in mind for the sequel. There is obviously a lot room to grow. Might I suggest a RPG modality?

Final verdict, if you are not already a hard-core gamer, or if you are and would like to play something just for the visual thrill, then Batman Begins will provide at least two or three hours of fun.

Best Batman video game too !

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: September 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The game comes straight from the movie obviously.You unlock more and more movie clips and other prizes with every stage you complete.As for the graphics go , awesome.Batman has great climbing capabilties.His hit combos aren't so great either thats for sure.But you do have special movies that mainly invlove jumping up in the air and falling upside down and drop kick the opponent.I give it three out of five stars.

Batman is a blast!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: June 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is so awesome! I can't stop playing it. I have nothing bad to say about it. Graphics,control,difficulty,fun,sound,no complaints! It's also a lot of fun to replay over & over again. I rented it, but I will buy a copy in the near future. If you loved the movie like I did,get this game!

Revenge of the Bat

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: June 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

To make this very easy, this is the best BATMAN game to date. But dont take my word for it rent it and then
you'll soon own it.

A GOOD GAME FOR A GREAT MOVIE

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 06, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game kept my interest for a considerable amount of time considering how short it was. That was one of my few complaints about this game is that it is really short, I basically beat it i twice in about six days. This is really not a game that you should buy because it is so short, I rented it. The graphics for this game are extremely impressive, the game does a very good job of going from an in game cutcene right to the game without any pauses. Batman Begins is mainly a stealth game, where you have to create diversions or scenarios that scare your enemies. When your enemies are scared enough that is the right moment for batman to attack. The more scared your enemies are the worse they fight. The combat system is really easy to figure out and is kinda cool, I would have prefered some different moves cause it does kind of get repetetive. The mission in the Arkham asylum is by far the best, it is a very dark and morbid level. This is a definant must rent game, but I wouldn't buy it.

I was expecting more

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I saw Batman Begins and I thought it was pretty good. I was very excited when I heard there was going to be a game based on the movie. When I rented it I was very disapointed. This game is so short that I got frustrated about it. The best thing in this game is using stealth and scaring your emimies. The game is very repeditive. Overall it's a rent.

A fun stealth-type game - minus the frustration.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you like stealth games (ie Splinter Cell) but can't handle the frustration of being completely stuck with no idea of what to do next, Batman Begins is a great game. You probably wont need a player's guide because you can figure everything out with relative ease. There are also a couple of really fun driving levels featuring the new & improved Batmobile. The controls are easy to learn and the graphics are great. There are also some cool features & extras as you go through the game, and when you beat the game you can play in different Batman costumes. I love this game, I am going to play it again and I reccommend it to anyone who likes Batman.

THIS GAME IS THE BEST

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 7
Date: January 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

THIS GAME IS BASED ON THE MOVIE I MEAN IT JUST PLAYS THROUGH IT BEFORE THE LEVEL IT SHOWS YOU A VIDO OF THE MOVIE THAN YOU PLAY OUT THE SCENE
I IS KINDA CHANLENGING BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO DISTRACT THE THUGS SO THEY FERE YOU AND DROP THEIR WEPONS

Alot of fun

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game was one of the easiest I have ever owned, but it was still one of the most fun games I have ever played. The controls were a no-brainer to figure out and it was just about impossible to screw this game up. It doesn't allow you to go anywhere or do anything that isn't required to finish the game. If you are looking for strategy, this game isn't for you. if you have seen the movie and you love Batman, then you will love it.

Okay... but limited?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The visual style of this game, just like the movie, is very good. The inclusion of Splinter Cell "stealth" elements is also a good idea. However, there are a couple of significant problems with this game:

1. WAY too linear. There is ONE way to scare a bad guy in each level, ONE place to throw a batarang in the whole level, ONE way forward and back. Batman is a creative guy! Make it open-ended like GTA, Spider-man, and Superman Returns... Batman is the most creative of all those folks, so his game should match.

2. Fighting and "fear" systems: Semi-broken, not very satisfying.

3. In relation to #1, Gotham feels very small. It would be nice to explore it from the rooftops and in vehicles. So far you are pretty much stuck in a building or two, with one straightforward objective.

Despite these design flaws, the production value of this game is very high. Worth renting, but hopefully the next game is open-ended, darnit.

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