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Review by Zack Little
September 24, 2006
Cape. Cowl. Body-armor, strong enough to stop speeding bullets. Belt, strapped with devices for every situation. Radio transmissions in his ear, the hum and whine of a Gotham, a city in desperate need of the selfless service he provides.
I made a promise on the grave of my parents to rid this city of the evil that took their lives. By day, I am Bruce Wayne, billionaire philanthropist. At night, criminals, a superstitious and cowardly lot, call me…
I like Batman for his mythos. Superman instills so much honor that some villains surrender at the mere sight of him. Spider-Man makes with the jokes and gets a laugh. But Batman’s the only superhero who actually leaves me in awe. He has no powers, but it’s hard to tell that sometimes. He appears of the darkness. Stalks his enemies. Circles. You see a shadow in the corner, you turn to look…nothing there. You turn back around and he’s staring you in the face, eye-to-white, blank eye. He can fight, yes, one of the best, if not the best martial artist in the world. But he does his best work in the shadows. Sneaking. Watching. Observing. Learning. Then making his move.
Batman Vengeance captures that feel. That’s why it works.
Late night. Gotham Industrial has been frozen over; ice covers the insides and outsides, courtesy of Mr. Freeze. You could go in with fists swinging and batarangs flying, smack around his ice-pistol packing snow bunny goons with relative ease. Maybe take a few hits. Take them out with any of the devastating and stylish combos available. A straight brawl.
But that wouldn’t be prudent, that wouldn’t be wise, that wouldn’t be Batman. What you need to do is distract them, lead them away from each other, descend from above and strike from behind, disarming them, cuffing them so they don’t get back up, saving your energy so that when you finally do make it to Mr. Freeze, when you finish navigating through the frozen labyrinth and reach the heart of the complex, you fight him with full-health. You’ll need every drop of it.
He’s strong, strong enough to break you with a mere swat. Punches have no effect. Batarangs bounce off. He brings out his Freeze Ray the moment you gain some distance, holding you still long enough for a crushing blow. Fighting him seems to be a long proposition, until you notice the glass tubes dangling from the ceiling and take advantage of his position, sending each one crashing down on Mr. Freeze as he passes underneath, wearing him down until he collapses. Beaten, broken, frozen in his own suit by his own weapon.
That’s how Batman operates: Intelligence. You’re required to think, conserve and take account of what you’re given to work with, what you need to survive against Gotham’s criminal element. Poison Ivy’s lair abounds with flora, lethal vines cover every passageway, and there’s no telling when one of them might reach out and crush you in its leathery grip. The Joker’s old hideout is a tribute to the Clown Prince’s macabre sense of humor; random, pointless passageways, rooms with nothing but machine gun toting Jack-in-the-Boxes, killing you with a smile. The darkness, the sinister overtones, the feeling every new room and every corner turned could leap to a new fight…it’s almost like playing an episode. It immerses you.
But this immersion doesn’t stay; it leaves the moment you take the streets in the Batmobile or take the skies in the Batjet. The vehicle segments just lag.
They’re slow. It feels like you’re driving at 45 MPH, and when your car is equipped with a flaming jet engine, that’s just pathetic. It’s no better in the sky; the shooting segments are set on a rail, and it’s a sluggish rail at that.
They’re tedious. Despite being made from the finest stuff that a billionaire philanthropist’s money can buy, a few scraps and you’re going down. Get too much distance from the target, and you lose, no chance for catching up. Small margin for error.
On top of it all, they’re nowhere near as good as they should be. Some of Batman’s greatest moments have been behind the wheel, blazing through the streets, leaving a trail of property damage in his wake. The vehicle bits should be the game’s highlight, not it’s flaw.
And that’s why I’m glad they don’t last that long. Once these rough patches are out of the way, you can get back to taking in Batman Vengeance’s faithful experience, watch as Batman solves a mystery worthy of the World’s Greatest Detective, watch as the Joker and Poison Ivy and Alfred and Batgirl and Harley Quinn and all the key players give the feel of a real episode, interact with a setting that stays true to its source.
It doesn’t ask that you know everything about Batman; even if you’re mildly familiar, you’ll know all you need to know. Good for casual fans.
It makes a world that looks like it’s supposed; if you’re deep into the mythos, it’ll be like walking through the cartoon. Good for the longtime Batfan.
Batman Vengeance tries to draw two audiences and succeeds. There’s not much else you could ask.
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Most recent video game reviews written by Zack Little
Catwoman (Xbox) [December 23, 2007]
Mass Effect (Xbox 360) [November 25, 2007]
Spider-Man 3 (Xbox 360) [May 10, 2007]
Pirates: Battle for the Caribbean (PC) [May 06, 2007]
Made Man (PlayStation 2) [April 18, 2007]
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