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Batman (video game)

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Batman can mean several different video games inspired on the eponymous superhero from DC Comics created for different plaforms over more than 20 years.

1 Batman (1986)
2 Batman – The Caped Crusader (1988)
3 Batman - The Movie (1989)
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Batman (1986)

Screenshot from the ZX Spectrum version of Ocean's Batman

Prior to the film licenced version of the games, a 3D isometric action-adventure game was also released under the Batman licence by Ocean Software on Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and MSX. This was written by Bernie Drummond and Jon Ritman and was very similar to Head over Heels, arguably their most successful title. In this game Batman has to rescue Robin, but to do so he must collect six parts of the batcraft hovercraft. During the game you pick up various items to help you, like boots that allowed you to jump^[1]. A freeware remake, called Watman, was produced for PC in 2000 as a DOS game. A remake has also been written for the Game Boy Advance.

Batman – The Caped Crusader (1988)

Batman – The Caped Crusader was developed by Special FX Software (Jonathan Smith, Charles Davies and Keith Tinman) and published by Ocean Software for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 in 1988.^[2] It was an arcade adventure game, using a comic-book style panels to show the action. On its original release, Your Sinclair awarded it 9 out of 10,^[3] praising the colourful and expressive graphics and the inclusion of two separate adventures.

Batman - The Movie (1989)

The simple but effective box cover of Batman that matched the original video (and later DVD) cover

In 1989, a video game inspired by the Batman film was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Mega Drive, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, Game Boy,^[4] and IBM PC. A number of factors including licensing issues and system limitations created the unusual scenario of each game being quite different on the different systems, particularly between the console and platform versions.

8-bit home computer versions

The ZX Spectrum,^[5] Commodore 64^[6] and Amstrad CPC^[7] versions were licensed to then Manchester based Ocean Software (now Infogrames), who were famed producing a wide range of film-licensed games that consisted largely of a series of sub-games. When the Batman games were released in 1989, this style was relatively new, and the game was well-received by the video gaming press. British ZX Spectrum magazine Your Sinclair awarded the game 91% on release.

16-bit home computer versions

The Commodore Amiga,^[8] Atari ST^[9] and IBM PC^[10] versions were similar to the above 8-bit versions, but the extra memory, processor power, and graphic capabilities were put to use in the second and fourth levels, creating a full 3D effect instead of the side-scrolling subgames present in the 8-bit versions.

Console versions

The PC Engine version^[11] of the game was released for the PC Engine in Japan on October 12, 1990. The game featured gameplay similar to that of Pac-Man.^[12]

First stage in the NES version.

The NES version^[13] version was developed by Sunsoft. The NES version was a four-way platform action game featuring the locations of the 1989 movie. The NES title had five levels culminating in a showdown with the Joker in Gotham Cathedral. The game had a much more futuristic feel to it than the movie, with robots, jet-packs, and mutants. The game introduced completely new, cybernetic supervillain bosses such as the Firebug (similar to Firefly) and the Electrocutioner. The Joker, too, seemed to have the monstrous ability to summon enormous blasts of thunder from the heavens (although he also used his 'long pistol' with which he shoots the Batwing down in the movie). When Batman dies in this game, he turns into ashes and disappears, signifying the effect of futuristic weapons burning his body completely (the burning ashes are shaped like a bat). It is the general consensus of many fans that this version has some of the best music on the NES. The Mega Drive/Genesis version^[14] was also produced by Sunsoft, and while critics were impressed by its graphics, sound and playability (similar to the Nintendo version) it had limited commercial success because it took so long for the final product to be released, due to Nintendo's former policy of producing titles for a Nintendo system exclusively. By the time this policy was abandoned, the game was released in 1991. Unlike the NES, this version stays much closer to the plot of the film, and features the Batmobile and Batwing in the form of horizontal shooting levels. It was highly regarded by critics of most video game magazines who reviewed the Japanese version.

Non-console version^[15] levels and relation to the film

Level 1 - The Axis Chemical Plant - A standard platform level, Batman must fight through the Chemical Plant dispatching Jack Napier's henchmen, before a showdown with Napier himself. Batman must knock him into a vat of toxic chemicals, following the plot in the film. The game deviates from the film plot considerably in one respect however: in the film, Batman attempts to save Napier from falling into the chemicals, but fails, and in the game, Batman makes an active attempt to knock Napier into the vat. Level 2 - The Batmobile - Batman must escape to the Batcave with Vicky Vale in the Batmobile with the Joker's henchmen in pursuit. Here the game differed greatly between the 8-bit and 16-bit versions. The 8-bit (Spectrum, Commodore and Amstrad) versions featured a side-scrolling game, whereas the 16-bit versions (Amiga, ST, and PC) featured a full 3D "into-the-screen" racing game. Nonetheless, the features of the level remained similar - Batman must occasionally turn corners either by normal turning or by means of throwing the Batarang around a lamp post to swing the Batmobile around to the correct direction. Level 3 - Chemical Analysis - Here Batman attempts to decipher the combination of products that the Joker has used in creating the poison "Smilex". It is a simple puzzle game similar to various versions of Mastermind, where the player must use logic and no small amount of guesswork to establish the correct group. Level 4 - The Carnival - Batman, in control of the Batwing, must cut all of the Joker's Smilex-filled balloons to avoid a public massacre. If too many balloons are missed or Batman collides with too many balloons, releasing the gas, Batman loses a life. There is a minor difference between the game and film. In the film, Batman collects the balloons, and releases them later, whereas in the game, they are cut loose immediately. Level 5 - Gotham City Cathedral - Batman must chase the Joker into the Cathedral, dispatching the Joker's henchmen along the way to a final showdown on the Cathedral's roof with Napier himself.