One of the greatest video game franchises in the modern era is approaching it’s climax here in 2015, with the release of Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Knight.
You can’t rush perfection. And while I would’ve gladly been on my third or fourth playthrough by now, the game has been moved back to a June 2015 release from it’s intended Fall ’14 one. The good news is, that lets me delay my purchase of a new console, and it gives me some time to play some other Bat-games again. Sure, I could replay the first two, and maybe even start with Arkham Origins in order….
Or I can return to the darkest, dankest corners of the Batcave, back to the bad old days when getting a good game with Batman in it was anything but a sure bet. Over the next long months leading up to the release of Arkham Knight, we’re gonna take a little trip around the trophy room, and see the triumphs and tragedies that have been Batman in video games.
Now, for historical accuracy’s sake, Batman for the NES was not the first home-console Batman game made. Ocean Software made two games for the early home computer genre, one in 1986 and a follow-up in 1988, this one making it to pseudo-consoles like the Commodore 64. They were both pretty well received in their day, and the latter version in particular did a surprisingly good job of capturing the look and feel of a comic in 8-bit.
But when it comes to most people’s first Batman game, there’s really only the NES version. Released right before Christmas in the same year as the movie, Batman is one of the most fondly remembered, punishing yet rewarding, titles of the NES console. For me, it ranks right up there with Ninja Gaiden.
In fact, in many ways this game IS Ninja Gaiden. It shares the side-scrolling, platform beat-em-up that was the glory days of gaming, and like Ryu, Batman uses wall-jumps, projectile weapons, and split-second timing to fight legions of bad guys and obstacles.
Once you adjust to the purple Batman sprite, the look of this game is really slick for it’s time. The backgrounds are suitably moody and fitting of the source, and the presentation puts it on the level with the better NES titles.
Like the other greats (Ninja Gaiden), this game has tight, tight controls. Sure, the weapons select thing is funky, but everything else is excellent. Mario good, even. What this means, though, is when you screw up, it’s all on you. The game is very Batman-like in it’s personality- it’s difficult, it’s uncompromising, but it’s not cheap, it doesn’t need to to cheat you out of victory. That’s your fault.
…And this is KGBeast, apparently. Burning down a smoke before the fight.
Batman games have always struggled to convey the different aspects of the character- the “caped crusader” part where he pounds bad guys and the “dark knight detective” side where he solves crimes- and as a result, a lot of games feel like just beat-em-up clones with Batman sprites. Being an NES title, it would’ve been difficult to work in a detective-type angle in a way that wouldn’t have been clunky. Instead, the game did an admirable job of making the stages themselves as challenging as the enemies. And while it obviously wasn’t totally faithful to the movie, it did manage to pull in a fair amount of contemporary comic villains:
Not that you would recognize them outright, but they are clearly identified in the instructions as Killer Moth, Deadshot, Nightslayer, Heatwave, Electrocutioner and my favorite KGBeast among others.
The game also didn’t get the benefit of the excellent Danny Elfman music, or even an 8-bit equivalent, so instead it has original music by Sunsoft’s Naoki Kodaka, who composed some of the best damn music on the console. And most of it in the game, like the title animation music and first stage, rank right up there.
But there is that “hard as balls” part. That part is most of the game. It’s been 25 years since I’ve even come close to beating the game. Using nice cheater tricks like save-states definitely helps, but this remains one of those games I’ve never beaten. I’ve seen it done, I’ve been in the room when it happened, but I never did beat that damn Joker. At least not without cheating, on the console.
As far as a starting point for a Batman game dynasty goes, though, this one has definitely earned it’s place. It’s a desirable title, so it’s not usually floating around the thrift store like some, but it can be had with a little effort for under $30. And it’s still well-worth it at that price. Just don’t plan remastering it in one sitting.
