Nerdicus NES Review #72 : Batman

Title :  Batman

Publisher : Sunsoft

Genre : Platformer / Action

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1990

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $5-$6

I don't care what anyone says. To this day, I still think that Michael Keaton is the greatest portrayal of the Caped Crusader. Don't get me wrong, Christian Bale was awesome, but Michael Keaton still dons the crown in my book. And here we are, at the cusp of Nintendo greatness. The Batman Video Game. It's not often you get a good game based on a movie. Not only that, but a game that ties pretty closely to the movie itself. But then again, this wasn't made by the horror that is LJN.

As you would expect, you play as Batman, battling his way through five different stages toward the ultimate showdown against The Joker. The game play style is very reminiscent of a cross between Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania, and it is executed almost flawlessly.

Join me as I delve into the shadows, and become the night. I....am...BATMAN!

Batman follows a simple formula that has proven its success in other games. It's a basic side-scrolling platformer where you just wallop enemies as they come at ya. Right off the bat in stage one, the difficulty level is through the roof. But this is a good thing in my own opinion. It's challenging, but not to the point where it's impossible. You've got to be patient and take your time fighting through each stage. If you rush, you're going to die.

You've got difficult jumps, insane odds, and power ups galore. I mean, what's batman without his batman goodies. They are also a HUGE help. Instead of just being left with a punch, at least you get some tools such as the batarang to help you defeat the mobs. And the batman...missile launcher? I don't know, lol. It looks like one though. Enemies are varied, and you'll encounter a lot of them. So many in fact that you'll be overwhelmed on many occasions.

At the end of each level (which has around 3-4 sub stages, if I remember correctly) you encounter the boss. Throughout the game you'll encounter some "not-so famous" batman villains such as Killer Moth, The Electrocutioner, and Firebug. But it's worth it as the final encounter is with the Joker, who is a complete push over anyway.

*sigh* I wish they picked better bosses, but you know they are basing it off the movie...sort of.

Graphics are okay. It's nothing to brag about, and I don't understand why Batman is purple. Maybe it's a fashion statement. You really can't tell what the enemies are sometimes. I mean you know they are wearing some sort of goofy armor, but they mostly just look like aliens or something. Sound effects and music are fantastic. One of my favorites for the NES. The upbeat tempo keeps you motivated to kick some Gotham criminal arse.

Some of my only complaints about this game, is that sometimes it moves a bit too slow for my own taste. Also, having a punch as your default weapon with horrible range gets irritating, but there are enough power-ups where you don't have to be left with it for long.

Oh, and don't forget to collect all those "B"s...you know, B for Batman.....

Final Score (out of 5) :

Until next time. Keep on gaming!