Batman Vengeance
In day two of our coverage, we've posted seven
first-ever movies of Batman Vengeance for GCN!
October 19, 2001
In 1992 Warner Bros. premiered Batman: The Animated Series on
television to the delight of comic fans and moviegoers alike. The show,
which would go on to air 84 additional episodes, captured the hearts of
Batman followers with its smart storylines and old-style / new style mix
of classic character designs and dark, moody environments -- a method
coined "Dark Deco" by its creators. The cartoon spawned two
feature films, created several characters, and is still considered a
healthy addition to the Batman universe. So of course it makes perfect
sense that publisher Ubi Soft is bringing the unique take on the Dark
Night's adventures to next-generation videogame systems including
GameCube.
There have been many Batman-based videogames in the past -- all of
them doused in sloppy execution and released for a quick buck. But Ubi
Soft's Batman Vengeance, a dark, moody 3D action-adventure
captures the essence of what makes the Dark Knight a comic book favorite
and -- gasp -- is actually both fun to play and quite a visual feast.
Sound too good to be true? For once, it isn't. Read on.
Features
- Play as the Dark Knight in an all-new 3D adventure
- Uses an impressive 3D engine developed by the Rayman team
- Uncover a mysterious evil plot involving the Joker and other
classic enemies
- Travel through 19 open environments through Gotham City
- Explore, fight, sneak, decipher, drive, pilot and engage in
mid-air free-fall battle
- Wield batarangs, batgrapples, flash bombs, remote charges,
batcuggs, nets, the batlauncher, batscope and more
- Features more than 40 minutes of rendered cinematics
- GameCube version features sharper graphics and runs at 60 frames
per second
Gameplay
One dark night the caped crusader receives an anonymous call informing
him of a fire in Gotham City. Batman immediately makes his way to the
location where he discovers and rescues Mary, a civilian stranded within
the blaze. He also learns that the Joker has kidnapped Mary's son and is
holding him for ransom. What the superhero does not realize, however, is
that Mary is in actuality a disguise by villain Harley Quinn, the
Joker's "hench wench," and a plot to destroy him has been
hatched. Batman continues on the scent of the Joker, which eventually
leads him to Gotham City Bridge. Here he encounters his pasty-faced
arch-nemesis and learns of the plan. But Joker's ploy to kill the Dark
Knight backfires and the criminal plunges from the bridge -- screaming
and laughing -- to his untimely death. The demise of the Joker triggers
an unpredictable crime wave in Gotham City led by infamous characters
Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze. At first the evil-doings seem unrelated, but
as Batman uncovers more and more about their nature, he begins to piece
the clues together...
Welcome to Gotham City
Batman Vengeance, developed by Ubi Soft Montreal for GameCube, is a
3D action-adventure based on the animated television series. The game
pits players as the Dark Knight himself on a quest to stop a mysterious
crime wave in Gotham City. Batman has full freedom of movement to go
anywhere within wide-open, sprawling 3D environments -- some that
stretch up and up and up. Control is analog and surprisingly tight,
leading us to question, "is this actually a Batman title?" The
caped crusader can walk, run, sneak against walls, climb, glide through
the air with his cape and engage in hand-to-hand combat. The melee
system is intuitive, immediately locking onto foes in style similar to
Ocarina of Time, which allows Batman to strafe around them easily while
performing offensive or defensive maneuvers. A selection of punch and
kick attacks are immediately presented, and more damaging special moves
-- executed via a combination of GameCube's L and R with the B button,
can be learned. When enemies go down, it is only temporarily, unless
players take the time to handcuff them -- a necessary part of the
adventure. The development studio has gone the extra mile to deliver a
polished, well-sewn mix of exploration, combat and -- a franchise
trademark, gadgetry, which we'll detail now.
Each of the 19 gargantuan 3D environments featured in the title are
designed to lend themselves to the Dark Knight's many bat-gadgets. He
possesses the batarang, a projectile that can be thrown at enemies to
disarm them, or to break objects. There is the batscope, which enables
him to see far distances. Flash grenades disperse a smoke wall that can
be used for an easy escape. Batcuffs are placed over a beaten enemy to
permanently disable him or her. The bat communicator provides an
immediate link to the bat cave, where Bat Girl anxiously awaits and is
willing to help out. The bat launcher shoots a wide variety of
projectiles great distances. Remote bombs can be made to blast enemies
from a distance. And finally, bat-grapples -- probably the most useful
of tools -- shoot forward and hook around objects, whereupon Batman can
swing to new areas or pull himself up levels. This last gadget is
particularly satisfying and the process of grappling will remind many
gamers of a similar feature from the Zelda franchise.
An in-game screenshot of Batman Vengeance for GameCube
In addition to everything else, Batman can soar above Gotham City in
his batwing and race through its streets in his batmobile. The batwing
levels push the player forward -- the idea being to dodge coming
skyscrapers and avoid a frontal attack from foes like Mr. Freeze and his
helicopter. The batmobile levels are equally straightforward and
enjoyable. Beyond these, there are free-fall levels in which the Dark
Knight literally falls down into chasms, rescues civilians and then uses
his bat-grapple to swing to safety. Other areas see Batman fighting big
bosses in classic form.
Graphics and Technology
Batman Vengeance is a beautiful, stylized adventure and for once, it
looks nearly every bit as good as the animated series it's based on.
This because developer Ubi Soft Montreal has stayed true to the
"dark deco" fashion of the television show and movies. 3D
environments are fantastically large and marvelously lit, shadowed and
overflowing with ambience. The studio has so wondrously animated
everything, from the shimmering of the Dark Knight's cape to the way he
runs, dives, sneaks against walls or pulls himself up onto ledges, that
it's all got a cartoony consistency to it. Batman himself is born to
life as a detailed model with real-time shadows that cast onto the
flooring and walling of surrounding areas, and foes -- from Mr. Freeze
to the Joker, are equally well animated and cartoon-like. Adding another
level of detail to the mood of the game -- and there is quite a lot --
the voices of real show contributors like Alfred are featured in more
than 40 minutes of in-game speech and rendered cinematics. All in all,
it's quite a considerable package that will be made even better with the
GameCube version, which Ubi Soft says will feature a sharper look and
run at a constant 60 frames per second.
Outlook
Batman Vengeance is a solid 3D action-adventure with a dark, moody style
that is unparalleled by any Dark Knight game before it. The recently
released PlayStation 2 version of the title, complete with a tight
control system, huge environments to explore, and enough gadgets to keep
experienced players busy for a good while, is a testament to what can be
done with the license given a competent developer. And the GameCube
version, with more detailed textures and -- unlike its PS2 brethren --
running at a constant 60 frames per second, is on track to be even
better. The arrival of the product during week-one of system launch may
surprise audiences who have been taught to strictly believe that Batman
and videogames don't mix.
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