Batman - The Video Game (Genesis/Mega Drive)

SIX PART BATMAN: THE MOVIE (1989) SPECIAL, part 4.

Still no theme from the movie, but this has much moodier music than the last few Batman games.

A screenshot of the 1989 movie Batman logo, just because I like it.

 The city of Gotham at night. Seconds before the screen fills up with scrolling text.

Wow, if you leave the intro on long enough the game gets bored waiting and just tells you the entire story.

This looks fantastic for a Mega Drive game in my opinion, and the music's not bad either.

It seems that this is more of a side scrolling beat 'em up than the other games. I just walk to the right and punch enemies. Backtracking is forbidden, the screen only goes right.

Otherwise it reminds me a lot of the NES game.

Whoa, sudden rainstorm. Defeating these enemies isn't a massive challenge. I can just get close, crouch, and kick them all to death as they swing knives or fire their guns over my head.

I've still lost all my hit points though, because I am crap.

I've complained a bit about foreground objects obscuring the action before, in games like Fantasia and Home Alone 2, but this game does it right. This post scrolls past the screen so fast that I barely noticed it was there, while still adding depth to the scene. Nice work, Batman - The Video Game (Genesis/Mega Drive edition)!

A boss fight, already? I start by throwing a batarang at him, but he simply ducks beneath it.

Okay this isn't working out. I cannot beat this guy in a straight fight. I've used up both health pick ups and two of my lives and he's still got two hit points left.

And I don't mean I lost a life and restarted again, I mean I've gone through 5 health bars trying to kill this guy in a row, and he's still got a quarter of his health.

Well, fuck. Back to the start then I guess.

Pressing continue puts me right back here again fortunately. And then I'm dead again in two hits. To be honest, this is kind of pissing me off now.


LATER.

Right you son of a bitch, you're going to stay in the damn corner while I chip away at your life bar. Yes I've nearly got him, okay uh... new plan. I'll duck and throw my batarangs at him!

And that killed him! I actually did it! I don't believe it, I'm actually going to be able to see what the next level is in this damn game!

What the hell? Henchmen constantly run past these boxes and then slide. There's no reason for it, they do it whether I'm standing here or not.

Stop sliding! Seriously, it's really getting old now.

It's interesting to see how each game has interpreted Axis Chemical Plant slightly differently. For instance, this version has no robots, but it does have wall mounted laser turrets.

Okay, I can't punch these boxes, kick these boxes, or break them with batarangs, I can't push them, or pull them, or slide past them or double jump over them. I sat and kicked these enemies for 5 minutes with no effect. I have absolutely no idea what to do here.

I can't even walk to the left and try to find another way around, because the screen is locked. I can't even jump on enemies for extra height. I am well and truly totally stuck.


LATER.

He has a grappling gun! The grappling rope has returned! Now I just need to figure out what I can grapple onto. I can't seem to fire it diagonally...

You little bastards. You just can't stop sliding can you? Even when I'm trying to solve a damn 'puzzle' you just have to slide into me every 5 seconds don't you?

If this game had a throat I would reach into the screen and strangle it. It has infinite continues though, so I can't just give up yet. I'm trapped here until I figure this out.

Well to be honest the grappling hook problem wasn't THAT difficult to figure out. I mean there was only one obvious target, it was just a matter of hitting it in the right place and figuring out how to make it pull me up before the Sliding Brothers made an appearance and knocked me out of the way.

And then I failed to make the jump. Twice. I'm still working on mastering the double jump...

Now there's four of them, sliding both ways. Thankfully this time I have boxes to stand on.

Oh look, there's a guy with a rocket launcher up at the top of the screen. That's something for me to look forward to.

Laser turrets and rockets, great. Why the hell did they bring missile launchers to a chemical plant anyway? At least they're easy enough to dodge.

Fortunately when I lose a life I reappear back at the point where I died.

Yeah, this game just looks great in my opinion.

Jumping onto exploding pipes over a bottomless abyss while avoiding goons with RPGs and lasers. I miss the days when I used to walk right and punch people.

Okay, what the hell, game? Was I supposed to pick up a jetpack or something? When I fail this jump (and I will fail this jump) I'll be back at the start of the level again and have to do this all over.

Stupid clones.

Okay I made it across the gap using my 'fall into the hole and respawn on the ledge on the other side' trick, but the level is refusing to let me win.

C'mon, I've reached the end, I'm out of screen! Just admit that I'm awesome and let me move on already.

Oh good, I'm supposed to be going up.

And now, the end of the level.

Nope, it's another platforming section with conveyor belts, lasers, a guy with a bazooka, and some other asshole shooting bullets at me diagonally from the top right.

That's Jack Napier right there, and there's a vat of acid beneath him! I was so close!

And then I reappear at the start of the chemical plant again. And some asshole slides into me.


You know, I think I'd like this game if it wasn't for the fact that I hate it. It'd probably be a lot more bearable if I put my lives counter from 3 to 7, but to be honest I'm not really enjoying the gameplay much even when I'm doing well.

Next game.

Part 1: Batman: The Movie (Amiga)
Part 2: Batman - The Video Game (NES)
Part 3: Batman - The Video Game (Game Boy)
Part 5: Batman (TurboGrafx-16)
Part 6: Batman (Arcade)