BATMAN Revisited: We Take a Look at the Dark Knight's NES Outings
Matthew Jay 2012-07-20T09:15:46-0700 Batman Dark Knight NES review Like on Facebook
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With The Dark Knight Rises finally in theaters Christopher Nolan’s vision comes to a conclusion. DC and Warner Bros. have officially stated that this is the end of the Nolan-verse and the inevitable next Batman film will be a reboot. After Nolan’s uber-realistic take what type of Batman can we hope to see on the big screen next? The character has been around for over seventy years and has been reinterpreted countless ways so we could see any kind of Batman hit next. I was thinking about this and decided to look back at some of my favorite Batman properties and this of course led right to video games.
Just like in film and comics, Batman has proven time and again to be a quick and surefire game property. Money-wise I mean, most of them are garbage in quality because there are so many about Batman and they can't all be good. But which ones are garbage and which are actually pretty great? I’ve only played a few of them so I figured I’d go back and play every single one. Well not every single one, but the major retro console releases. Some of them came out on obscure platforms like the ZX Spectrum and would be way too difficult to attain. And there were like a lot of them. Ok, so I’ll only be playing a few of them.
So join me on this journey through game history by way of one of its most prolific thru-lines, the Caped Crusader. Let’s start with the titles released for the NES.
Batman for NES
Sunsoft’s Batman for NES is in many people’s minds the first Batman game. Even though it followed the PC games Batman and Batman: The Caped Crusader, this one was the first dark knight title for a major home console. The simple but striking spritework and action-packed gameplay have made it a classic and one many gamers’ favorite NES titles. The Batman sprite was even featured on the cover of 2010‘s NES 25th Anniversary issue of Nintendo Power between Zelda II’s Link and Princess Peach. So even Nintendo considers this one of the NES’s iconic titles.
How well does it represent Batman?
The game features an impressive number of gadgets which you can scroll through with the start button. Unfortunately they mostly accomplish the same thing (killing dudes) and all share ammo à la Castlevania’s hearts. So there’s not much purpose to using anything other than the batarangs or punching.
It’s based on the 1989 film, but doesn’t follow the story too closely. The Joker is the final boss, but along the way you’ll fight some of Batman’s classic villains like Firefly who were not featured in the movie. So it’s a good mix of movie and comic Batman.
Is it fun?
Yes. This game is rad.
Batman plays and even looks a bit like Castlevania with more gadgets. And this title introduced one of the most revolutionary abilities in platformer history; the walljump. Ryu Hayabusa was able to scale walls before Batman, but what we’ve come to know as a staple in Mario, Metroid and many other series was first seen here.
Batman on NES gets two dead parents out of two.
This traumatic event inspires young Bruce Wayne to dedicate his life to cleaning up the streets of Gotham as the grim dark knight!
Batman: Return of the Joker
1991‘s Batman: Return of the Joker was just based on the Batman comics rather than a popular film. I guess Sunsoft had to push out another game and it was too soon to do another based on the first film and too early for Batman Returns. And boy does it feel that way. While the graphics are frankly beautiful by NES standards, it’s just not a great game.
How well does it represent Batman?
Not well. This is a followup to 1989‘s Batman, and sort of plays like it. Only this is more focused on the gadget side of combat. Gadgets are very Batman-y, but he’s also a master martial artist. Batman doesn’t even punch in this game, rather he attacks through projectiles. So I guess guns are cool for Batman as long as they’re attached to your wrist and actually way more dangerous.
How fun is it?
Not very. The once-fun gameplay from the first game just feels warmed over. The bigger, prettier sprites make Return of the Joker looks great, but playing them just feels rote.
Batman: Return of the Joker only gets one dead parent out of two.
With his mother still alive, Bruce Wayne has a maternal figure with whom he can console himself over the death of his father. And without a father figure he grows up as a wimpy mama’s boy who develops agoraphobia and never bones a woman in a leather catsuit.
Batman Returns
Batman Returns gets back on track in 1993. Since it was such a late release for the NES and based on one of the hottest films of the year, Returns came out on every platform under the sun. Known primarily as a 16-bit title, the NES version has its merits and is a pretty awesome game. Another virtue of releasing so late is it exists in the era of the beat-em-up. So this one is all about asses and the kicking of them.
How well does it represent Batman?
This is another absolutely gorgeous title. The environments, while there isn’t much to do in them, are very detailed and the tone of the game is very Batman. Batman Returns embraces the weirder side of Batman, very appropriate to Burton’s vision. Less of the focus is on gadgets and Batman relies on his fists to beat up circus folk. I really dig the enemy designs like a dude on stilts and this guy:
How fun is it?
The 16-bit versions play like the Streets of Rage series, but being an 8-bit title Returns gets stripped down a bit to feel more like Double Dragon. Punch guys until they don’t get up. Move onto the next screen. That’s about it. But Returns has its own Batman-y beat-em-up flava. For instance, Batman is freakin’ STRONG. One punch can send a guy flying clear across the screen.
The fun wears down once you’ve fought a hundred or so enemies, but this is an awesome game to pop in once in a while. Most importantly though it features a grappling hook. And that bumps any game up to gold status in my book.
Batman Returns gets three dead parents out of two.
In this Elseworlds universe Batman is the star of a Mexican telenovella. Marta Waynriguez discovers her husband Tomas’s twin brother is young Braul’s true father. She and her twin lovers are all slain in a Mexican standoff. Braul grows up to become the fearsome Bat-Hombre!
What’s your favorite game featuring the caped crusader? Or any comic character for that matter. Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!
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