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[Barnolde]

http://www.talkxbox.com/review53.html

Introduction:

Superhero games after the 16 bit days have a notorious history for being mostly abysmal, with Superman 64 being the epitome of crap. However, Batman: Vengeance was a breath of fresh air as it delivered an exceptional experience, unlike Batman: Dark Tomorrow, which rivals Superman 64 in terms of quality. The 3rd Batman game on Xbox is the 2nd one from Ubi Soft, since Batman: DT was from Kemco.

The game starts off with a fairly interesting plot, which is good. There are riots and outbreaks at Stonegate Prison and Arkham Asylum (which fans will recognize as the place where all the supervillians are held) and some of the supervillians have gotten lose. As the game progresses, you realize that they could not be acting on their own, and that there is somebody who is probably pulling their strings, which is obviously Sin Tzu, as the game’s title reflects. There is not much of an introduction and you are thrown right into all of the action, and a small tutorial will take you from there.

Gameplay:

I had walked into Batman: RoST expecting an action adventure type experience similar to the one I enjoyed in Batman: Vengeance, but RoST was completely different. Batman: RoST is an old school beat 'em up type game, plain and simple. It is very similar to the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, which was just released as well. This game is a brainless beat 'em up action game with very little else. In missions, your main objective is to just beat up all the enemies you encounter. Luckily you don’t have to handcuff them anymore, like previous next-gen Batman games. In each level, there are objectives like saving civilians but all of these are accomplished by just walking into a circle, which is around them, and fail to add depth. There are a variety of moves and items, but unfortunately, none of these really add much to the overall gameplay experience. You are able to use your batarangs, smoke grenades, grappling gun and various other items in order to aid you, which fails to really add much depth to the game. You are able to select four characters, but only two people are able to play at a time, which does a little bit to aid the fun factor of the game. There is some strategy required in the game, especially in boss fights, which are usually pretty entertaining. Often times you are able to just run through the game and beat everyone up (you cannot continue until all of the enemies are dead). When you are surrounded with enemies, you'll have to know which item to use and when, or whether or not, you can just beat them up, toss them off a cliff, or hit them with an object. This is a game that had a lot of potential as a great beat 'em up, but it can sometimes feel boring and repetitive. This type of formula for a beat 'em up was much better suited in the 16 bit days of gaming. As the game progresses, the action does increase, thus making the fun factor increase. When you unlock new moves and new items, you will find that playing is much more enjoyable than it was before, because of the multitude of ways that you have to dispose of enemies with. In the beginning, the game seems to start off slow, which may detour some players, but the story, and the action get better later on.

Graphics:

The graphics are somewhat cel shaded and have a cartoony look, which looks great in this type of game. The characters look just like they do on the cartoon show, which really does a great deal for the immersion of the game. The way the graphics are presented are an excellent way to create a feeling of a cartoon recreation. All of the characters are animated very well, and the cartoon style graphics are excellently done in this game. Since the graphics are presented in this manner, you’d be hard pressed to find any of the usual problems related to graphics, like jaggies. It’s also good that there is no slowdown, and everything moves smoothly. Little details like birds flying away when you walk near them and cracks in the ground after you smash an enemy into it are nice little touches that some developers won’t even bother putting in.

Audio:

The audio in this game is another thing that’s done excellently, especially the voicework. All of the voice actors from the TV show appear and do an excellent job of portraying their character. This helps create an exceptionally experience which will only immerse you further. There are cutscenes at the end of each level, and sometimes in the middle of them, which are done by the voice actors, and they are used to progress through the story. There are the usual sounds from beating up opponents, explosions, and the regular noises which are found in beat ‘em up games, all of which are done fairly well. While the sound effects are nothing special, the voice work is excellent, since it’s done by professional actors.

Controls:

The controls are pretty good and easy to pick up and play. All of them are responsive and work fairly well. The controls are easy to access and it makes for a very playable experience, which is enhanced with two players. The controls are as follows:

Left Trigger - Block
Right Trigger - Roll
Left Thumbstick - Move
Right Thumbstick – Select item
A- Kick
B – Pick up
X - Punch
Y - Jump
Black – Use item
White - Taunt

Replay:

There are a few things which may bring you back for another go. There are some unlockable extras and bonus features which are a nice touch. The two players makes the game a lot more enjoyable, as opposed if it was just one player, but there’s only so far that can go. There is a challenge mode which challenges you to see either how many enemies you can kill in a certain amount of time, or if you can stay alive until the timer runs out. Things like these are pretty good, as it will challenge you again to beat your score. The extras mode allows you to unlock parts of the Batman: RoST book, a 27 minute documentary on the making of the Sin Tzu character, among other things. There are plenty of extras there, and thanks to the different modes and two player capability, you’ll most likely be coming back for another go.

Summary:

This is by no means a perfect game, nor would I call it a great game, but it is certainly a solid game. The game is enjoyable enough for you to pick up and play, as well as replay. The two player mode is good, although having four players would’ve been better. The graphics and sound are excellent, and really reflect the effort that went into this title. You will probably come back to this game for the extra features that you can unlock, as there are a bunch of them. The challenge mode also aids in extending the life and adding more fun to this title. The main story mode itself isn’t enough alone to keep you interested, and it may even bore you, but when you’re playing with a buddy, and the action is fast and frenzied, you’ll be having a blast with this game. This game would’ve been a lot better had it been released around ten years ago. It’s still a good game, but it feels like an old school game trapped in a next-gen game’s body.

Scores:
Gameplay - 7.5
Graphics - 9.0
Audio - 9.5
Controls - 9.3
Replay - 8.2
Overall - 7.4

This post has been edited by Barnolde: Mar 13 2004, 08:44 PM <