Batman (NES)

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Created on Thursday, 19 February 2015 20:25

Written by KTP

Batman (NES):  If I had to wall jump everywhere, I would probably kill the Joker too.

Batman still stands as one of the best games for the NES in so many ways, but it sure as hell isn't for sticking close to the Tim Burton film or using a lot of reference from the comics. Looking at a ton of other comic book games for the system (Wolverine, Silver Surfer, X-Men), that's probably a good thing. In this version of Batman, he fucking loves guns, bounces off of walls to get around, and opts for industrial factories rather than the streets of Gotham. Despite all of this that might irk purists, it's still really good. Even if you took out Batman, it would still stand up as one of the best action platformers made for the system.

Wall jumping that would make Samus blush.

The first level songs are going to be playing a lot since it's a rough ride learning the gameplay. Naoki Kodaka was the primary composer on this project whose previous works included Journey to Silius, Blaster Master, and Fester's Quest. Needless to say that the soundtrack stands out compared to other games and is extemely catchy. The sprite work is well done compared to a lot of the garbage around the NES at the time. It really captured Batman bouncing around industrial machinery and monster filled sewers well enough to remind me that if it is Gotham, Gotham really is a shithole. But the strongest suit this game had was in the gameplay. You had to master, and I mean fucking perfect, the wall jump to get around the levels. It also had a good mix of special weapons that helped ease the problem of enemies in tough parts of the map. It was also hard, but no where near impossible managing to create the right amount of satisfaction of beating a level without wanting to kick in your TV when you screwed up.

"Ever get dragon punched from the top of a building?"

I think that the best part of this was the complete change from the DC Batman at the time who would actually smile from time to time and POW! The bad guys on occasion, to the Michael “I'm going to beat the fucking shit outta you and throw a cool line” Keaton. The NES game tries to capture that feel by showing cutscenes attempting to emulate scenes from the film. If and when you beat the Joker who attacks you with a ridiculously long barreled gun and has the ability to somehow summon lightning, you are rewarded with an ending every Batman fan secretly wants. “You want to start some shit with me, Joker, and point your stupid gun at me? I'm going to chuck you off this fucking building.” Batman does. After having to navigate toxic slime, electric cables, traps, and asshole flameflower enemies on impossible ledges, Batman gets sick of the Joker's shit and mercs that motherfucker. Fuck you Joker.