Review of Batman Forever (SNES)

Batman Forever is highly regarded as one of the worst games ever made. Based upon the bloated, sugar coated movie of the same name, this game features an absurd control scheme that makes the game nearly unplayable. Let's look at the elements that comprise this effort.

Story : The story isn't lifted exactly from the movie. Even if it was, it would make little difference here. There's nothing of substance to engage you story wise so the only thing to keep you interested is the game play which also fails on every level. We'll get to that soon.

Graphics : Featuring modeled graphics ala Mortal Kombat, this game looks horrible. Every character looks absolutely ridiculous. Robin's costume doesn't resemble his movie costume, henchmen look cheesy, nearly everybody is stuck in a absurd looking fight pose that loops. The backgrounds are bland and indistinguishable. Everything in this game, graphically, is mind numbing and stupid.

Sound : Almost all you hear is atrocious. The tones are ugly and the songs themselves are horrible and don't fit at all. If you've heard 70s Fusion chromatic melodies, you'll feel right at home here. The music just meanders with no center and only adds to the game's total lack of fun.

Game play : Where do I begin? The control scheme is like Mortal Kombat, yet this is a beat em' up Batman game. Maybe they were going for something new, but regardless this game just plays awfully. Nothing is responsive or fluid and figuring out how to do anything without the aid of a manual or an on line guide will just leave you flustered.

Nothing in this game makes sense. The level design is confusing and they go on forever. There's no satisfying feeling when you finish a level here, just a moment of dread as you realize that the next level will probably test your patience more than the last. There's very little to enjoy in this effort, game play wise.

Encountering Two-Face and Riddler in this game is anticlimactic, to say the least. You'll have a hell of a time getting there and when you finally do it will hardly be worth it. Two-Face looks like a total joke and has all of two attacks, which are generic punches and kicks. Riddler is somehow a steroid-induced version of himself and looks massive.

Re playability : I've never been able to beat this game, or even get past the midway point. This is due to the garbage control scheme, annoying music, and general difficulty.

Overall : 1/10. There isn't anything in this game that's worth existing. It's that bad.