Review of Batman (NES)

Batman is a video game released in 1989 on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was developed by Sunsoft and features our hero scouring the streets for the Joker. The game is loosely based on the movie and is just as fun.

Story : Gotham City's plagued by crime and it's up to Bruce Wayne, under the guise of Batman, to relieve these thugs of their duties. The Clown Prince of Crime Joker is behind it all, and at the end you know there looms a final showdown.

Graphics : This game looks fantastic. Everything is detailed well, has great animation, and is engaging. The art is good and the backgrounds look great. The cut scenes look very nice and contain some animation that was very good for it's time. Batman himself looks great and is a blast to watch as you guide him towards Joker.

Sound : The music and sound effects are excellent. Sunsoft has a reputation for having great music in their games and this is no exception. Absolutely amazing. The music in this game is very memorable and catchy. The songs themselves have garnered a great reputation and have been remixed several times over the years. Especially notable the first two stages' themes, which have been covered in recent years by many rock bands.

Game play : Batman is incredibly fluid and responsive. Jumping is touch sensitive and very responsive as well. Though the controls are simple, they all feel great. The game also features the ''jump off the wall'' ability that's loads of fun once you get it down.

Batman has three different special weapons, and all are interesting to watch. The start button switches weapons, which can be a problem since it's very far from the other two. However, with a bit of practice you can learn to switch weapons with ease. The first weapon you get is a gun that fires rockets. The second is a boomerang. The third, my favorite, is a shuriken that splits into 3 shrurikens after you've thrown it. Very cool.

The enemies all provide a good challenge without being too difficult. Some portions of the game are very tough, but with practice you can get through them quite easily. There's only 5 stages but each are quite big and none leave you wanting for more. Pretty much a perfect length, all the levels are.

Re playability: The game's great music, game play, and atmosphere make replaying it a total joy. Highly recommended.

Overall: 8/10. Extremely good game only bogged down by it's high degree of difficulty at certain points the game.