Batman: Revenge of the Joker

"An unlikely Megaman rip-off from Batman"

Introduction:In 1991 Batman:The game came to all leading systems(except for Super Nintendo which wasn't out at that time).It was loosely based on the 1989 blockbuster and all the games that came out with the name ''Batman'' where just trying to cash in on the popularity it received(just like almost all popular culture success stories that will appeal to kids)and made video games in its name. Normally when a game is based off of a movie it almost never lives up,but the first Batman game for the genesis was surprisingly good and then out of the blue came Revenge of the Joker let's see if it measures up to its predecessor.

Graphics:8/10 Batman seems to be looking a little pudgy in this game(like you wouldn't after over 40 years of being in shape).Other than that the first level gives that dark and spooky Batman feeling and there is a decent amount of detail and the sprites are big enough,but there is some cool artwork shown when you complete a stage slightly above average but its ok.

Story:4/10 From what I saw the Joker survived when when he fell about 100 ft(which is pretty illegitimate considering that he had died originally)and gets away to a far away island is wreaking havoc there.
This is the most stupidest story I've ever heard! Why couldn't Batman catch him? How could he survive that fall? And where did he have time to go that far away island? this is a very poor written story!

Control:7/10 Batman moves slowly but to back this up he has a slide move that makes him go faster. My main problem with the control is the kick command.It is slow and rarely hits outside of close calls. I don't even know why it was added except to fill the controller commands.He walks smoothly and jumps just fine.

Game play:3/10 There is no nostalgia at all,and by that I mean no classic Batman villains/characters,there is just Batman and The Joker.This game plays a lot like Megaman mainly because instead of Batman's normal punches and kicks he shoots yellow balls out of some device on his wrist(i.e.mega busters)This doesn't fit into the Batman universe at all and is just plain weird(imagine combining Castlevania with Mario)Other than that the game play is slow and some levels don't even belong near Batman(deserts?).

Sound/Music:2/10 None of the music suits Batman and none of it suits the stage very well there aren't any voices. Batman makes some kind of weird jiggling sound when he gets hit.The only reason I gave this a 2 is because of the gun shots,they sound kind of real but that's it!

Fun Factor:3/10 All though most Batman games are mediocre this on takes the cake. The shooting stages and the bosses and the password feature were a little fun but no more fun besides that.

Replay value:1/10 Nothing is here to make you play again and there is no points system or mini games or any special features to make you want to come back you could play it again but why do that?

Overall:3/10 With slow paced game play,no special features,no secrets,and bad music it is obvious that this game bites. It is certain that this game should go back in the Bat cave closet where it came from!

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 07/25/03, Updated 07/25/03