Batman: Vengeance

"Batman would be proud"

It\'s up to you to save Gotham City when Batman\'s perpetually laughing friend Joker is back in town, along with other villains such as Poison Ivy, Joker\'s \'\'wench\'\' Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, and believe me, it\'s one heck of a ride. This game will send you through the Gotham Gasworks, flying through expressway tunnels in the Batplane, into a frozen Industrial plant, racing down stretches of street in the beloved Batmobile and getting rest and valuable info from Batgirl back at the Batcave.

Story: 9/10
To me, the story is the staple of a game, and Batman: Vengeance (to be referred to as BV) delivers it with the right amount of enigma and intrigue.
It all begins with a mysterious woman named Mary who is in trouble with the Joker. It branches out to a kidnapped Promethium researcher, plant growth chemicals, blackmailed city officials and impersonators.
You will continually be left guessing the connection between these strange crime sprees around Gotham City until all is revealed in the end.

Graphics: 9/10
BV has very smooth graphics, especially during the free fall battles, car chases, and flying up in the clouds, but these would only merit a 7. The extra two points come from the beautiful cutscenes and cool combos.

Sound: 7/10
The music is very eerie when you are lurking around and jumps into a fast tempo when you are in danger. If there is an item nearby, the music will switch to an eerie pulsating tune. The eeriness adds to the feel of the game. When you walk over metal or broken glass you can hear it. The only downfall in the sound is the horribly repetitive grunting (\'\'Ooh\'\' \'\'Ahh\'\' \'\'Ooh\'\' \'\'Uhh\'\') of enemies when you hit them.

Gameplay 8-9/10 (depending on how patient you are)
The gameplay is pretty solid, and puzzles are not too difficult. Boss battles are very imaginative and fun, but as in many games, some of the levels can be very frustrating. Jumping at the wrong time can send our dark friend falling to his demise in a pool of acid. Another bad mark on gameplay is the awkwardness of first-person view, especially when trying to throw batarangs or use the batgrapple.

RENT OR BUY
I would rent the game or buy it used (like I did) because it is not very substantial and will provide only about six hours of fun. Still, I don\'t think this denotes this game for what it truly is... well, which is a great game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/03