Batman: Vengeance is a game from my childhood that stands out in my mind. Maybe because it's one of the first games I managed to beat on my own. Like, it's not the first, but it's definitely top ten. I'm not good at finishing things. Whatever the reason, one thing is for certain: when people ask about good licensed video games, this is one of the first titles I think of. At some point I started wondering: "Does this actually deserve that mention, particularly in a post-Batman: Arkham Asylum world?"
Let's hit that one right away. If you're a modern gamer coming off the Arkham series and thirsting for more of the same, you won't find it in Batman: Vengeance. Now the game does share a lot in common with the Arkhamgames, to the point where I feel comfortable considering it at least an influence if not a sort of quasi-prototype. However, it never reaches the same levels of care and refinement as its descendants. Even though the gameplay in Vengeance is fairly typical to the superhero genre, it was still one of the earliest attempts at aBatman game in a full three dimensions. I'm not typically the kind of person who judges a video game in comparison with other games crafted at very different times. The team who worked on Arkham had a more sophisticated understanding of the technology they were using and more sophisticated technology to use than the team who developed Vengeance nearly a full decade earlier. Comparing the games on a technical scale is kind of a faulty way to look at things.
That being said, I'm also not a believer in letting old games get away with bad design just because they're old.
A game should be evaluated on its individual merits and the experience it presents, not on how energy efficient or intuitive its engine is. With that in mind, Batman: Vengeance is a solid game for the most part. It deftly adapts the world of Batman: The Animated Series to a three-dimensional, interactive experience. While the game's raw visuals don't hold a candle to the intensely detailed assets in current games, its art direction still hits home. The game genuinely feels like a cartoon, particularly when you get the brightness level just right. Gotham's night sky is painted in a hypnotic shade of red, one that speaks of blood and pollution and intrigue. The environments feel lived in and precise. Every object has a purpose fundamental to both gameplay and world. That is a serious push in what defines quality aesthetics. I can think of a few games that should have taken note.
Unfortunately, not everything is beautiful. There are some jaggies on the edges of things, but that's really something to be expected and it doesn't bother me all that much. What does bother me are compression artifacts. At various times the skies and other distinct backdrops will show signs of JPGing, and the oily black textures of Gotham River are just atrocious to the point where they look less like water and more like somebody let their four-year-old hit up MSPaint.
The gameplay has some bright ideas, but its execution isn't the best. For most stages players will take command of the Dark Knight to traverse rooftops, sewers, laboratories, and other very industrial locations which could easily share visual assets. Exploring generally works out well, and there is enough terrain off the beaten path to spend some time visiting each individual rooftop, but there isn't a whole lot of reward for doing so (if any at all). Batman controls a little awkwardly, but it's nothing that can't be adjusted to. It's weird because of how basic it is, but gliding from one place to the next is incredibly fun. It's a simple double-jump command, and it's the same command Batman has used in many other games, but in this particular instance the developers got something just right. I think most players will find themselves gliding around stages even when a simple jump would suffice.
Combat is where things start getting weird. When engaging an enemy, the game shifts into "Battle Mode", which handles in a fashion more similar to an early Tekken game. B-button becomes punching, A becomes kicks, X becomes your block, and the L-button, when used in conjunction with another button, can perform special moves once the meter is filled. Players cannot jump while in battle. Neither can they access their gadgets, which requires the use their own "Gadget Mode" and a first-person perspective. This might seem strange to gamers familiar with the Batman character, who almost exclusively uses gadgets to take down his foes. Also confusing is the game's reference to Batman as a master of multiple martial arts, but you'd never know it from how he performs against typical henchgoons. Batman's actions are sluggish and lack priority over the quick and punishing jabs of his opponents. Battles are frustrating where they could have been intuitive. You'll find that Batman gets knocked down, and he's on the ground again before he can even get back up. You can attempt to break away from a conflict by pressing the Y-button, but whether or not the game will respond is a toss. Even when it does allow you to disengage, there's a good chance the thug will pull you back in while Batman is frozen during his transition from "Battle Mode" to "Explore Mode". This makes Alfred's advice to avoid battles entirely worthless. Almost as worthless as Batman's special attacks. Don't get me wrong, they are seriously beneficial when they work... but that's not something which happens often. The game has a habit of taking forever to register commands or choosing to ignore the fact that the L-button is held down, meaning that instead of a devastating WWE slam, Batman goes all out with a wimpy punch which will nine-times-out-of-ten do zero damage to perpetually blocking opponents. Later in the game you'll find enemies that like to pull Batman into a bear hug, requiring that the player break away. Unfortunately, doing so does not leave the enemy stunned and Batman ready to counter attack. What happens instead is that Batman enters "Explore Mode", where tapping L causes him to whip out the ol' Bat-Communicator. This leaves him completely defenseless for about three seconds, while the game runs the animation of him pocketing the device, which is enough time for a clown to combo him, and pull him right into another hold. In short: the combat is broken and unintuitive and you will be forgiven for dropping the game because of it. Matters aren't helped by the fact that enemy characters will get back up after a short time to pester you again. This is due largely to highlight the game's Bat-Cuff mechanic, which is a clever idea. Basically, once an enemy is down you are able to handcuff them, preventing them from being a further nuisance. Unfortunately, Bat-Cuffs are in limited supply, forcing players to pick-and-choose which enemies need to be cuffed. This turns a neat idea into a trial-by-fire with damning consequences.
Gamers should also be forgiven for abandoning the title in response to one of its many sub-games. Each chapter (here called "episodes") features at least one mini-game. They're generally all different, with the only recurring one being a sky diving game where the objective is to rescue a plummeting civilian. That particular game shows up four times that I distinctly remember, with the last actually being a boss fight riddled with horrible hit detection. Because each type of event only shows up once, players aren't given the opportunity to grow with the game. In one instance players are forced to pilot a severely handicapped Bat-Plane through the buildings of Gotham city while avoiding machine gun fire from an enemy helicopter. In another they are forced into the Bat-Mobile for a high-speed chase through Gotham's streets. Neither of these vehicle games are designed well, and the game would have been better off without them. The only one of the challenges which is any good is a segment in the second chapter, where players must deactivate a series of security locks by matching live wires with their dormant counterparts on a cube interface. It's basically a 3D version of classic pipe games, but it forces players to use their noggin... which is exactly what a game starring the World's Greatest Detective should do.
As mentioned before, using gadgets activates a "Gadget Mode", which is a more typical first-person experience. I prefer exploring in this mode as it provides a better perspective with which to investigate environments, but this is made difficult by the inability to jump. The transition between perspectives, though common in games at the time, is a little jarring and it does limit the options players have at any given moment. I feel like the game would have been better served by making the third-person exploration mode capable of using all of Batman's gadgets by utilizing a system like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, with players being able to set specific gadgets to select action buttons. Unfortunately the game doesn't go that route, and selecting gadgets can be a chore.
Disappointingly there are no other playable characters in the game. There's one mission where Batman disguises himself as a no-name tough guy to sneak around a warehouse in a fashion which is kind of Metal Gear-lite (and it's a fun mission, over all), but that doesn't really count. Batgirl is the only other caped crusader present at all during the story (Alfred, Robin, and Nightwing are all MIA) but you never get to take control of her. The one time she performs field work during the campaign, she becomes a damsel in distress. This sucks. I've always loved the Batgirl character, and her model and voice performance is just so perfect. Horrible misuse of the character. She spends most of the time giving Batman commands from behind the Bat-Computer. I guess the developers were giving a nod to the character's eventual evolution into Oracle?
The game experiences an immense difficulty spike in the third chapter and from that point on, with each chapter being much more difficult than the last, to the point where the game's final moments are stupidly difficult. Of course, that difficulty is due in large part to unresponsive controls, enemies without attack lag, and cryptic objectives. Particularly during boss fights, where players are forced to use gadgets they were never taught to use in ways which are often more elaborate than clever. Confrontations ultimately amount to switching to a gadget, aiming the target around the screen until it turns red, using the gadget and seeing if anything happens, and moving on if it doesn't. This is a strange change of pace for a game whose genre typically dictates the player run up to the boss and punch them repeatedly. Doing that here will get you killed in a hurry.
Ultimately, I still enjoyed Batman: Vengeance, but it didn't live up to my nostalgic expectations. It isn't a bad game, but it is marred by some bad execution that seriously hinders what could have been a very inventive release.
No comments:
Post a Comment