Batman (NES) 1990 by Sunsoft

Produced in 1990 by Sunsoft, this game is loosely based on the first Batman flick. When I say loosely, I mean really loosely. A few Batman games rule, many suck hard, this NES title sits right down in the middle. It's not particularly bad (by NES standards), but neither an attention-grabber. Or do I say that because I played it for the first time just a few years ago with an emulator? Oddly, this game seems to be a lot popular to old NES owners and Batman fans, but I suppose it has to do with vintage memories (Alex Kidd in Miracle World for Master System is a childhood favorite of mine, and it's hard for me to put it down now).

Graphics: Simply average. The sprites are small and ugly, especially Batman himself. He is painted entirely in blue, his jaw is not flesh, his belt is not yellow etc… just blue. Some of the backgrounds, though, are OK. Pretty well-drawn for NES.

Sound: Nothing to brag about. Some music tracks are pretty OK but nothing that really shines. Typical NES-action-game fare, that of course has nothing to do with the film. The SFX have also the usual NES quality.

Gameplay: A simple platform game. Batman can run and jump or stick to the walls. Unfortunatelly there isn't the infamous grappling hook. In order to defeat his enemies he can punch them or throw various weapons at them, such as batarangs etc. The control is a bit unresponsive. The level of difficulty is pretty high and there are no passwords. Each time you lose a life you go at the beginning of the stage. The levels follow the story of the film very loosely. You start with the Obligatory Gotham Streets level, and then you go to Axis chemicals, a sewer and finally the Gotham Cathedral where you will face Joker (in the game he appears a foot taller than Batman!). There are various bosses at the levels, and some of them are frustratingly hard to beat (like the Boss Guy just before Joker).

Overall: I almost feel like kicking a kitten by saying these things for this game (which is considered a classic) but to me it's a typically average film-licensed game. If you want to play a Batman game based on the first film, you better try Batman 1 for Genesis or the MAME Batman game. The NES version is just average.

P.S. I believe that the title screen was a hit for kids of that era - ''the film brought to video game life!''

Title

Gotham City Streets

First Boss

Sewer Lab

Gotham City Cathedral

The Final Confrontation: Joker