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Sidebar::

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"Vengeance"...? Whose vengeance? Good Question...one which isn't really answered in this game, right up to the finale. I suppose it just sounded good as a game title, though if you ask me, "Mask of the Phantasm" had the more appropriate title. On the other hand, in a game whose story involves the Joker, Poison Ivy, and Mr. Freeze combined, it must've been hard to choose a title that didn't give away the whole plot (i.e., what is the link to all these crimes). So, okay; "vengeance"...whatever.

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Need game hints?

You may wish to consider purchasing:

Batman: Vengeance Official Strategy Guide

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Batman: Vengeance

Click picture above system name, to order either version.

A Techtite Review

Note: This review used both the Gamecube and PS2 versions, which are nearly identical. The X-Box should be identical as well.

When the Batman animated series first came out, people heralded it as a major achievement; this was how a superhero cartoon should be done. In many ways, the same can be said about Batman: Vengeance, when talking about superhero video games. I mean, how many can you think of that were really any good? For that matter, how many games were made with any respect for their subject matter, truly saluting the cartoon/comic they were based on? This game respects its subject matter to a "T", and that's probably why it's so fun.

What makes it so fun is the fact that every aspect of the animated series is incorporated into the CGI cutscenes, as well as the 3D polygon game engine itself. Characters are perfect 3D replicas of their 2D animated counterparts on TV, whether they are Batman, Batgirl, Joker, Poison Ivy (shown here in a cutscene), Mr. Freeze, or Harley Quinn. Helping the overall effect are all the voice actors from the series, including Mark Hammil as the Joker and Kevin Conroy as Batman. This makes the whole game a perfect, 3D-polygon replica of the animated series; a big treat for its fans.

Of course, there's not much of an action game without challenges, in the form of hired henchmen (and henchwomen) galore. There are "ice maidens" (for Freeze) and of course, clown-faced burglars for Joker. One amusing touch; these adversaries will get up after being punched out, unless you use your batcuffs to render them immobile until the police arrive (i.e., for the remainder of your entire mission). One mission near the end even has you in disguise, without your utility belt, enhancing the challenge. Points are given for exceptionally performed missions, which unlock special maneuvers that Batman can do in later fights. I would've preferred the option to carry more batarangs and batcuffs than just 15 (which deplete rather quickly, unless you search hard for more), though otherwise these fighting matches were a fun to watch and play.

Of course, there are a few minor gripes. There is the typical case of "console-itis" --you can only save at the end of a level, which can be quite tedious at times-- though the levels themselves are totally cool, and you can re-play missions at any time from the main menu. I also liked how each mission begins with a "loading" screen that resembles the artistic opening title marquees from the animated series (with titles such as "A Girl to Die For"). From saving a kidnapped woman from a bomb to a batmobile car chase and even a batjet high-speed air chase, this game has it all. There's even five secret areas, which hide secret codes that can be used once you finish the game and restart any level. Go back to that level that gave you trouble, with either infinite health, or total invisibility against enemies.

The big gripe with this game though, is common among games for video game systems with minor save-game functions; instant death. In one level, you walk daintily on grated catwalks over deadly Joker-chemicals; one slip, and it's buh-bye to Bats. Adding to the frustration are the occasional grates that break off just by walking on them, which again can lead to instant death if you're not careful. This level was not particularly long, yet quite tedious. There just is no challenge to "instant death," in my opinion. Prior to this level, it was a debate if this game should get a high grade of "Deep Impact," or a solid-thumbs-up grade of "Large Crater." After this level, I had considered giving the whole game a marginal-thumbs-down; I was that annoyed by it. However, let's just say the finale, and the other levels, more than made up for it, and my solid-thumbs-up stands...even if the game was so very close to a perfect rating, had this single level been removed entirely.

It's a shame that just a little spit and polish (add auto aim, remove "instant death"), would've made this game virtually flawless. It's also a shame that the translation for superior systems like the X-Box do not include better graphic effects or a better save game feature (due to X-Box's built in hard drive storage). Still, this is a spectacular game for Batman fans, and an arguable must-have for fans of the animated series in particular. I may have liked to see Catwoman or at least more of Poison Ivy (whose cameos only bookmark a chapter of the game), though perhaps that will happen in a sequel. After all, they have the 3D models, they have the voice actors...what more could they need, to make this into a way-cool game series? All they need are a few minor tweaks to the interface, and they've struck video game gold.

	Final Rating : Large Crater. It's awesome to see batman in a game with the graphics, sound, and gadgetry he deserves. Too bad a few preventable interface flaws kept it from a perfect rating...
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