written by Blain Newport on Friday, August 14, 2009
In my opinion, the Dark Knight Returns is the finest Batman story ever told. The animated series (started by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini) is collectively second. Kevin Conroy is Batman. Christian Bale is some guy talking in a funny voice. The new movies are undoubtedly well made, but they feel generic. The gadgets could be Bond. The city could be anywhere. Batman is a cardboard cutout. And the Joker isn't even crazy.
So when I heard Dini was writing the script for a game with Conroy playing Batman, I thought, "That's cool. I hope the developers don't mess it up." I began hearing about how everyone in the game was musclebound and feared the worst. I didn't even download the demo right away. A few days after its release I hadn't read or heard anything about it and felt almost obligated to take a look.
If you want to read the short version, skip to the bottom. If you want details, read on.
The intro showed that the production values were definitely high, but that the musclebound aesthetic was definitely in full effect. I'm almost glad they used a different voice actor for Jim Gordon. He looks like a different person. Everyone looks different really. It's a Gears of War gritty dark edgy (grardgy?) aesthetic. Batman even seems meaner for no apparent reason. Gordon warns him "You know it's a trap." And his reply, "Of course it is", makes him sound genuinely disgusted. That's not how Batman talks to Jim Gordon.
There are a couple other times in the demo when Batman seems to be posturing without motivation. At the point the game takes place, he's rounded up every single supervillain in Gotham. Why is he acting like he's got something to prove? I'm thinking the developer (Rocksteady) should have hired the animated series' Andrea Romano as a consultant / voice director. If someone was acting out of character on the animated series, you knew there was a reason.
Pointless edginess aside, by the time the preliminaries were almost done, I was ready to bust some heads. For one thing, if the game is all hard edges and focused on conflict, combat should be where it shines. For another, I was feeling the music. It's original, but obviously Batman.
The combat tutorial is simplicity. Here's the attack button. Attack these three goons. Here's the counter button. Counter and attack these four goons. Then it was over. It felt a little simplistic, but I knew from looking at the control configuration that there was more to learn: batarangs, throws, and cape attacks at least. The more off putting part was the way Batman would slide across the environment to attack an enemy far away. It felt like too much autopilot, and reminded me of the underwhelming Too Human.
There was a little bit of a batarang tutorial next which was mediocre. Manually aiming them seemed pretty pointless when the quick fire button was much faster more accurate. Manually aiming seems like it would only be useful in making precision attacks from hiding.
Next was a nice theatrical touch. In a long hallway lined with video monitors, a recorded message from the warden was interrupted by video of prisoners running through the corridors while an automated warning system started rattling off all the different levels that were experiencing security breaches. Then the game gave the prompt to press the space bar to run. It was a great little touch that gave gameplay information and a sense of urgency to the situation. Plus you got to watch the cape. Supposedly they dedicated a guy to cape visuals. Just don't put your camera too low while running as bat butt can be off putting.
Next came the stealth tutorials, using the grapple to move around on stone gargoyles near the roof. It's a little ridiculous to have stone gargoyles indoors, but who cares?
The more important part was the introduction of detective mode, which lets you see enemies through walls and highlights interactive objects. Detective mode is a mixed blessing because it's so advantageous that the only reason you turn it off is because you want to double check that there's a wall between you and a bad guy. Well, that and sometimes you just get sick of seeing the entire world in blue. A charge mechanic that forced you to ration your detective mode use a bit might be advisable. Then again it might make the forensic aspects of the game (which weren't in the demo) a pain in tuchus.
Last but not least was a large open room where you were free to roam around with five armed thugs and figure out how to take them out. This section forces you to learn through trial and error that every attack except the designated stealth attack will bring every guard in the level running. It also teaches you how enemies break from their patrols and check their backs more often when they start finding their pals knocked out.
Overall I'd say the game looks good. The combat may be a little simplistic. The theatrics are a bit off. (The facial animation was bad enough that I preferred looking at Batman's back when he was talking.) And the jury's still out on the forensics, but the production values are high and the appeal of being Batman is undeniable. When crawling through vents, the view switches to first person. The first time I saw the shadow with the horns on the wall I was shocked at how excited I got.
It's already got too many rough edges to be the Batman game of my dreams, but it looks to be a good game, and it feels like Batman, which is something I've been missing for years.
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