REVIEW: The Adventures of Batman and Robin (GG)
The Adventures of Batman and Robin for the Sega GameGear is about the adventures of Batman and Robin for the Sega GameGear. This is a fact that we know because of circumstantial evidence.
Some of you may be asking, Why should I play The Adventures of Batman and Robin when Batman: Arkham Assylum is already available? That is a very good question.
The Adventures of Batman and Robin is a direct sequel to Batman: Arkham Assylum, and takes place immediately after the events of said game. Batman and Robin have just defeated The Joker at Arkham Assylum and are taking the Batmobile back to the Batcave when Batman is suddenly shot by The Kingpin. Robin cradles his dying partner in his arms while Batman slips in and out of consciousness. As he dreams, he recalls his past adventures with Robin (hence the title, The Adventures of Batman and Robin).
If the premise reminds you of Hitman: Contracts for the PlayStation 2, that's a good thing. It means that you've been paying attention, since both games were developed by Eidos Interactive. But now that Eidos has been purchased by Square Enix you can expect to see a lot of divergence between the two games. For instance, the battle system in The Adventures of Batman and Robin is taken straight from Final Fantasy XIII, and you will be pleasantly surprised when a certain hero from Chrono Trigger makes an appearance near the end to tell Robin that he needs to go back in time to 1955.
One thing that becomes absolutely clear when playing The Adventures of Batman and Robin is how much care the developers put into The Adventures of Batman and Robin. The GameGear may not be as powerful as a PlayStation 3, but Eidos really got the most out of the hardware. Sure, they employed a few parlor tricks in the process, like using pre-rendered backgrounds with 3D characters overtop, ala Resident Evil; but the ends certainly justify the means as the effect comes off sparklingly.
The vehicular sections may feel a little dated, as they're ripped straight from the Sega CD version of Road Rash 3D, but if you enjoyed that game then there is nothing to hate about The Adventures of Batman and Robin. In fact, the advanced rendering techniques that Eidos used for The Adventures of Batman and Robin may put it well above Road Rash 3D in a lot of ways.
One complaint that I have is the limited multiplayer options available in The Adventures of Batman and Robin. With games like Call of Duty: Black Ops, gamers have become accustomed to 75+ players competing on a single map, but The Adventures of Batman and Robin allows only 64 players at a time. This is a ridiculously low amount for an MMORPG like The Adventures of Batman and Robin, and fans of the genre may want to stick with World of Warcraft as a result.
But multiplayer woes aside, The Adventures of Batman and Robin offers a very robust single-player campaign that is totally unmatched on this generation of consoles. To find storytelling like this in any other game, you'd have to go back twenty years to Super Pitfall on the NES.
The Adventures of Batman and Robin is an excellent game and totally deserves a 4... out of 5.
Some of you may be asking, Why should I play The Adventures of Batman and Robin when Batman: Arkham Assylum is already available? That is a very good question.
The Adventures of Batman and Robin is a direct sequel to Batman: Arkham Assylum, and takes place immediately after the events of said game. Batman and Robin have just defeated The Joker at Arkham Assylum and are taking the Batmobile back to the Batcave when Batman is suddenly shot by The Kingpin. Robin cradles his dying partner in his arms while Batman slips in and out of consciousness. As he dreams, he recalls his past adventures with Robin (hence the title, The Adventures of Batman and Robin).
If the premise reminds you of Hitman: Contracts for the PlayStation 2, that's a good thing. It means that you've been paying attention, since both games were developed by Eidos Interactive. But now that Eidos has been purchased by Square Enix you can expect to see a lot of divergence between the two games. For instance, the battle system in The Adventures of Batman and Robin is taken straight from Final Fantasy XIII, and you will be pleasantly surprised when a certain hero from Chrono Trigger makes an appearance near the end to tell Robin that he needs to go back in time to 1955.
One thing that becomes absolutely clear when playing The Adventures of Batman and Robin is how much care the developers put into The Adventures of Batman and Robin. The GameGear may not be as powerful as a PlayStation 3, but Eidos really got the most out of the hardware. Sure, they employed a few parlor tricks in the process, like using pre-rendered backgrounds with 3D characters overtop, ala Resident Evil; but the ends certainly justify the means as the effect comes off sparklingly.
The vehicular sections may feel a little dated, as they're ripped straight from the Sega CD version of Road Rash 3D, but if you enjoyed that game then there is nothing to hate about The Adventures of Batman and Robin. In fact, the advanced rendering techniques that Eidos used for The Adventures of Batman and Robin may put it well above Road Rash 3D in a lot of ways.
One complaint that I have is the limited multiplayer options available in The Adventures of Batman and Robin. With games like Call of Duty: Black Ops, gamers have become accustomed to 75+ players competing on a single map, but The Adventures of Batman and Robin allows only 64 players at a time. This is a ridiculously low amount for an MMORPG like The Adventures of Batman and Robin, and fans of the genre may want to stick with World of Warcraft as a result.
But multiplayer woes aside, The Adventures of Batman and Robin offers a very robust single-player campaign that is totally unmatched on this generation of consoles. To find storytelling like this in any other game, you'd have to go back twenty years to Super Pitfall on the NES.
Closing Comments
The Adventures of Batman and Robin is an excellent game and totally deserves a 4... out of 5.
The Weather Outside Is Goddamn Snow
This is the weather outside of my house this morning. The trees are in the picture so that you can distinguish the ground from the sky, because they're the same damn colour.
I'll be missing my weekly D&D game for the third week in a row, so I might try to post something new here instead. Might. I have some reviews that I've been meaning to write, and unlike professional journalists who likely spend several days crafting their reviews, I'm happy to throw mine together in a couple of hours and call it a good day's work. It's called quality control.
IT CAME FROM BEYOND THE BARGAIN BIN - CALL OF CTHULHU: DARK CORNERS OF THE EARTH (PC)
Being able to spell or pronounce this title's name is by far the hardest task you'll have throughout the (s)experience, but aside from that, this is a pretty solid survival horror/mystery/thriller type of game. Even though it's heavily story-oriented, you can skip cutscenes and get right down to fucking with hick town fishermen who look almost as scary as a modern day Liz Taylor while talking to yourself and eventually going flat-out fucknuts crazy, which is kind of what people really do on the east coast anyway. The dark mood fits well with the initial mystery-solving aspect, which eventually picks up and in one particular part, becomes a Dragon's Lair-esque chase with lots of suspense and even more restarting from where you keep getting slaughtered. It eventually devolves into piss-poor stealth and FPS elements, but I've made the same kind of complaints with Super Metroid's last stretch, and what this game does well, it does better than I've seen implemented in a long, long time. It's everything that the very overrated Resident Evil franchise should have been in the first place. Had OJ blamed Call of Chthludffululu for his recent burglary, maybe he would have been 2 for 2 in the "Most Acquittals for Cutting Wife's Head Off Then Stealing Things With Guns" award, something far more prestigious than being good at PC games.
Special thanks to Karly for steering me in its direction.
I Resolve to Change Nothing
I'm back from Saskatchewan and now have an entire week ahead of me whereby I will drink, score and work on projects that aren't The 34th Dimension. It doesn't matter, though, because A) nobody is reading this anyway, and B) PsychoGorilla is coming back to the site and says that he's bringing over 50 of his classic Bargain Bin articles over.
This gives me license to do absolutely nothing on this site for the next couple of weeks. See ya later, suckers!
This gives me license to do absolutely nothing on this site for the next couple of weeks. See ya later, suckers!
Christmas Aftermath 2010
Christmas isn't always an ideal season, but this year was much more normal than most. Gifts were given and received in a spirited manner, and very few people were insulted by my referencing of the birth of zombie Jesus, which is what this holiday is all about.
I myself had a bountiful haul this year, bringing in some of the best gifts I've ever received. I'd like to thank all of my family and friends for these amazing gifts. If I left anything out, it's because I'm drunk and really shouldn't be blogging at this ungodly hour.
I myself had a bountiful haul this year, bringing in some of the best gifts I've ever received. I'd like to thank all of my family and friends for these amazing gifts. If I left anything out, it's because I'm drunk and really shouldn't be blogging at this ungodly hour.
Freeware is Happyware
While I'm on the topic of indie games (and drunk posting), everyone would really be doing a service to themselves by checking out Hero Core and REDDER. These are two of the best indie games I've played and they're both available for free.
Hero Core looks and sort of plays like an old Gameboy game, yet is one of the best games available that's built using Game Maker; while REDDER is a Flash game resembling something from the NES days, and is available to play on Newgrounds.
Maybe the reason I like both of them so much is that they remind me of Metroid II, which is the only Gameboy game I care about besides Wario Land II. Exloration is key and, although you can go anywhere at any time, it's important to hone your skills before tackling the tougher challenges. Exploration is really under-utilized in gaming these days, with some games literally drawing out or funneling you to where you need to go (Fable 2's golden trail, Metroid: Other M's locked doors). It's rare to find a new game that doesn't at least have waypoint markers, so to see a couple of games that are willing to set you loose with nothing but a little backstory is refreshing (if a little archaic).
Check them out and, if you're pleased with the quality of these two freeware games, you should also check out the Humble Indie Bundle to see what indie developers can do when they're actually paid for their work.
Left: Hero Core; Right: REDDER
Hero Core looks and sort of plays like an old Gameboy game, yet is one of the best games available that's built using Game Maker; while REDDER is a Flash game resembling something from the NES days, and is available to play on Newgrounds.
Maybe the reason I like both of them so much is that they remind me of Metroid II, which is the only Gameboy game I care about besides Wario Land II. Exloration is key and, although you can go anywhere at any time, it's important to hone your skills before tackling the tougher challenges. Exploration is really under-utilized in gaming these days, with some games literally drawing out or funneling you to where you need to go (Fable 2's golden trail, Metroid: Other M's locked doors). It's rare to find a new game that doesn't at least have waypoint markers, so to see a couple of games that are willing to set you loose with nothing but a little backstory is refreshing (if a little archaic).
Check them out and, if you're pleased with the quality of these two freeware games, you should also check out the Humble Indie Bundle to see what indie developers can do when they're actually paid for their work.
