Batman is inarguably one of the most iconic comic book characters of all time. The character has an unparalleled aura and to be fair is much harder to replicate. Even a great written and developed superhero is dull without solid supervillains. Caped Crusader has an impressive variety of supervillains who give him a great challenge.
Multiple game publishers have tried their hands at developingvideo games based on “World’s Best Detective”. Some have missed the ball. However, multiple developers have just hit the ball out of the park by delivering players truly some of the best superhero games.
Christopher Nolan set the stage for his iconic Dark Knight trilogy withBatman Begins,which cemented Christian Bale as one of the best Batman fans have ever got. Besides that, this origin story was also very interesting. Thus, EA and WB decided to craft a video game based on this story with some minor tweaks.
The game follows the same plot and also features clips from the original movies as the cutscenes. Every actor and actress also gave their voices to their respective characters, which made the gaming experience more real-like. However, the game was overlooked by many for multiple reasons, such as bland gameplay, lack of actual curiosity, lack of linearity, etc. Despite that, it is still a decent play that Batman fans give a try.
The Lego video gameshas been very interestingly entertaining. Banking on this, WB Interactive Entertainment with TT Fusion introduced theLego Batmanvideo game series. With 2 enjoyable entries in the series,Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gothamfeatured a more interesting plot featuring Brainiac as the main antagonist.
With the involvement of such a villain, the threat is also bigger, with this time the Justice League battling to save the Earth. While doing so, they also make a deal with the devils in Joker and the Legion Of Doom. The game also featured some new modes, which makes this installment much better than the last ones. All in all, it is a great, goofy and light-hearted game that players should definitely give a try to take a break from other darker Batman games.
Batman Arkham Originswas the third entry in the already adoredBatman Arkham series. The game takes players back in time when Bruce was still learning to be Batman. It features a good chunk of Batman’s nemesis backed by some interesting boss battles. The events of the game take place on the day of Christmas, so the environment feels very aesthetic with the whole of Gotham covered in snow.
Batman Arkham Originstouches upon how the rivalry between The Dark Knight and Joker starts and how Gordon becomes one of the most reliable allies. Many players claim the game to be quite underrated. However, the story has some plotholes and the traveling is also sometimes tedious.
Batman: The Telltale Seriestakesa different take on The Dark Knight’s video gameand brings fans interactive storytelling that focuses more on detective skills. One of the unique things that the game offers is it lets players decide if they want to approach a situation like Bruce Wayne or Batman. The decisions that players make at every point dictate the later events that they will deal with.
The plot follows a more grounded storyline, with Gotham slowly witnessing its downfall at the hands of criminals from Arkham Asylum and the Penguin.Batman: The Telltale Seriesis split into 5 episodes, each encompassing the layers of the story and makes players stick to the game. The animation of the game is quite unique and players can surely appreciate it.
Rocksteady gave bid adieu to theBatman Arkham serieswith its last entry,Arkham Knight.The game has a major graphics upgrade compared to its predecessor,Arkham Origins.In ArkhamKnight,fans finally get to drive the Batmobile. The driving mechanics are great and using this big tank in a fight is very mesmerizing. However, with time, these Batmobile battles feel less fun and more of a chore.
Now coming to the story, it takes after the events of ArkhamCityand shows how calm and cozy Gotham now is until Scarecrow, along with The Dark Knight, takes over the city and makes it hell for the innocents. Since Caped Crusader knew his time was about to come, he shares some real heart-felt moments with his allies, such as Nightwing, Robin (Tim Drake), Alfred, etc. It also showcases the psychological tussle Batman is going through after the events ofArkham City. The game also features a number of jump scares too. The story sometimes feels slow and could have been better. However, it still holds up.
WB played a gamble on Rocksteady withBatman Arkham Asylum, andthey hit the ball out of the park.Arkham Asylumwas a monumental game in its genre that dictated thecombat style in numerous games. The game takes place in the popular Arkham Asylum, where numerous foes of The Dark Knight are held down. Everything goes south after Joker takes control of the island by deceiving Batman.
Joker was already planning something big, and in his pursuit to take back control, Batman fights many villains, such as Bane, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, etc. Out of these, his battle with Scarecrow stands out. The only downside to this game is that the final boss fight with the Joker is extremely underwhelming. However, everything till the end is very entertaining.
Batman Arkham Cityis a true masterpiece by Rocksteady. This is where the Arkham series peaked, and made its place in the hearts of all Batman fans. It continues the story from the events ofArkham Asylum.Arkham Asylum’s warden, Quincy Sharp, shifts all the inmates from this island and Blackgate prison to the slums of Gotham and turns this area into an immense prison enclosure known as Arkham City.
After Bruce Wayne is thrown into Arkham City, he starts his investigation into what actually is going on and what Arkham City’s in-charge, Hugo Strange, is planning. While doing so, he crosses paths with the Joker once again and, from here, the story has 2 main plots. In addition, players also have to play as the Catwoman for certain missions, which adds a unique flavour to it and extra Riddler’s Trophies. The boss battles are also very unique, such as one involving using different tactics that previous ones players pulled off won’t work.
