Retro Game Review: Batman on NES

Read more...

I've actually never played this Batman game, but am stoked to see a retro-video game review.

Josh, I know you're exploring NES titles...is there a specific type you're looking to play? Ever play Crystalis? Sort of a post apoc Zelda. I'm curious what others here think of it.

Batman was made by Sunsoft so it has the same flaws as other Sunsoft titles on the NES: it gets punishingly difficult really quickly and there aren't any continues, restarting at the beginning of the level or passwords, when you're out of lives you have to start the entire game over. Other Sunsoft games that fit that description are Fester's Quest (which is the only game I've ever played where, in addition to weapon upgrades, enemies drop weapon downgrades(!)), Journey to Silius, Blaster Master and Gremlins 2. Other NES games were guilty of this (Abbadox, the first TMNT game, etc.) and it was a quick and easy method for making otherwise short games take longer to complete.

I might try to finish Batman some day but only with an emulator so I can save between levels. I don't have the time for that brand of punitive horseshit anymore. Castlevania had it right. As hard as it could be, you still always started at the beginning of the level once you lost all your lives.

Batman has unlimited continues.

My memory about this one is how good it's looking with very limited color palette. It's using black spaces so damn good, it feels so batman. And leaping off walls? Batman! It's actually slow enough to both feel methodical and batman-like.

Josh Look wrote: Batman has unlimited continues.

Oh, okay, that's not so bad, then. I haven't played it in years (obviously...). I love watching the Batman speed runs - both tool assisted and Awesome Games Done Quick - and the music is ridiculously good, I just never owned it so it's one I never got good at.

Mr. White wrote: I've actually never played this Batman game, but am stoked to see a retro-video game review.

Josh, I know you're exploring NES titles...is there a specific type you're looking to play? Ever play Crystalis? Sort of a post apoc Zelda. I'm curious what others here think of it.

Glad to see a few folks into retro game reviews on here. I want to do one a month, so there'll be more to come.

I think Crystalis is great! Definitely one of the underdogs of the NES. I never had it as a kid, but I did play it on an emulator years ago and I picked a physical cartridge of it a few months back.

My retro game collection all over the place. There's not much I'm not exploring (except for JRPGs because I by and large can't stand them, especially older grindy ones). Games I can score-chase with are especially up my alley.

Sunsoft games on the NES are known for a their excellent controls, high level of difficultly, amazing music, and nice level of polish. As a third party developer on the NES they released some awesome stuff. Batman is probably their best effort though.

Games back then would flat out copy other popular games in hopes of matching their success. While this is still a problem in the modern era it was practically an epidemic back in the 8 bit days. Batman is essentially Sunsoft's take on Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden. The main influence being the wall jumping mechanics. In Batman the wall jumping is paramount to your success. If you can't master that wall jump there are parts towards the end you simply won't be able to get past. The wall jump still makes it feel like a Batman game though. It adds this extra layer to the platforming and it feels right. Honestly, I think this game is better than Ninja Gaiden. Ninja Gaiden's last level is so brutal and unfair with it's constantly respawning enemies and upon dying it forces you to replay MULTIPLE stages. Batman does have unlimited continues and if you chip away at it you can at least keep making progress.

Also, that fucking music is SO GOOD. Modern videogames can't touch the NES/SNES/GEN era of music. Speaking of the Genesis...Sunsoft ported this game to that console. It follows the movie more and is MUCH easier. This version they seemed to have copied another ninja game...Shinobi. It's a solid game, but I think the NES version is more of a classic.

I love Sunsoft games, though they are so difficult! Super Spy Hunter is great, for example, really like that game.

Gimmick! is also one of the NES' best platformers, I really recommend it.