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'You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?'
Ocean's 'Batman' trilogy couldn't be more different: The very first 'Batman' game, released in the year 1986, was an isometric 3D action-adventure in the style of 'Knight Lore' or 'Head over Heels' Batman's major task was to free the kidnapped Robin from the clutches of his two archenemies Joker and Riddler. To manage this, he had to find the parts of his equipment. Unfortunately, this game, which was simply called 'Batman', was only available for the home computers Amstrad CPC, Sinclair ZX Spectrum and MSX a planned C64 version has been cancelled...
Two years later, the successor 'Batman The Caped Crusader' a further action-adventure was released; but this time, the event was shown in a 2D side view. The program contains two independently episodes: In the first mission our hero had to thwart the Penguin's plans that bad guy tried to take over Gotham City with his army of robot penguins. In the second part, Batman had to find his sidekick Robin he was kidnapped by the Joker (somehow, this sounds familiar, doesn't it?). Besides, the supervillain had plastered the whole sewer system beneath the city with dynamite to blow up the whole town...
Also in 'The Caped Crusader', Batman made use of numerous items to complete the corresponding task. Unlike to the first part, he was also able to defend himself against the many enemies with blows and kicks moreover, his notorious 'Batarangs' served him as an effective weapon, too...
'Batmania...'
Finally, in autumn 1989, Ocean released the third and at the same time last 'Batman' program, which has been produced under the label of this company: 'Batman The Movie'. Of course, this title was the official game to the Tim Burton blockbuster of the very same year, starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger. Until today, 'Batman' is one of the most successful motion pictures: Although, it has been panned by the critics, it achieved a box-office gross of more than $400 million (in the year of 1989, this was an absolute record!) and even won an 'Academy Award' apart from the almost twenty years later released 'The Dark Knight', no other 'Batman' movie has got this coveted trophy...
...but the Ocean game enjoyed a great popularity, too...
Unlike to the first two 'Batman' titles, 'The Movie' offers the player no general gameplay instead of that, it's separated in five different levels, which are based on specific scenes of the film. So, let's take a more precise look at the several sections...
The title picture...
Level 1 The Axis Chemical Plant:
Napier: 'I say we break into the place, trash the office and make off with the records and say it was industrial espionage.'
Grissom: 'Jack! Smart thinking. Thats the way to go. In fact Id like you to handle this operation personally.'
Napier: 'Me?'
In this first level, Batman alias Bruce Wayne has to hinder Jack Napier (crime lord Carl Grissom's right-hand man) from blowing up the whole plant. Not an easy task, because numerous enemies populate the huge building. The gameplay of that section is similar to the one of Capcom's 'Bionic Commando' also here, the main character swings from platform to platform via grapple; Napier's henchmen will be put away with the notorious 'Batarangs'. Because you use the grapple permanently, the ladders, which appear here and there, are actually needless. Moreover, acid drops and escaping gas give our hero a hard time...
At last, we meet Jack Napier, who immediately starts firing at us a well-aimed throw with a 'Batarang' and he falls... and falls... and falls... straight into a vat filled with acid Jack Napier is dead, the Joker is born...
All hell has broken loose in the Axis Chemical Plant...
Level 2 Batmobile Chase:
Joker: 'Where does he get those wonderful toys?'
After they'd escaped the 'Flugelheim Museum', Batman and Vicki Vale race through the nightly streets of Gotham City aboard the 'Batmobile'. The event is shown in a top-down view and scrolls from the right to the left. Goal of this section is to reach the 'Batcave' within the time limit (by the way, the clock's ticking in each level). Certainly, youre not alone; many other road users are on the streets, too...
Similar to Sega's 'Crazy Taxi', an arrow points you the right way to the cave. By all means, the player should follow it, because if he doesn't, he runs the risk of being stopped by a police road block that results in energy loss. Speaking of energy: Like in many other games of this genre, the main character has an energy display at his disposal in the case of 'Batman The Movie' this is shown as a monochrome portrait of the hero. With each collision with an enemy sprite or a projectile, it turns more and more into Joker's face if he finally smiles at the player, one of the initial three lives is gone...
But let's get back to the level itself: Every now and then, exits appear at the top of the screen when the arrow faces upwards, you should push the fire button as fast as you can! Just like in the movie, now a grappling hook shoots out of the 'Batmobile' and wraps around the next lamppost. Hereupon, the black car disappears and immediately, the player finds himself on a new street section. To make things more difficult, the vehicle must be located in the upper area of the screen to guarantee a successful change of location...
When you finally have reached the 'Batcave', the next level follows...
Vicki on the passenger seat, Joker's mobsters breathing down the neck...
Level 3 Chemical Analysis in the Batcave:
Batman: 'The police have got it wrong. They're looking for one product. The Joker's tainted hundreds of chemicals at the source.'
Vicki: 'Then whole shipments of products would be poisoned. And we'd all be dead.'
Batman: 'No. The poison only works when the components are mixed. Hairspray won't do it alone. But hairspray mixed with lipstick and perfume will be toxic, and untraceable.'
Vicki: 'How did you figure this out?'
The following part of the game presents itself beyond any action it's a typical brainteaser: From a pool of several cosmetics, you've to find those, which will release the lethal poison 'Smylex' (if used together). After the maximal number of attempts, all three components must be detected...
'Seek and you shall find...'
Level 4 The Carnival:
Joker: 'And now comes the part where I relieve you, the little people of the burden of your failed and useless lives. But, as my plastic surgeon always said, 'If you got to go, go with a smile.''
After the short (but nevertheless relaxing) visit at the 'Batcave', it'll become more hectic again: Joker's plan to kill Gotham City's citizens with toxic gas during the town's 200th anniversary parade has to be thwarted by all means! By using his 'Batwing', Batman tries to avert the menacing catastrophe...
All-around there are parade floats the balloons, which contain the lethal gas, are tied to them. The presentation of this section is similar to the second level: The setting is shown in a slanted perspective and the 'Batwing' flies from the left to the right, while the balloons float up and down. The player has to wait for the right moment to cut the ropes of the balloons with the front of the aircraft next, these rise into the nightly sky of Gotham City. But if you collide with one of the numerous balloons, it explodes and you lose valuable energy...
When you've mastered this mission, the final showdown between Batman and his archenemy Joker takes place in the...
Balloons as far as the eye can see...
Level 5 Gotham City Cathedral:
Batman: 'You killed my parents.'
Joker: 'What? What are you talking about?'
Batman: 'I made you, you made me first.'
Joker: 'Hey, bat-brain, I was a kid when I killed your parents. When I say I made you, you gotta say you made me. How childish can you get? You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses on, would you?'
After Joker has taken Vicki Vale hostage, he escapes with her into the cathedral of Gotham City immediately, Batman chases after them! The following section turns out to be a spin-off of the first level. Also here, you've to swing from platform to platform and throw the bad guys off the track. The only difference lies in the design of the graphics: This time, the backgrounds consist of Gothic windows, crosses, pews and stairs (just like in a real cathedral) instead of steaming pipes, boilers and ladders. However, the spiked floors represent a new element somehow the player has to evade these obstacles...
After Batman has reached the roof of the cathedral, the final face-off between him and Joker takes place well, maybe not the coward tries to fly away with a helicopter. The Dark Knight has to do everything in his power to stop the mad villain from escaping again...
'The higher you climb, the farther you fall...'
Ocean's 'Batman The Movie' is a quite tasty genre cocktail however, without the extreme popular 'Batman' franchise (as well as the hype of the motion picture) it probably wouldn't have sold so well! But in consideration of the fact, that there are much worse 'movie tie-in games' out there, the program comes off well...
Joker: 'I've been dead once already. It's very liberating. You should think of it as a therapy.'
Grissom: 'Jack, listen. Maybe we can cut a deal.'
Joker: 'Jack? Jack is dead, my friend. You can call me... Joker. And as you can see I'm a lot happier.'
Downloads: Music, Advert 2, Advert 3
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| GRAPHICS - 7/10 |
In terms of the graphics, this license title is definitely an above-average game: The several settings of the original motion picture (the chemical plant, the streets of Gotham City as well as the cathedral) were drawn quite well. However, it's incomprehensible why both the 'Batmobile' and the 'Batwing' section differ in their presentation from the 16 bit versions! So, the game loses much of its charm on the Amiga/ST the player has the feeling that he's in the thick of things, because of the used third-person view! The very good conversions of Sega's 'Power Drift' and 'Turbo Out Run' coin-ops give proof of the fact, that a port of the 3D parts would have been definitely within the bounds of possibility even on the weaker C64 hardware! In this regard, Ocean was very sloppy at least in my opinion. A further letdown is the awkward animation of the masked hero in the first and fifth level but to be fair, I've to say, that this applies to the 16 bit versions, too! The horizontal and vertical scrolling, again, is superb! By the way, the title picture of the C64 version is based on the cover art of the film's comic adaption...
| | SOUND - 7/10 |
Just like the graphics of the game, the music is of an above-average quality, too. Unlike to license games like e.g. 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade', 'Back to the Future II' or 'The Spy who loved me', the original soundtrack by Danny Elfman can't be heard in 'Batman The Movie' though, the background tunes, composed by Matthew Canon, represent a good alternative. On the other hand, the sfx are very poor...
| | PLAYABILITY - 9/10 |
Whether on foot, in the cockpit of the 'Batmobile' and the 'Batwing' respectively or in front of the analysis computer at the 'Batcave' the control of the game is very good; in each one of the five sections. The loading times are short and the degree of difficulty is well-balanced, too...
| | OVERALL - 7/10 |
With 'Batman The Movie', Ocean has produced a really good movie adaption however, the program can't hold a candle to the in-house masterpiece 'The Untouchables'! But unlike to that title, the gameplay isn't just limited to wild shoot-outs Batman's mission against the Joker is far more diversified than Eliot Ness' crusade against crime lord Al Capone...
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| COVER |
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