You know back in the day Sini really toughed it out and wrote a few really great reviews for games that I have to admit I could barely force myself to play, along with a couple for some really great games too. I considered pulling down the old website awhile back, just did not see much purpose in it, since people tended to only go to it for the schematic for the Sony 1145 svid mod I had on there these days. Now I am glad I didn't. Going to copy paste them here for current and future members to enjoy.
Batman:
While Genesis received a popular action platformer- the Pc-engine Batman title (on
hucard) by Sunsoft was instead an action puzzle more akin to Cratermaze or Skweek.
At first glance- or on paper- this could seem pretty lame- but the execution is anything
but. A good amount of work went into this.
One of the cool things is how closely the plot follows that of the first Tim Burton movie
starring Michael Keaton- even though the overall gameplay is easy enough to figure out-
it’s broken up into four different missions that mirror the movie’s plotline. The first 12 stages
involve ridding Gotham City of the Joker’s poisonous Smilex products. The second batch of
12 stages involve Batman cleaning up the paintings in the museum that was damaged by the
Joker and his goons. The third set of stages have Batman cutting loose the poisonous balloons
that the Joker plans to let loose at his parade on Gotham City. The fourth batch sees Batman
setting up explosives to do away with the Joker’s hideout. There is a fifth and final area too set
at the top of the Cathedral where Batman must battle two of the Joker’s goons and then Joker
himself.
You start with a limited amount of guys with the ability to gain more by racking up points- a
good way to get points is to stun goons with your batarang and then to collar them while
stunned- but they don’t stay stunned for too long so be careful. Aside from how the goons
look- there are seven types of enemies in the entire game. There are A) the slow goons which
prove no challenge, B) the goons that suddenly quicken up when they see Batman, C) the
goons that are constantly quick, D) the goons that stand and shoot, E) the henchman in the last
stage that utilizes a spinning cannonball attack, F) The goon preceding the Joker and G) the Joker himself.
The only other obstacles to watch out for are the time limit and the occasional van on the street sections (don’t mind the walk/don’t walk signs- they’ll get you killed). Powerups include speed shoes, a "bomb" that will clear all enemies (they respawn quickly however), additional time, momentary invincibility, batarang throwing length, and multiple batarangs. In some levels there are portals that bring you to other areas; all in all the maze aspect of the game really isn’t that difficult-but there is a password feature should you find it challenging.
The music is excellent- the best I’ve heard for this type of game- there’s several tunes and
they’re appropriately moody (one tune in particular better than the others). The graphics also are the best I’ve seen- on the system at least- for this type of game. Colors are dark blues, blacks,
grays and purples- perfectly setting the mood of the world inhabited by Batman and Joker. The great surprise of this game however is the beautifully detailed cutscenes (rare for a pce chip game) between the sets of 12 stages that echo scenes from the movie.
They are certainly the best chip cutscenes I’ve seen from the time (watch the light ripples on the Batmobile’s front windows as it rolls forward with guns blazing) - which show exactly how much work went into this game.
If you’re a fan of the Bombermans, Cratermaze, Gomola Speed, Skweek, Splash Lake- basically
any of these overhead action puzzlers- or of Batman in general- then this one’s a no-brainer. It’s
easily one of the better action puzzlers on hucard (not as great as Bomberman 93 & 94 but better
than Cratermaze, Skweek) and a cool addition to your pc-engine collection. On the cons side it is
when it boils down to it just a trumped up version of Pac-man- but Pac-man at its core was always
one of the most addictive video-game experiences. If you do decide it’s your bag- just don’t spend
too much on it- on a good day you can find it for relatively cheap online.
Score: 7.5/10 review by Sinistron
