When Bruce Timm and Paul Dini brought the world of Batman into animated form on Fox Kids, they took the first tentative steps toward a massive animated universe. Along with The Simpsons, it changed expectations for animated shows during the ’90s, paving the way for more sophisticated, adult-oriented works.
Even years after the series’ conclusion in 1999, his legacy lives on in various other Batman adaptations and tie-in media. There are plenty of titles based on the caped crusader and his acclaimed animated series and original titles that capture the feel of the show.
10 Batman: The Animated Series Gave Fans Some Handheld Fun
Like its portable Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles titles, Konami got it right when it came to the Game Boy adaptation of Bruce Timm’s animated series. Even with its monochrome color scheme and 8-bit limitations, the game does a valiant job of capturing the feel of the source material while providing a genuinely fun title.
The gameplay is heavily based on Sunsoft’s excellent NES title Batman, as players run, punch, and jump walls to protect Gotham City. Read also : It’s OK to Cry: Top 10 Most Tragic Deaths in Video Games. New to this title is the addition of the hero’s famous grappling hook for seamless platforming.
9 The Adventures Of Batman & Robin Is The Best Game Adaption Of The Show
Konami’s action platformer for the Super Nintendo is the title that came closest to the look of the series with sublime 16-bit interpretations of Shirley Walker’s haunting score and highly detailed sprite work. Additionally, players had access to the costumed hero’s martial arts moves and wondrous toys as they took on his iconic rogues gallery.
The levels sported a fair amount of variety, with one asking players to evade traps in a dark museum and another forbidding them from harming civilians while under the influence of the Scarecrow’s fear toxin. This may interest you : 10 challenging video games anyone can learn to beat.
8 Telltale’s Batman Deconstructed The Mythos
Telltale’s formula established in its The Walking Dead titles was starting to stretch a bit, and DC’s famed hero was starting to get a bit over-saturated when this title was announced. See the article : 15 Biggest Video Games Releasing In Summer 2022 – Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Out Now. However, Telltale overcame the fatigue with some clever twists on the mythos, creating a more mature and morally ambiguous narrative.
The game did a dark deconstruction of Thomas Wayne and depicted a more vulnerable and humanized version of the Joker years before Joaquin Phoenix played the character. It’s a title that definitely deserves a look from Batman fans.
7 Mark Of The Ninja Makes Their Foes Fear The Darkness
Featuring a sleek cartoon art style and intuitive stealth mechanics, Mark of the Ninja draws many comparisons to the caped crusader’s Arkham titles. Klei Entertainment’s resume of titles such as the Shank and Don’t Starve games showcase the studio’s talent for creating fun titles with a distinctive visual identity.
Like the first, Mark of the Ninja is incredibly graphic in its depiction of violence, which tends to be at odds with the game’s cartoonish aesthetic. However, fans who can get past this will find the platformer cathartic and atmospheric.
6 Batman Returns Perfectly Captured The Look And Sound Of the Burton Film
Like Konami’s other SNES title starring The Dark Knight, Batman Returns perfectly captured the look, sound, and feel of the source material. Jun Funahashi and Harumi Ueko do justice to Danny Elfman’s phenomenal score, while Bo Welch’s timeless art direction is faithfully recreated on 16-bit hardware.
The game consisted of beat ’em up levels broken up by occasional platforming challenges. Of course, the great controls and great addition of Bat’s utility belt made it a great action title. The only drawback was the lack of multiplayer. Still, fans shouldn’t pass up the chance to check out this cart.
5 Sunsoft’s Batman Is The Best Game Based On The Films
Sunsoft’s side-scrolling action title based on the Tim Burton film did a phenomenal job of capturing the pitch-black look of the source material while providing a solid title on its own merits. With Ryu Hayabusa’s acrobatic prowess and nearly as many gadgets as Mega Man, controlling the caped crusader was fun and responsive.
Fans of the film may be put off by some of the liberties the game took, such as the hero’s use of firearms and throwing Joker to his death. However, gamers who can look further will find one of the best action titles on the Nintendo Entertainment System.
4 The Sly Cooper Games Stole Players’ Hearts
Sucker Punch’s sleek stealth-platformer hybrid is perfect for fans of the 90’s Caped Crusader series. Sly Cooper games put players in control of the eponymous thief and his crew as they loot loot from a wide variety of colorful and bombastic villains.
Like Batman TAS, they sport a vibrant comic book art style mixed with little film noir touches. While the gentleman thief is on the other side of the law, Sly only goes after other criminals because he thinks it’s not a sport to steal from good people. He even has a rival/love interest who is heavily inspired by detective Rene Montoya.
3 That Goes Double For Persona 5
From its visually striking visual style to its upbeat and energetic soundtrack, Atlus’ Persona 5 stimulates many of the senses. Players take on the role of a criminal named Joker and his group of disenfranchised friends. During the day, they are just normal schoolchildren, but at night, they are a group known as the Phantom Hearts Thieves.
Your goal is to steal the corrupted hearts of the wicked. In addition to sporting a stylish comic book look, there are plenty of references to the caped crusader, such as the fictional film The Cake Knight Rises and Ann Takamaki’s Catwoman-esque alter ego.
2 Viewtiful Joe Provided A Red Hot Shot In The Action Platforming Arm
Featuring an animated cel-shading art style that blends sentai manga with American superhero comics, Hideki Kamiya’s Viewtiful Joe remains quite engaging even decades after its initial release in 2003. This 2D fighting game proved to be just as much fun. as elegant, with a cathartic combat system and some creative puzzles that used the abilities of the hero.
While a trilogy was promised, Joe only saw one sequel and two spin-offs before hanging up the V-clock, seemingly forever. With a timeless graphic style and quality gameplay, Batman fans would do well in “henshin a-go-go”.
1 The Batman Arkham Series Transcended Their Source Material
Rocksteady managed to deliver the definitive Batman game franchise with the Arkham series. Its blend of stealth, combat, and exploration combined to create a fun gameplay experience, regardless of players’ love of the source material.
Many of the games even incorporated the same writing team and vocal talent from the series with Paul Dini penning the first two titles and Kevin Conroy reprising his role as The Dark Knight in the Rocksteady trilogy. Comic book fans were also pleased with how the games showcased each of the Bats rogues with Mark Hamill earning several accolades for his performance as The Joker.
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