Batman: Vengeance Preview

It's been some time since we last checked in on Ubi Soft's PlayStation 2 Batman game, which is based on Warner Bros' New Adventures of Batman cartoon series, so we recently spent some time with a final build of the game to give you our early impressions.

Like Acclaim's Batman & Robin for the PlayStation, Batman Vengeance provides you with numerous abilities, gadgets, and gameplay modes to properly put you into the role of Batman. The default setup places you in control of Batman from a third-person perspective, and you can jump, climb, and glide around inside your environment.

When you get into a fight, the game shifts into a 2D/3D fighting mode until you've knocked your opponent unconscious (and then you handcuff him for the police so that he can't get back up). You begin with a basic punch and kick, but you learn special moves as the game progresses. The game rewards button mashing early on, but mastering the special moves is important to your survival farther in. The combat isn't as gripping as in a dedicated fighting game, but that's understandable since it's not the game's main focus. Based on what we've played so far, the mode is more fun than in other games that have tried incorporating fighting elements.

A flashing batgrapple icon appears next to your life bar if you need to access an area high above you or far across a street. You then shift into a first-person view, select the batgrapple from your arsenal of items, aim at the provided target, and fire to transport yourself there. You also flip into the first-person mode to fire batarangs and other targeted weapons at opponents. Again, this mode isn't as polished as one of a dedicated first-person shooter, but it doesn't seem hastily thrown together either. You're able to strafe and aim up or down easily and quickly.

The default control is set so that the square and X buttons punch and kick and the triangle button is the all-purpose "use" control. Press the triangle button near a door, and you open the door. Press it near a ladder, and Batman runs up the ladder without any further prompting. Press it and direct Batman against a wall, and he flattens out against it to avoid detection, as in Activision's Tenchu. The camera follows you after a short lag and can be centered behind you with the push of the R1 button. Having the ability to rotate the camera as in Eidos' Soul Reaver series and having the camera constantly centered behind you would be nice, but the camera seems to be acceptable most of the time.

As Seen On TV

Keeping up with all the varying control schemes and gadgets can take a bit of getting used to, but they're explained to you quite well, between a helpful introduction sequence that you play while the game's credits roll in the background, a tutorial sequence in the batcave, and captions that appear throughout until everything has been covered. Time will tell whether the constant flipping between different modes works well or becomes tedious. At this point, the variety that the game provides seems quite nice.

The game's graphics look like what you'd expect from a polygonal 3D representation of Paul Dini and Bruce Timm's excellently styled cartoon series. Gotham City is fashioned in a dark, art deco feel, and all the characters have a look that's a mix of comic artists Jack Kirby and Alex Toth. The environments can seem somewhat sparse at times, but it plays play into the look of the TV show. Many of the sound effects and bits of the soundtrack were taken from the series, and several of the show's voice actors worked on the game.

We spent several hours with Batman: Vengeance and got in several levels (each level is broken up into a number of smaller sections), but there are several big questions remaining--questions that we won't be able to answer until we play through the entire game. The first question: How workable will the camera be throughout? In one section where you have to jump across cryonic chambers floating above electrified water, the camera is a real problem, but it hasn't been otherwise. Another question: How hard will the game be in the end? In the beginning, the game's difficulty level is somewhat forgiving. It appears to be getting slightly harder, but we'll have to see if it becomes sufficiently challenging now that all the many controls and modes have finally been explained. And the final question, as mentioned before: Will the many different modes be a hindrance or a help?

The game is currently planned for release on October 23, and you can expect to see those questions answered in our review posted right before or on that date. At this point, the game is looking like it'll be the best Batman game ever made. Considering the low quality of Batman games that we've seen in the past, that might not be considered significant praise, but it's safe to say that this game has taken better advantage of the excellent source material than any Batman game yet.