Batman: Dark Tomorrow Preview
Kemco's gritty Batman game for the GameCube is based upon the comic books and features a twisting plot, plenty of gameplay variety, and lots of gadgets. Read our hands-on report.
Superhero games have had a bad rap. But it's not like the criticism has been unjustified. Countless comic book cash-ins have been released over the years, with only a smattering of quality releases to speak of. The most recent Spider-Man games based on the movies and Ubi Soft's Batman games from last year are a step in the right direction, and Kemco's upcoming Batman: Dark Tomorrow looks to build on this momentum by delivering a dark, gritty game that will do the comic book incarnation of the Dark Knight justice.
Gotham has fallen on hard, chaotic times. With gang wars raging across the city and delinquents battling for control, Batman has never been needed as much as he is now. Just when the caped crusader has jumped into the fray to clean up the mess, Commissioner Gordon disappears. As luck would have it, the infamous lockup for Gotham's worst degenerates, Arkham Asylum, has been locked down with no way in. It's up to Batman to decipher the clues and find out how these seemingly unrelated events are connected to each other, which will lead him to uncover a much larger issue that threatens humanity as a whole.
Batman: Dark Tomorrow's gameplay is interesting in that it's unlike that of any previous games featuring the caped crusader. Batman takes up his usual role of crime-fighting detective, but to solve the mystery he'll have to use hand-to-hand combat, stealth maneuvers, and a wealth of gadgetry from the confines of his utility belt. Moving Batman is accomplished with the analog stick, and the control scheme mirrors that of Resident Evil. In other words, pushing up always makes Batman walk forward, holding left or right on the stick makes him pivot in the appropriate direction, and holding down will cause him to walk backward. But unlike in the Resident Evil games, Batman can jump up to higher areas using the B button. In the latest version of the game we played, control was still a bit loose, and it sometimes seemed to have a mind of its own. But with so much time left in development, this will undoubtedly be cleared up.
The melee combat is easy to grasp, but you'll have to master some of Batman's gadgets to be effective. One of the best tactics to use involves the batcuffs. To beat up thugs you simply tap the A button. Batman will then perform a series of punches and kicks that will knock the baddies to the ground. Once they're on the ground, you can switch to Batman's batcuffs with the directional pad and subdue the enemies for good by pressing the X button. At the top right corner of the screen is a map that looks and functions very similarly to the map in the Metal Gear series. Enemies are depicted as dots. Red dots represent enemies that are still freely walking around, while yellow dots are enemies that have been incapacitated with the batcuffs. Normally, the best tactic is to cuff enemies right away, regardless of how many other thugs are surrounding Batman. Of course, if you'd like some breathing room, you can always drop a smoke capsule that will leave the enemies dazed and confused. If the smoke capsule isn't enough or enemies are firing guns at Batman, you can hold the R button to bring up Batman's cape for protection and watch as the bullets bounce off of it. Holding the R button and moving the analog stick in the appropriate direction will cause Batman to sidestep or perform backflips to get out of sticky situations.
As you might expect from a game bearing the Batman name, being stealthy is an important part of the detective work. While exploring, Batman has a wealth of control options at his disposal to help him go undetected. When approaching a wall a simple tap of the L button will cause him to place his back against the wall. You can then move Batman to the edge of the wall and peek around the corner for enemies. When Batman is out in the open, pressing the Z button will cause him to tiptoe. Then it's up to you to guide him behind enemies where you'll tap the A button to subdue them. You can also make Batman get down on his hands and knees and crawl through tight spaces such as air ducts by pressing the Z button twice. While in the crouched position, tapping the B button will cause him to perform a roll.
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