- Release Date: October 17, 2001
- Genre: Action
- Style: Third-Person 3D Action
- Similar Games: Spider-Man (PlayStation 2), Superman: Shadow of Apokolips (PlayStation 2)
Game Description
The Joker is on the prowl again, terrorizing the grim streets of Gotham City with his maniacal treats and tricks. His latest scheme has him kidnapping a young boy and holding him for a five million-dollar ransom. The only hero brave, smart and strong enough to combat the clown prince of crime is, of course, the Dark Knight. But as Batman delves further into the Joker's tangled web, he'll find that the jolly maniac isn't the only super villain tied up in things. He'll also meet old nemeses, such as Poison Ivy,Batman: Vengeance is based on
Batman: Vengeance is primarily a third-person action game, putting the player's view behind Batman's back as he patrols the various locales of Gotham City in search of clues and villains. The game is broken up into four different worlds, and those worlds are divided into 19 primarily linear missions. In addition to the third-person levels, there are a number of mini-games spread throughout Batman: Vengeance, in which you'll be able to drive the Batmobile, fly through Gotham's skies in the Batwing, and even drop in on villains through the air.
In addition to a simple fighting system that includes punches, kicks, and special moves that Batman learns over the course of the game, there are several other movement and attack options players have at their disposal. Batman can use his cape to glide down from high areas and has full access to his utility belt, which he can access by a special menu. The utility belt offers items such as batarangs and flash bombs to use against the many opponents he will face over the course of the game.
~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Superhero games, like any games built around a licensed property, are often poor representations of their source material, mostly due to publishers who believe a product will sell on name alone. Batman fans have long been starved for a decent game based on the Dark Knight, and while Batman: Vengeance doesn't deliver the end-all-be-all of superhero titles, it's faithful enough to the series to impress most fans.Batman: Vengeance is a third-person action game broken up with a number of arcade-like mini-games. While the game is linear and rarely incorporates one of the best aspects of Batman's character -- the actual art of hunting down clues and solving mysteries with brainpower -- it still exudes the personality of the Dark Knight. The story, which isn't the most compelling Batman tale ever told, will at least hold players' interest and is better crafted than most video game plots.
The game is based on an animated series, and in look and feel, it re-creates the atmosphere perfectly. The characters are simple, angled, and look very much like their counterparts from the show, and their voices are spot on. The models are simplistic, but their firm lines and bold, primary colors create an appropriately cartoon-like impression. Thankfully, this doesn't mean that the game looks childish. It is every bit as dark and grim as the Dark Knight should be in his current form, resurrected from the campy '60s television show.
The third-person fighting system embedded in Batman: Vengeance is easy to get the hang of and more entertaining than it probably deserves to be. Batman can use some simple combos to fight the villains of Gotham, and the controls respond well to the onscreen actions. In addition, the super combos players acquire through the course of the game are impressive and entertaining to watch. It is also nice that you have access to many familiar utility belt items. The only problem is that these items must be accessed via a sub-menu, meaning the gameplay is often broken up as players scramble to switch weapons.
The addition of the mini-games is a welcome diversion, as they serve to break up the game and keep it from becoming too stagnant over the course of 19 levels. The mini-games are very arcade-oriented, meaning there's little depth to any of them. Of course, that doesn't mean they aren't fun to play. The segment where you take control of the Batmobile is particularly visceral and entertaining.
Ultimately, Batman: Vengeance is hampered by its linear nature and lack of mental challenge, but the game is still heads and shoulders above all other Batman titles released in the last few years. Those looking for an entertaining action game as well as those who are huge fans of the Dark Knight will definitely get a kick out of the experience.
~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
While the game is extremely linear, the gameplay itself is fun and occasionally rich. The mini-games help spruce the title up around the edges.~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
While the graphics are not complicated or overly flashy, they do adhere to a strict, vivid interpretation of the character that elicits the darker moods of the series with great success.~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
The music is primarily orchestrated, and has been ported straight out of the series. It adds an extra layer of atmosphere that is quite welcome.~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
{%Batman} fans will probably find longer life in this title than the casual fan, but it is so easy to play that you'll be able to give it at least a few play-throughs before it is lost forever in the stacks.~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
The instruction manual is functional, and illustrates the important points of the game with sufficient detail.~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Production Credits
Company 1: Ubi Soft Entertainment; Executive Producer: Alain Tascan; Producer: Reid Schneider, Jean Massicotte; Associate Producer: Roxanne Gosselin; Planning Coordinator: Eric Pépin; Production Assistant: Danielle Lajoie; Scriptwriter: Jt Petty; Lead Game Designer: Pierre Rivest; Game Designer: Ghris Ferriera, Marc-André Deblois, Patrick Melanson, Martin Raymond; Lead Programmer: Stéphane Morichère-Matte; Engine Programmer: Dominic Guay, Mathieu Laforce; Collaboration: David Genest, Patrick Béland, Frédéric Blais, Guillaume Borgia, Rima Brek, Mélanie Leclaire, Jean-Sebastien Pelletier, Éric Allard, Nicolas Beaudette, Rachel Potvin; Intern Programmer: Eric Thiffeault, François Schelling, Jean-Francois Aubin; Console Programmer: Martin Sévigny, Jean-François Dubé, Christian Desautels, David Lapointe, Joël Trembely; 3d Tools: Antoine Dodens, Hugo Allaire, Nathalie Dubois, Jerome Lasserre, Yannick Létourneau, Li Sheng Yong; Sound Tools: Pascal Lalancette, Alexandre Carlotti, Jean-François Guay, Christian Lachance, Richard Malo, Marc-Olivier Riel, Stéphane Ronse; Animation Tools: Bernard Lefebvre, Simon Drouin, Sébastien Lahaie; Mechanic Tools: Jean-François Vallée; Content Programmers: Ariel Gauthier, Chris Gripoes, Eric Kiander, Richard Dumas, Yannick Joly, Yannick Mimmee, Francis Boivin; Content Programmer Intern: Eric Baillargeon, David Gendron, Frederic Marsolais; Lead Modeler: Jean-Sébastien Morin; Art Director-Modeling: Hugo Dallaire; Assistant Art Director-Modeling: Stéphane Belin; Technical Director-Modeling: Carol Bertrand, Christian Sirois; Modeler: Eric Poulin, Isabelle Tremblay, Marjolaine Allie, Mathieu Fectau, Sébastien Beaulieu, Zander Reyna; Lead Animator: Joseph Nasrallah, François Royer, Martin Caya; Art Director: Alex Drouin; Technical Director Animation: Alex Vinet; Animators: James Humphreys, Jonathan Dumont, Marc-André Caron, Steve Dupont; Animator: Bourbaki Joseph, Patrick Pelletier, Steve Dupont, Suzane Labreque, Clint Lewis, Allan Treitz, Antonin Plante, Bryan Theberge, François Còté, Jamie Helman, Jean Thierry Roy; 2d Graphic Artist: Marjolaine Allie; 2D Artist: Patrick Dauphinais; Rtc Director: Valérie Pouyanne; Storyboarder: Wayne Murray; Rtc Intergrator: Jonathan "Darkage" Gosselin; Lead Localization Integrator: Henry Stopek; Data Manager: Francis Trembley, Justina Wang; Lead Tester: Bruno "Bat-Duck" Bellavance; Tester: Max Bricault, Natasha Bouchard, Eric St-Jean, Jean-François Dupuis, Stéphane Charbonneau, Martin Tavernier, Ludovic Murat, Antoine Thisdale, Sébastien Hébert, Patrick Bouffard, Dominic Colabelli, Frédéric Ouellet, David Goyette, Bruno Saint-Laurent; Audio Design: Nicholas Duveau; Sound Director: Noemie Dupuy; Sound Project Manager: Jeremi Valiquette; Administrative Manager: Frederique Carbou; Composer: Shawn K. Clement; Performer: Shawn K. Clement; Lead Sound Engineer: Simon Pressey; 2nd Sound Engineer: Olivier Germain, George Pelelkoudis; Sound Effects: Josue Beaucage; Foley Artistic Director: Josue Beaucage; Foley Artist: Tchae Measroch; Foley Engineer: Shawn Gallagher; Sound Editor: Luc Préfontaine, Dominic Cabana, Andres Norembuena; Sound Post-Production Manager: Nicholas Grimwood; Sound Post-Production Team: Martin Berthiaume, Daran Nadra; Music Publishing: Didier Lord, Julie Lachance; Director: Laurent Jennet; Production Supervisor: Marianne Souliez; Production Manager: Eric Pépin, Sophie Penziki; Assistant Director: Valérie Pouyanne; Director of Modelling: Emile Ghorayeb; Artist: Arman Akopian, Charles Beirnaert, David Blazetich, David Giraud, Marc Bouchard, Mélanie Caron, Olivier Fournier, Véronique Lacombe, Vincent Collombel, Avlamy Ramassamy, Corinne Couvier, Yann Jouette, Christian Lemire, Daniel Peron, Eduard Kachaami, Isabelle Gagnon, Karim Rouissi, Micheal Yeomans, Stéphane Turgeon, Cartherin Nolin, Christian Lemire, Danny Bergeron, Isabelle Gagnon, Karim Rouissi, Allan Treitz, Danny Bergeron, Edouard Kachaami, François Côté, Isabelle Gagnon, Jean Thierry Roy, Karim Rouissi, Michael Yeomans, Stéphane Turgeon; Storyboard: Laurent Jennet, Christophe Pittet; Director of Layouts: Mathieu Breda; Director of Prop Modelling: Mathieu Breda; Storyreel, Detection, and Lipsynch: Aurora Manthe; Animation Supervisor: Varlerie Pouyanne; Director of Color Desings and Background: Geneviéve Dufour; Director of Lighting and Rendering: Michael Yeomans; Assistant: Edouard Kachaami; Director of Special Effects: Catherin Nolin; Special Thanks: Patrick Filion, Nicolas Davidts, Moudddine Diallo, Pascal Lacombe, Patrick Marcil, Jacques Langlois, Annick Dumais, Scott Jacobi, Tim Felder, Ferdinaand Terado, Benoit Frappier, Jean-François Poirer, Caroline Martin, Chantal Cloutier, Martin Carrier, Winn Keaten, Ann Lemay, Chris Stauch, Tj Allard, Martin Hamel, Cyril Gercet, Caroline Cantin; President and Ceo: Yves Guillemot; Ceo: Martin Tremblay; Vp Content: Greg Gobbi; Vp Studios: Michel Cartier; Vp Production: Paul Meagen; Vp Programming: Ken Klopp; Directors of Graphics Studio: Maxime Bélanger, Gilles Monteil; Director of Programming: Nicolas Rioux; Director of Testing: Eric Tremblay; Director of Planning: Henri Laporte; Marketing Research Coordinator: Marc-André Charron; Worldwide Head of Content: Serge Hascoet; International Content Manager: Benoìt Galarneau; Worldwide Head of Production: Christine Burgess-Quemard; World Localization Manager: Coralie Martin; Localization Manager: Anne Pereau; Translation: Sandrine Constant, Xavier Kemmlein; Director of Public Relations: Sandra Yee, Dana Whitney; Marketing Group Manager: Helen Juguet, Xavier Fouilleux; Advertising: Kevin Lalli, Chris Jensen; Voice Talent: Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Tara Strong, Arleen Sorkin, Michael Ansara, Diane Pershing, Bob Hastings, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Lloyd Bochner; Voice Over Director: Andrea Romano
~ Mark Hoogland, All Game Guide
