It's Batman on the Sega Genesis! Yep, that's it. That's all the intro you're going to get. Seriously though, there's not a whole lot to work with here. For Sunsoft's 16-bit outing, they went with a more straight-forward adaptation of the box-office smash hit. Batman isn't punching out robots, cyborgs, or some random ninja. His fights are with the most mundane of villainy. In other words, expect to face off against crooks with knives and goons with guns. This is a grittier and slightly less outlandish take, a back-to-basics walk & brawl with some platforming and vehicle sections sprinkled throughout.
It's fine. Just plain fine.
...
...For just a moment, I want you to imagine someone staring at a blinking cursor as they attempt to flush a wealth of unwanted thoughts from their mind. That's where I'm at right this second. Playing both the NES and Genesis Batman games back-to-back turned out to be a really bad idea. Right now, all I can think about is how much more inventive and fun the NES game was. It's an all-time classic for a reason. I hate and I mean HATE comparison reviews, because pitting two games against each other does them both a disservice. The value of entertainment media is based entirely on its own merits, not whether it's better or worse than a similar product. Yet here I am, thinking about how Genesis owners got a raw deal. The game they received is just plain fine, but that's only if the most they're expecting out of it is "typical movie tie-in". If they expect anything more, the disappointment will hit almost as hard as the Dark Knight himself.
Screw it, I'm just going to keep going, if only to keep the damnable blinking cursor out of my sight. Moving from left to right or vice-versa, Batman must reach the end of the stage, knocking out anyone who gets in his way. There's also a fair bit of platforming; jumping across chasms, onto and off of moving platforms, and even a little grappling-hook action. It's all going to be very familiar to fans of the genre. Shoot. I think I'm already repeating myself, but that's just how it is. There aren't very many surprises or instances where I felt like I had to actually think. One of the few obstacles that's actually noticeable is all of the spiked ceilings. No really, what is this game's obsession with spiked ceilings? All of the moving platforms have spikes under them too. Either this is just some quirk, or a shortcut taken by the developers due to some collision issue that kept occurring whenever Batman bumped his head on a moving platform.
Enemies, whether they're carrying weapons or breathing fire, are dealt with in the same manner. You get in their face and punch them until they keel over. Crouching and kicking works too. You're also given a small supply of batarangs, which are best saved for bosses. Surprisingly, one of the most effective weapons is the bat-somersault. Normally, this move is used to easily clear gaps, but it also does a small amount of damage if the hero collides with an enemy. It's goofy as heck repeatedly rolling into bosses like some wannabe hedgehog, but it works.
Besides health-replenishing hearts and batarangs, there are a few instances where you can pick up one or more extra lives. It won't take long to realize that everything respawns, but only when moving vertically. In stage 3, you can grab the 1up at the end of the first corridor, ride the moving platforms up for a bit, then drop down and grab that same 1up again. Stage 5 has three 1ups floating over a bottom-less pit. You'd swear the developers did this on purpose, because it doesn't take much effort to have a stock of 8 or 9 lives at all times. Hoarding batarangs is also possible, though you'll lose all but five of them after a death. It's still something to consider since even the Joker is weak to a series of batarangs in the face.
The stages where you drive the batmobile and fly the batwing are interesting diversions. These play out a bit like 2D shmups, with several enemy tanks or helicopters to blast with guns & missiles. The batmobile stage runs a little long, but the batwing stage ends quickly, so I guess it balances out. Not amazing, but they serve their purpose in keeping the game from becoming monotonous.
All I can really say about the Sega Genesis edition of Batman is that it's just plain fine. Sunsoft delivered on the promise of a movie tie-in for a 16-bit machine. Its most exceptional quality is a killer soundtrack. That's the extent of the high praise I can give. Everything else is a step above decent. Dealing with goons is rarely a problem, especially if you've got the ammo or mastered bat-somersaulting. Vehicle sections are usually the worst, but here they're not too bad. The game is worth at least one play-through, but beyond that... I don't know.
Wait! I literally just discovered that Batman blocks when the attack button is held down. I can't imagine ever having a use for it though.
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