Bat-Octoberfest - Batman: Return of the Joker (Game Boy)

Fair warning, if you decide to challenge the Game Boy edition of Batman: Return of the Joker, the words GAME OVER will be burned into your retinas. You might be the type of person who never shies away from a challenge, and that's good! The only problem is that this game has an all-or-nothing approach to difficulty. What you might consider a tiny mistake is treated as a fatal error. Mistiming a jump and falling into a bottomless pit is one thing, but here you can be punished simply for not immediately recognizing what's expected of you. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but the punishment is almost always a GAME OVER. Before long, you'll be intensely scrutinizing every move you make.

Playing a game often means adhering to the rules set by its creator. There is a clashing of ideals, since both player and creator have their own histories with the medium as well as their own expectations. I can't claim to be an expert at them, but I've been playing Sunsoft games for long enough that I assumed I'd be ready for whatever was thrown my way. Before the first stage ended, that assumption blew up in my face multiple times over.

Look directly above and you'll see an example of what I'm talking about. The average gamer sees Batman falling onto a ledge to grab a power-up. Sunsoft sees this and chuckles to themself. I can't even look at this without cringing. This? This is Batman falling to his death. It turns out that the collision detection isn't as lenient as anyone would expect. What happens next is that Batman can't wedge himself into a gap that's clearly 1.5 times larger than him, so instead he continues falling until GAME OVER glides its merry way across the screen. An unexpectedly harsh punishment for a slight miscalculation, which I'd better get used to if I want to see anything past the first minute of the game.

Forgive me for getting tied up in the minutiae before properly explaining what the game is all about. In Batman: Return of the Joker, you'll jump, swing, and punch your way through four stages. There is actually a mechanical richness to it that I haven't experienced since Sunsoft's first date with the Dark Knight. Wall-jumping has returned. As you've likely surmised from the screenshots, platforms tend to be thick enough to use as walls for jumping off of. Batman's jumping height is pretty low, reaching only slightly above two "squares", so incorporating the wall-jump is a necessity to progress. The "swing" in this case refers to the bat-rope, which is used by pressing up on the controller. It flies at a 45-degree angle and latches onto ceilings. Practice it as much as you can, preferably in a safe area with no bottomless pits.

Besides the bat-rope, there aren't many toys to play around with like in other games. Batman will have to rely on his punch to deal with most opposition. Batarangs can be found throughout each stage, but some enemies deflect them as if they were harmless paper. Punching works well enough, besides one odd limitation. It's impossible to turn around while crouching. If an enemy gets behind the Dark Knight, he can't simply duck, turn, and punch them. He has to stand up - get smacked in the back of the head - and then he's allowed to respond. I'm sorry, but if Batman can't turn around while crouching, then maybe he needs to hang up the cowl. Kidding! Kidding... Please don't break all of my limbs, Mr. Bats.

While I have my nitpicks about the combat, they pale in comparison to the Castlevania-like methods enemies will utilize to ruin your day. For example, stage 2 has a ninja problem. These masked jerks love to throw kunai from off-screen. One particularly loathsome individual will wait for Batman to swing across a chasm before he makes his move. If you guessed that the move would be a well-placed kunai that knocks Batman into a pit, then congratulations! Your reward is another GAME OVER. There aren't many enemies in each stage, but you only have four continues. 

You're probably tired of seeing GAME OVER all the time, but that's just how it is. Unlike every other Batman game I've previously covered, there aren't any lives whatsoever. A successful playthrough takes less than half an hour, so Sunsoft ensured that players would have to suffer through several unsuccessful playthroughs before finally getting the win. That means tons of bottom-less pits, crushing traps that'll make bat-jelly out of the unwary, that ninja I mentioned a paragraph ago, and more. On the bright side, the first three bosses aren't extremely tough. If you can obtain the max-health upgrades, then you might even defeat them on the first try. The hardest part is reaching them with your sanity intact. Stage 4 features bazooka soldiers who fire the instant they appear onscreen. Either you know where they spawn, or Batman eats a rocket. Some of the most devious traps can only be solved one way. Trying anything else will result in... Okay, I won't say it this time. 

It's too damn bad that the game's only intention is to kill. The wall-jump and grapple abilities provide a huge opportunity for all sorts of interesting platforming sections. During the first stage, I discovered that it's possible to wall-jump off of falling water. I won't question it, but there's a mechanic that could've led to some creative challenges. Instead of engaging with the fun ideas, I have to do exactly what the game demands. This feels like a kaizo.

Ultimately, the Game Boy edition of Batman: Return of the Joker left me feeling cold. It has some impressive ideas, but rather than lean into them to create a memorable and entertaining adventure, it chose to pelt me with GAME OVER screens instead. All this game really needed was some more stages and an actual lives system. Instead, Sunsoft chose to stuff as many cheap deaths as they could into a very short timeframe. I'd still recommend giving it a look, just to witness the unrealized potential for yourself.

Bat-Octoberfest - Batman: Revenge of the Joker

What can I say about this piece of trash that hasn't already been said? First off, let me state just how shocked (yet not that shocked) I am that Sunsoft would allow such a horrendous port to be made. Return of the Joker was lacking in a great many ways, but at least it looked and sounded amazing. This port for the Sega Genesis is just wretched. A sickening slice of bat-fuckery that has no business being seen and especially heard by others. Consider this the ultimate perk of the written review, you don't have to put up with the catastrophic sound-design. I can't emphasize enough just how BAD this game sounds. It's not just the music either. Every effect is incorrect, grating, and anything involving multiple sounds occurring at once is guaranteed to be the worst thing you ever heard.

So... uh... did this port get anything right? Nope!

I already stated in my Return of the Joker review that I fought the bosses on my terms. I took advantage of the game's mechanics to button-bash my way through every major fight. That... doesn't really work in the Genesis port. Most of the weapons were substantially weakened, erasing all but one quasi-viable strategy for every fight. Now, if you're as deranged as I and absolutely must play this, then get a controller with some turbo-functionally, set the auto-fire to max on your favorite emulator, whatever it takes. The 4-3 boss requires the homing weapon and almost two minutes of rapid-fire button presses. You can't use another weapon, and you certainly can't die, or else the boss becomes impossible. I think this is the worst fight I've ever been in, and I'm including the few that happened in real life. How could anyone involved in the production of this port think this was a good idea? 

Sadly, I lost my taste for writing "clever" negative reviews eons ago. Back then, I might've been able to spit out another ten paragraphs detailing just how disgraceful this filth is, but that's not happening. You'll just have to settle for the bog-standard "Avoid at all costs!" rating. 

There is nothing of value here.   

Stay far away.

Yikes!

Bat-Octoberfest - Batman: Return of the Joker

Over the past week, The Joker has died no less than five times. He's understandably pissed and out for revenge. If you've got anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes, then you too can enjoy this NES oddity. Well, I don't know if enjoy is the right word. It's more like experiencing the surreal. You'll enter a universe where everything you've ever known about game-design becomes unknown. While you're struggling to find the answers, Sunsoft keeps changing the questions. Take it from me. By the end of the game, I didn't understand anything. If you've ever been of two minds about a product, then imagine being of twenty-two minds. Every concrete thought is continually spirited away, leaving me drained of energy and wandering in the darkness.

Anyway, The Joker must be stopped. That much is obvious. For this go-around, the Dark Night has an arm-cannon. Holding down the fire button performs some sort of charge-shot. There are multiple weapon pick-ups, but they're really only important for the boss battles. Batman also jumps and has two kinds of slides. One of the slides is performed by pressing down and jump. The other is performed by... just trying to move Bat-brain around. He slides across the ground like his boots are soaked in kitchen grease. Movement in general is surprisingly not great. Rather than spend the rest of the review harping about bad controls, I'll just mention that I used this romhack. Anyone interested in playing the game should install it immediately. It's guaranteed to save Batman's life.

Oh, and uh... just in case there's any confusion, this game does NOT play like Megaman. You might have noticed a handful of coincidences, but that's all they are. Return of the Joker features very short stages, often containing no more than a few enemies. They'll attack the instant they appear onscreen and are just as instantly eradicated by Batman's unnecessarily powerful weaponry. This dude is packing more heat than Uncle Fester from Fester's Quest, and for who? A few guys with knives? Enemy encounters are ridiculously one-sided yet designed in a way that the player is obligated to take damage, unless they've memorized exactly when they'll appear. 

Dying from too many knives to face doesn't happen particularly often, so multiple stages offer bottom-less pits or spiked ceilings, which outright erases anyone who gets caught in them. Some moving platforms and other traps will appear too. Just um... don't expect anything significant in terms of level-design. You know how in most games they'll introduce a mechanic or obstacle early on, then continually build upon it to create complex and difficult situations? That doesn't really happen here. You'll be introduced to - oh I don't know - conveyor belts, only for the stage to end half a minute later. The feeling of "Wait. That's it!?" is going to hit especially hard if you're the type who put in all that hard work beating Sunsoft's other better NES games. This isn't an easy game, but its attempts at difficulty don't feel earned either. Batman usually only dies because he's a large target and - if you didn't install the romhack - controls like he enjoys seeing the player's face contort into twisted rage.

During my play-through, I was treated to a silly moment. Early on, there are platforms that automatically move when anything lands on them. I destroyed an enemy flying above on of these platforms. A power-up dropped from their corpse and landed square on the platform, causing it to move and quickly disappear into the abyss. Platforms don't respawn after a set time or after scrolling them offscreen, so I just had to jump into the pit and try again with my next life. The penalties for death are often light, and passwords ensure only minutes of progress are ever lost. Still, I was left wondering what I did to deserve such disrespect.

When Batman reaches a boss, he gets struck with lightning and powers up. This grants him a life meter comparable in size to the villain he's facing. It's an impressive spectacle, but fights are quickly undone if you bring the right weapon. Using this tool-assisted-speedrun as your guide, you'll discover that standing in one spot and mashing the fire button at Takahashi Meijin speeds destroys every boss. I'll admit that the thought of trying to fight them on equal terms never occurred to me. What would be considered a "fair fight" anyway? Do I purposefully enter the fight with the worst possible weapon? Pshaw to that idea.

The nicest thing that I can say about Batman: Return of the Joker is that it's just plain weird. Besides looking and sounding fantastic, the game doesn't offer anything that I'd consider impressive. Its level-design is reminiscent of a multi-car pile-up. Difficulty balance might as well not exist. Don't even get me started on the fact that half the playtime is spent in auto-scrollers. I say all this, yet I can't say that I hate the game. There is an interesting air about it that piques my curiosity. 

Although, I still have one question:

What in the hell was Sunsoft doing? 

The very beginning of the game has gargoyles that are completely invincible until Batman gets close. They're never seen again. Later on, lasers that increase in power when someone is nearby are introduced, then quickly discarded. Some guy in a tiny helicopter shows up once and doesn't come back for revenge. Neither of the shmup stages end with a boss-fight. It's as if everything was thrown together at random, and trying to make sense of the result is a pointless endeavor. 

Bat-Octoberfest - Batman (Arcade)

For those keeping score, this is the fifth adaptation of the summer blockbuster that I've covered on this blog. Sheesh! You'd think I'd be sick of seeing Flugelheim Museum and the Axis Chemicals Factory by now. The good news is that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I just have to suffer through the Arcade game by Atari. Indeed, it's impossible for me to keep the negative feelings bottled up. This is unfun schlock at its plainest, but you don't have to take my word for it. In the review penned by IndieGameChick, she mentions that only 1,000 units were ever shipped... in 1991. With Bat-mania sweeping the globe, the last thing you'd ever expect to see is an arcade with no Batman game, yet that's exactly what happened here. Atari knew they had a bomb on their hands. They gave up the best-possible release window just to avoid all the negative reviews from critics and arcade-goers alike.

I talk a lot about the video games that feel good to play. How can I not? It's a wondrous sensation that wiggles its way through all my capillaries. A feeling this amazing deserves to be shared with the world. If you're one of those sickos who wonders if I'll ever talk about a product that feels bad to play, then wonder no longer. From second one, Batman moves and fights like everything he does is a context-insensitive action. If you jump when near an enemy, Bats automatically performs a jump-kick, completely ignoring that the reason you jumped was to avoid a bullet. Speaking of jumping, don't even bother trying to jump on reaction to gunfire or thrown knives. Maybe that works in every other game, but not here. 

Pretty much every interaction with Joker's goons is clumsy. Bumping into someone knocks Batman back, which is sort-of similar to Shinobi or other arcade titles of that nature. The major issue here is that the hero takes forever to recover, giving other goons an opportunity to fill him full of holes. Dropping onto an enemy from above can take them out. Have fun attempting to land it though. Your angle will be off by a centimeter, resulting in more injury and death. There are more effective means of goon disposal, such as the batarangs and bat-knockout gas pick-ups located throughout each stage. Of the two, you're better off hoarding as much gas as possible. Anything's better than useless punches & kicks, but batarangs can sometimes fail. There's at least one instance where they'll get stuck in a wall the second you throw them. At least with bat-knockout gas, you can just toss it and forget it. Seriously, it's one of the few consistencies this game has.

Then there are the obligatory vehicle sections, where really all you do is try to shoot cars for a minute. The batwing portion does mix things up by having you catch balloons while blowing up helicopters. There's an interesting idea here and it's sort-of functional. I wouldn't use the word fun or any of its synonyms to describe it, but different is always better than the same but worse, which sums up everything else happening onscreen. 

Batman the arcade game is unfinished, that's all I have to say. Playing through this was like experiencing every wonky, sloppy, messy, sensation all at the same time. Unlike the worst games, there's none of the mind-blowing absurdity that props my mouth agape and causes me to question all things in life. What's here is just incoherent and lacking any entertainment value. There's always this feeling that I'm trying to punch crooks or trying to leap onto platforms. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it works and Batman still ends up a corpse. Oh well.

One of the rumors floating about was that Konami negotiated with Warner Bros. to produce a Batman arcade game. The deal was apparently scuttled when Atari swooped in. I can't get too miffed about ancient history, especially since Konami would get their shot with the franchise in the near future. It's just something else that'll rattle around all the empty space in my skull for the rest of time.

2026 Special - Cadash (Turbografx-16)

In a lot of ways, Cadash is an incredibly inventive game. The first and most obvious point is that it's an Action-RPG designed for the arcades. Yes, I'm talking true blue experience points, shopping, and sleeping at the inn Action-RPG. You may find yourself asking "well, what's stopping players from grinding a bunch to easily beat the game?" Oh, that's easy. Taito, the developer behind this classic, included two deterrents. One is the clock that's always ticking away. Progressing through the game adds minutes to the clock, but you can't really afford to waste time either. Two is the fact that inns get exponentially more expensive with every stay. It's a reverse in dynamics. The equipment tends to be cheap, but resting becomes prohibitively pricey. Through this pair of factors, the game develops its uniquely deep and rich flavor. You have to contend with vicious monsters, devious traps, and time-management.

When Cadash was ported to the Turbografx-16, the clock was stripped out entirely, and inns reverted back to being cheaper than dirt. "Oh no! Now the game is ruined!" said by absolutely no-one on this planet or the next. There is still plenty of inventive meat to go around. Upon starting a new game, players are given four classes to choose from, each of whom play quite differently from one another. A Fighter's strategy might be to run up and hit everything with a sword, but a Mage can't afford to be as aggressive. The Ninja can use his superior range and speed to keep out of danger, while a Priest manages her MP to stay as healthy as possible. That's four playstyles to experiment with, adding significant replay value. The inclusion of a two-player mode allows for even more variation. Different class combinations have their own challenges. Since experience isn't shared, the Fighter can't simply charge onward while the Mage conserves his powerful magic for bosses. Also, since both players share the same screen, neither can rush too far ahead without causing problems. 

Seeing as how this review is designed to fit the 2026 Special, I don't have to worry about Fighters, Mages, Ninjas, or even friends. This is the Priest's show, and if you're familiar with Cadash, then you know she dominates. Her weapon is a flail, though it behaves like a hookshot. Fling it in one of eight-directions and purchase the upgrades so it'll reach the entire length of the screen. It's far from weak, allowing the Priest to solve problems - or at least lock them down - the second they appear. What makes her the demon of the battlefield is her shield spell. A 30 mp cost might sound expensive, but let's look at the benefits. Once cast, the shield revolves around its caster indefinitely. Yep! There's no harm in casting before bedtime! I don't know the exact number off the top of my head, but I'll go ahead and say that the shield absorbs several hits.

With this spell, the Priest becomes exponentially more durable than any of her compatriots. She also doesn't take any knockback while shielded, making it a great method for getting past several obstacles at once. If you happen to know what you're facing next, then it might be worth holding onto that MP for a bit. Damage in the TG-16 port tends to vary. Some traps and projectiles only do a single point of damage; others cleave off huge chunks of 15 or more. The one consistency is that contact with a monster hurts badly. Naturally, you can extend the life of your shields even further by not wasting them in sections where everything barely scratches the heroine. Absolutely save it for bosses though, particularly the finale. During my last play-through, I got knocked backwards into the final boss. I was out over 100 HP just trying to detach myself from his big body. Granted, it's not like I was in much danger of dying. I had two elixirs sitting in my pockets, and they function as extra lives.

Okay, so we have a Priest with a strong weapon and an overpowered spell. That means Cadash isn't fun anymore, right? Actually, you'd be surprised to read that there is no possible way I could ever imagine this game being unfun. After all, I've been playing it off and on for about 35 years. There's fantasy, action, imaginative and unexplained phenomena like the giant stone hands reaching out to grab hapless adventurers. The tight pacing also plays a big part. Dungeons move quickly and feature an array of difficult scenarios to overcome. Avoiding obstacles has a simple yet tangible appeal to it. Waiting for spears to recede back into their receptacles, leaping over giant spiked balls so they pass underneath, everything works as it should.

I suppose I shouldn't put it off any longer. Let it be known here and now that Cadash will henceforth be considered one of my "comfort games". It absolutely deserves a place on the fluffy shelf next to SoulBlazer, and... damn I forgot the rest of the list. These warm & fluffy feelings extend to every version, including the Genesis port, which aside from lacking two characters is still quite nice. The Turbografx-16 port isn't as accurate. The most noticeable difference - beyond graphics & sound - is that there are more screen transitions. A nitpick I have is that the first boss has a projectile that moves faster than even the arcade original, making it rather tough to dodge. There are a few other minor cuts, like the final boss doesn't get its second head, but nothing serious. It's an altogether impressive effort, perfect for anyone who wants to experience the game, but isn't quite ready for the time limit and overpriced inns.

Oh! There is one mishap that this so-called critic forgot to mention. Some enemies aren't particularly smart. Look directly above to see an example of what I'm talking about. Flan the Priest is waiting for one of these skeletons to stab her, and sadly she'll be waiting forever. Monsters that rely on weapons will often stop just short of their intended target. Apparently, they have this misguided hope that the player will just walk into their sword or club. It's one of those amusing oversights that, if I'm being honest, doesn't affect the port all that much. These incompetents are only seen in the early portions of the game. If anything, the Priest having a totally busted shield spell is the more significant issue, but if I don't care about that, then why would I care about some dumb skeletons?

Huh... Well, look at that.

The TG-16 port of Cadash has been one of my comfy games for less than a paragraph and I'm already ignoring legitimate criticisms. Anyway, no matter how you go about it, definitely make some time for this classic.

One other thing.

The Ninja is also really overpowered. Here he is effortlessly shredding the final boss. Who needs a fancy shield spell when everything dies to a pocketful of shuriken? 

Bat-Octoberfest - Batman (PC Engine)

Back in 1989, a Batman game was being developed for the PC Engine. It looked much like the action-platformers that were appearing everywhere else. For reasons known only to Sunsoft, the most we ever saw of it was in the September 15th issue of Famitsu. Luckily for fans of the NEC console, a Batman game was in fact released a year later. There's only one tiny problem; its genre is maze-action. I mean, there are worse ideas out there. A Joker dating sim for instance... Actually, strike that. Everyone would've bought a zillion copies if that was made. Honestly though, a Caped Crusader adventure where you're running around like a bat in a maze, grabbing power pellets or burying crooks with a shovel? It could be an all-time classic.

What we got is neither the best thing ever nor the worst thing ever. It's a perfectly decent thing, an adept product by a team who knows their stuff. The music is typical Sunsoft awesomeness, and the cutscenes all look incredible. If you're the sort of gamer who looks past the presentation in the hopes of finding endlessly deep and complex game mechanics, then sadly those hopes must be dashed. I must stress the usage of perfectly decent here. You'll never feel cheated, but you'll also never feel like your skills are being adequately tested. Each of the 48 maps Batman will traverse are competently designed and well-paced. Unfortunately, they never reach their full potential.

Your objective changes every 12 maps, but really, it's entirely a matter of navigating the Dark Knight to objects of interest while evading crooks. The sole means of defense is the trusty batarang. Anyone who gets bopped is momentarily stunned, making them an easy target for a nearby vigilante. However, be mindful when you hit the attack button, because Bats will stand still until his weapon returns to him. Power-ups dot the map, granting permanent upgrades as long as there are lives remaining. If you've ever spent a minute with something like Cratermaze, then you'll grasp the basics immediately. 

The difficulty rises very slightly with every completed map. Eventually, they'll incorporate a multitude of dangers; including vicious traffic, baddies who move at double-speed, and the ever-popular guy with a gun. Other navigational hazards like conveyor belts and "grapple points" aka teleporters must also be overcome. Again, it's nothing that maze-action veterans aren't already familiar with, and that's the main issue. Oddly, the final challenge is a boss rush of sorts, wherein you battle three of Joker's "top guys" and then the Clown Prince himself. It's cute that the guy who tries to stab Batman with knife-boots is one of the bosses. He might even be the toughest of the bunch due to requiring a specific timing in order to land hits and get away. I wonder why Sunsoft didn't try to work more bosses into the rest of the game instead of at the very end, but whatever. 

I can't say I was ever bored with the game. Its 48 maps move quickly enough so that the satisfaction of completing one overrode the repetition of starting another. However, there's definitely a void here that needed to be filled by new types of enemies, a greater variety of obstacles, and more stress-inducing situations. In short, Batman needed a Hard mode. 

The realities of game development being as harsh as they are, I've little doubt that any ideas Sunsoft had that could've pushed players further never got the time to be realized. To their credit, the final product is solid. Every death that befell Batman was entirely my fault. The controls and movement are razor-sharp, with cornering - usually a sticking point in maze-actions - that felt just plain good. There's just not enough here to last beyond a single play-through.

Still, I'd say that there are much worse ways to spend a lazy day. Allow curiosity to get the better of you and give this game a try. Also, you have to admit that a map shaped like the Batman logo is pretty darn cool.

Bat-Octoberfest - Batman (Genesis)

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.