Bad Habits - Geeked - July 21 2005

Batman Begins Geeks have spent years waiting for a decent Batman game, or at least for one that didn't suck, and the developers at EA have finally heard the cry. Their answer, Batman Begins, is a decent game as movie-based games go, but unfortunately, not good enough to make you stop longing for a decent Batman game.

Essentially, this is a linear stealth game, with a neat (and all too short) driving mini-game in the middle. You play Bruce Wayne as he learns to be Batman. This can be annoying, especially during the tutorials, where Liam Neeson lends his voice to Henri Ducard, Wayne's teacher. Now, I like Neeson, but let's face it, tutorials are often useless, and listening to him drone on and on is hardly fun. Fortunately, once I learned how to do all of the moves, Neeson went away for a while, and I could finally get into being Batman.

Now, the mood of Batman Begins is all about fear. After all, Bruce Wayne started playing dress-up when a bat crashed through his window, forcing him to point out (in rather expository dialogue) that criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot. While that may be a debatable point in real life, this is the first Batman game I've played to incorporate that idea into gameplay. The fear meter is useful, as it will tell you how much fear Batman has generated in the area of Gotham you're currently in. The meter will go up or down based on where you are and what you do. The more fear you inspire, the easier it is to move through the game.

Batman Begins follows the plot of the film, which is only good if you've already seen it (or don't want to). In addition to dropping huge spoilers about the movie, the game offers only about two hours of plot. In gameplay, that translates into about half a day. That's right, blow $40 on this one and you'll be entertained for less than one day. Not a good deal.

The sound and graphics, however, are great. You'll really feel like you're in Gotham City as you move against the lush, detailed backgrounds. Furthermore, the voice talent is really impressive. Not only does the omnipresent Neeson guide you throughout the game, but you've also got the voices of Christian Bale and Michael Caine to add to the overall effect. It's a good thing, too. Without those voices, the game would lose something. But this layer of polish isn't enough to keep you from wishing the programmers had put a bit more effort into Batman Begins.

Let's face it: This may be the best Batman game yet, which, as most of you know, is damning with faint praise. The game isn't bad, but it isn't particularly good, either. If you need to play this game, rent it. You'll have it back to the store in a day with little desire to ever play it again.

geeked@creativeloafing.comWHAT'S COOL: The fear meter; crushing other cars with the Batmobile; getting to be Batman (duh).

WHAT'S UNCOOL: Linear structure of a movie game; the tutorial makes you want to kill Liam Neeson; it's fairly short.??