“I’m [a] Batman [game]”
Bruce Wayne has had many ups and downs in his personal life, in just about every single iteration ofBatmanmedia that he appears in: it’s kind of his thing. And the same goes for the sea ofBatmanvideo games; which, quite frankly, is filled with sunken barges of ill-advised movie tie-ins and projects that just didn’t have as much love and care as they should have.
5 –Batman: The Video Game(NES)
A dark horse pick that Bruce Wayne himself would have been proud of: the surprisingly influential movie tie-in game on the NES takes number five.
I recall renting this ages ago at my local Power Video, and I was completely blown away. Not only does it stray far from the Tim Burton movie it attempts to replicate, but it also utilizes that classic Sunsoft retro touch. Leaping off of walls felt like a natural extension of Batman; and I associate it with Batman NES more so than any other game before or after it (Ninja Gaidenincluded).
If I can still hear the soundtrack blasting in my head from memory as I’m writing this, you know it did something right. If you’ve played it before,you know exactly what I’m talking about!
4 – Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
While most of you expected this list to be entirely populated withArkham-universe games, I figured I’d throw in a few worthy surprises.
Lego Batman 2literally builds upon what made its predecessor work, while maintaining the family friendly appeal of theLEGOfranchise in general. This is something I can just pick up with anyone and play basically at any time of day, no matter how I’m feeling. And seeing Batman interact with a ton of DC comics characters is the cherry on top. It’s also one of the more packedLEGOgames, which is good news for people who are tired of the sometimes worn formula.
3 –Batman: The Enemy Within
In what feels like the cusp of the downfall of Telltale Games, the studio put outBatman: The Enemy Within, and really hit hard on piloting the identity of Bruce Wayne and managing his fractured psyche. While the first season was relatively light with Joker antics, this season took things in a decidedly more Joker direction, which was to be expected: as most roads in Dark Knight-dom lead to Joker.
Thankfully,Enemy Withinmanaged to spice things up a bit, and took a different tact that allows for some fresh takes on the Clown Prince’s relationship with Bats.
2 –Batman: Arkham Asylum
As the big spark that kicked off Batman and made him relevant again in the gaming sphere: it makes sense whyAsylumwould be included as a no-brainer top five pick. Although it had some rough edges theAssassin’s Creed-like combat system was an instant hit, and it nailed the fantasy of playing as Batman, with all the wonderful toys to come with it.
WithoutAsylum, we wouldn’t have seen a new wave of resplendence ofBatmanmedia.
Related |10 most powerful DC comics villainsonThe Mary Sue
1 –Batman: Arkham City
That said!Arkham Cityis my favorite of theArkhamseries, and takes the top spot overall. I know when it came out there were plenty of debates in regards to the merits ofCityandAsylum, and how the former was a bit too sprawling for its own good: but I was called to 100%Citylike a siren’s song from the first hour.
The harrowing intro, the raised stakes, the increased rogue’s gallery: it was all enough to cement it as my favoriteBatmangame of all time. I can remember flying through every inch of this city, before the franchise started to run out of ideas.
