"Batman" (NES) re-evaluation?
Posted: December 22nd, 2014, 2:47 pm
I played this again the other night on an emulator after not having played it in years.
The production values are terrific. The soundtrack is excellent and the graphics look great for NES. It's only hurt by some occasional slowdown. Despite not being able to change direction in midair during jumps, the control is also pretty good. At least you have a lot of control over jump distance... slight taps for short jumps and hold the button in for longer jumps.
As for the difficulty level, it is challenging, but not impossible. The infinite continues help. I managed to get to level 5-1 after a few hours of play, and that's where I gave up. The relentless difficulty is what makes it feel so good when you finally do make it past the harder parts. Much of the challenge involves mastering wall-jumping. By the time you get to the last stage, you have to be an expert at it.
You said that beating it "will take some serious will and determination". That's true, but I would consider that a virtue and not a detriment. But you do have to put in some effort. When you do make it to near the end of the game after all that struggle and then give up, you might not feel like playing it again for awhile.
Game should get at least "B", I think. It's above average in most respects. You gave higher grades to even tougher NES games such as "Ghosts n Goblins" and "Battletoads". I can't get past the second stage in GNG no matter how much I continue, and the clunky controls don't help.
The production values are terrific. The soundtrack is excellent and the graphics look great for NES. It's only hurt by some occasional slowdown. Despite not being able to change direction in midair during jumps, the control is also pretty good. At least you have a lot of control over jump distance... slight taps for short jumps and hold the button in for longer jumps.
As for the difficulty level, it is challenging, but not impossible. The infinite continues help. I managed to get to level 5-1 after a few hours of play, and that's where I gave up. The relentless difficulty is what makes it feel so good when you finally do make it past the harder parts. Much of the challenge involves mastering wall-jumping. By the time you get to the last stage, you have to be an expert at it.
You said that beating it "will take some serious will and determination". That's true, but I would consider that a virtue and not a detriment. But you do have to put in some effort. When you do make it to near the end of the game after all that struggle and then give up, you might not feel like playing it again for awhile.
Game should get at least "B", I think. It's above average in most respects. You gave higher grades to even tougher NES games such as "Ghosts n Goblins" and "Battletoads". I can't get past the second stage in GNG no matter how much I continue, and the clunky controls don't help.