Not your typical Batman game
Batman: Return of the Joker is the sequel to the original Batman game that came out on the NES. This game boasts a completely different play mechanic, better graphics, and a unique arsenal of weapons.
The graphics look like something that could have been on the Super Nintendo, but with fewer colors and some enemy animations are lacking. However, the sprites are large and clear, and the backgrounds are lush and impressive.
This game features a weapon system to attack your foes. There is a device that is equipped on Batman's arm that shoots out various attacks. You can choose from one of four power-ups, each with their strengths and weaknesses. These power-ups are dropped frequently, so someone can easily change weapons as necessary; simply shoot the power-up to change what it will give you. The various guns each have a charge attack: by holding the B button for a few seconds, you can release a charged blast that will do more damage, or will fire more rapidly.
Each level has 3 stages (i.e. 1-1, 1-2, etc). Typically, the third stage of each level (1-3,2-3) will contain either a jetpack shooter sequence, or a boss fight. The jetpack sequences are short, but fun. The boss fights are nonsensical, featuring robots or mutants or whatever else never seen in the Batman franchise. Boss fights vary from the main gameplay, as at the start of the fight, Batman gets 8000 health points, and the boss is assigned an equal or greater number of health points. In essence, the boss fights are rudimentary fighting-game-style matches.
The change in gameplay and graphics means a departure from the first game's platforming element. Batman can no longer wall-jump, nor can he throw batarangs or punch enemies. Everything is done by way of the arm attachment, and jumping from platform to platform is much simpler, but still quite difficult.
After playing through the game with a Game Genie, I can state for a fact that this Batman game has nothing to do with Batman, except Batman just happens to be in it. It seems to me that the developers wanted to make their own game, but it was so late in the Nintendo life cycle that they opted to replace the main character with Batman in order to sell more. That sales strategy is fine with me, and it is a good, solid game. However, if you're looking for Batarangs, grappling hooks, wall-jumping, and good, old-fashioned punching, look elsewhere (like Batman Returns on Genesis).Read full review
