Batman: Vengeance

I've always been a big batman fan. Period. So not surprisingly, I've gotten my hands on a few of his video games. Some were ok, while some should not even be mentioned. Batman: vengeance is one of the better ones, but that's not saying much. This game actually isn't based on the movies or comic books. Its based on the animated series. So if you liked that, you may get some nostalgia from this game. Me, I never really liked the TV show. The first major problem we have here is a lack of content. The game itself is really short, clocking in at around 10 hours, maybe less if you're faster or managed to sneak past some frustration. And once you're finished, that's it. There's no unlockables, multi-player, extras or anything. There is a level select feature, which is nice, but you probably wont want to play any of them again. So its a little bit disappointing already. Now onto the graphics. Considering this was a launch title, the graphics are quite nice, especially the cinematics, which look absolutely gorgeous. The only problem is, on the back of the box they promised over 40 minutes of cinematics. Talk about false advertising! There isn't even 10 minutes of them! I timed it myself. There wasn't enough content already. Although the graphics are good, a lot of the environments are constantly boring and bland. It looks lazy, to say the least. Now onto the gameplay. Batman has a punch and kick, he can jump, glide, etc. Basic stuff. He also has a lot of gadgets, like his batarangs, net gun, etc. Whats really nice is that when you go into the gadget inventory, the game pauses so you can select what you want, and then goes into first person mode so you can use your stuff. Its a nice touch. However, the combat really leaves something to be desired. When you fight someone, you go into combat mode. Here you can punch, kick and block. Its very similar to Starfox adventures. And only one enemy fights you at a time. But its way too simple. You just punch your enemy and if he blocks it, just kick him. When he blocks your kick punch him. If he ever attacks, just block. Its extremely boring. Occasionally you can execute a special move, but its still boring. And also, the enemies seem to have more health than batman. Wheeeeee!!! There are some pretty easy boss fights, and two vehicle segments which are actually the best part of the game. The story tries to draw you in, but its pretty simple. I'm not gonna spoil it, but it sucks. There are only 4 villains: Joker, Mr. freeze, poison ivy, and Harley Quinn (who you don't even fight. She's just...there). The game also forces you to make jumps and solve puzzles, but many of these are really frustrating and there is a severe lack of checkpoints in each level. Anyways, I'm gonna stop babbling and say: If you love batman, pick this game up if you find it for $10 or less. No more. Otherwise, just leave this one in Arkham asylum.