Batman: Dark Tomorrow

Last updated
Batman: Dark Tomorrow
Batman - Dark Tomorrow Coverart.png
North American Nintendo GameCube cover art
Developer(s) Kemco [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Kemco
Director(s) Takafumi Yuki
Producer(s) Takafumi Yuki
Designer(s)
  • Tomoharu Aihara
  • David Vout
  • Takeo Mogi
  • Takafumi Yuki
Programmer(s) Tomoharu Aihara
Artist(s) Takeshi Okamoto
Writer(s)
Composer(s)
Series Batman video games
Platform(s)
Release
  • NA: 18 March 2003 [2]
  • JP: 21 March 2003 [3]
  • EU: 11 April 2003
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Batman: Dark Tomorrow is an action-adventure game developed and published by Kemco for the GameCube and Xbox in 2003. It is based on the DC Comics character Batman. Many precedents of the comics are cited, especially as it pertains to Ra's al Ghul, and Batman's "undefined" relationship with al Ghul's daughter, Talia al Ghul.

Contents

Initially announced in 2001 as a GameCube exclusive, Batman: Dark Tomorrow was envisioned as being an open-ended, faithful, and realistic approach to the Batman franchise, in a similar vein to the Batman: Arkham series years later. However, as development progressed, the game was scaled back and slated for release on multiple consoles.

Gameplay

Batman: Dark Tomorrow is a linear, stealth-based action game in which players control Batman as he fights crime. Batman is equipped with several of his tools, such as Batarangs, smoke bombs, and grappling hooks. Levels each have certain objectives that players must achieve in order to proceed, while criminals and enemies will attempt to stop your progress. While enemies can be knocked unconscious, they cannot be killed (due to Batman's "no killing" code); this requires the player to handcuff the criminal in order to keep them from attacking. There are several parts in levels in which the game saves; if the player dies, it will reload to the last save. [4] Members of Batman's supporting cast of allies also appear in the cinematics of the game, including Oracle, Robin, and Batgirl. Nightwing does not appear but is mentioned in dialogue as possible backup leading into the game's climax.

The game features various endings depending on how the last few sections of the game are played. To get the "good" ending, Batman must disarm a signal device before facing Ra's. This is never made clear to the player beforehand, however, and as such the ending most players will get is one of the 3 "bad" endings which consists of Batman defeating Ra's who then sets off the bombs he has set up around the globe, ultimately resulting in his success. This initially caused confusion among gamers and critics as to why "beating" the game essentially had Batman failing to prevent the death of 1/3 of the world's population.

Plot

Ra's al Ghul (Don Leslie), his daughter Talia (Wendy Jones), and his League of Assassins take control of a weaponized satellite that is targeting Gotham City. While trying to end a gang war between The Ventriloquist and Black Mask (Michael Wright), Batman (Julian Fletcher) discovers that Commissioner James Gordon (Ron McLarty) has been kidnapped and is being held hostage at an overrun Arkham Asylum. Racing through Gotham City's sewers to enter the Asylum undetected, Batman has to fight through several foes, including Victor Zsasz (Scott Sowers), the Ratcatcher (Jonathan Roumie), Mr. Freeze (Ralph Byers), Poison Ivy (Wendy Jones), and Killer Croc (Richardo Ferrone), before finally encountering the Joker (Allen Enlow), the mastermind behind Gordon's kidnapping. After defeating Joker and saving Gordon, Batman realizes that the villain was actually working for Ra's al Ghul and the kidnapping scheme was merely a distraction to allow Ra's to commence his newest plan to take over the world.

Traveling to the Himalayas, Batman makes his way to the League of Assassins' stronghold to foil Ra's al Ghul's scheme. Talia helps him by turning off the cameras around Ra's lair. Batman finds a terminal and overrides the homing signal, before defeating Ubu (Dean Wein), Ra's most trusted servant, guarding the entrance to the throne room. There, Batman confronts Ra's, who reveals his master plan: 24 bombs have been planted throughout the world, which, once activated, will cause the ice caps to enter the oceans, forming tsunamis and hurricanes throughout the coastlines; every coastal city on the world will be destroyed and one-third of the planet's population with it, allowing Ra's to rebuild the world in his image. Ra then asks Batman to marry Talia and become his heir, but the Dark Knight declines, much to Talia's disappointment. Ra's and Batman engage in a final sword fight, with Batman emerging victorious. A defeated Ra's attempts to activate the bombs, but to no avail, as they had already been disabled by Batman. Ubu, having recovered, then tries to kill Batman, but Talia warns him and Batman dodges the attack, causing Ubu to unintentionally kill Ra instead. Talia and Ubu take Ra's to the Lazarus Pit as the temple begins to self-destruct and revive him, while Batman escapes and returns to Gotham. As he looks out over the city, the Bat-Signal ignites the sky once more, calling him back into action.

Several alternate endings are possible, depending on whether or not the player had found and deactivated Ra's weapon before the final battle with him, or lost the fight. If Batman did not disable the signal and loses the sword fight, he is mortally wounded by Ra and dies in Talia's arms, as Ra's puts his plan into action and floods the world. If Batman loses the fight but disabled the signal, Ra's reveals to the dying Batman that the override is only temporary and that his victory is inevitable. If Batman wins the fight but did not disable the signal, a defeated Ra's still manages to commence his plan and flood the world, as Batman watches on in horror.

Development

Dark Tomorrow was presented at E3 2001 as an exclusive to the GameCube console. It was originally conceived as an open world oriented adaptation of the comic book iteration of Batman. Similar to Activision's Spider-Man 2 , players would control Batman as he traveled around Gotham City, with the ability to patrol Gotham in the Batmobile, Batplane, and Batboat. Character A.I. and combat was very ambitious in order to allow an in-depth open world Batman experience. [5] However, the game was later revealed to be in the works for both the Xbox and PlayStation 2 consoles, and was reworked into a more linear and stealth-based game. [6]

Veteran DC Comics and former Batman: Gotham Adventures writer Scott Peterson (who also wrote the previous year's Superman: The Man of Steel video game) and Final Fantasy 's Kenji Terada created the story for Dark Tomorrow, while the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed the game's orchestrated score. Peterson was not aware of Terada's involvement at the time he worked on the game's story, relating years later that he wrote the script alone while working as DC Comics' Batman office liaison and that Terada was likely brought on after he completed the script. [7] The game had a total development span of four years before ultimately being released on the GameCube and Xbox in early 2003. The PlayStation 2 version was eventually cancelled.

Reception

Batman: Dark Tomorrow gained infamy for receiving negative reviews on both platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [8] [9] Primary criticism of the game was directed at its control scheme, repetitive missions, and its camera, which was described as frustrating. Game Informer gave the GameCube version 0.75 out of 10 for gameplay that is "incomprehensible and littered with bugs". [12] IGN was severely disappointed with the same console version, saying that "The Dark Knight gets his wings clipped in his latest adventure". [17] GamePro author Andre said "It has about as much dynamism as I do when I get up in the morning." [21]

Although the gameplay was widely criticized, Peterson and Terada's story, as well as the in-game cinematics, were praised. IGN noted that the game's DC-based Batman license faithfully brought it to life and commended the game's cut-scenes. [17] The ending, however, was met with criticism as there is no in-game direction to the "good ending". [22]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ported to Xbox by HotGen. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ra's al Ghul</span> DC Comics supervillain

Ra's al Ghul is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. Created by editor Julius Schwartz, writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, the character first appeared in Batman #232's "Daughter of the Demon".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talia al Ghul</span> Fictional character in DC Comics

Talia al Ghul is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman. The character was created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Bob Brown, and first appeared in Detective Comics #411.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">League of Assassins</span> Fictional villain group by DC Comics

The League of Assassins is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The group is depicted as a collective of assassins who work for Ra's al Ghul, an enemy of the superhero Batman. The group appeared in Strange Adventures #215, but did not become officially known as the League of Assassins until Detective Comics #405.

<i>Batman: Vengeance</i> 2001 video game

Batman: Vengeance is a 2001 action-adventure video game based on the fictional superhero of the same name. It was released for PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Xbox and Microsoft Windows. The game was developed and published by Ubi Soft in conjunction with Warner Bros. and DC Comics.

<i>Batman: Son of the Demon</i>

Batman: Son of the Demon is a 1987 graphic novel by writer Mike W. Barr and artist Jerry Bingham, published by American company DC Comics. It was released in both hardcover and softcover formats.

<i>Batman Begins</i> (video game) 2005 movie video game

Batman Begins is a stealth action-adventure game based on the film of the same name, exploring the first year of Batman's crusade against crime. It was released in June 2005 for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The console version of the game was developed by Eurocom and co-published by Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in conjunction with DC Comics. Vicarious Visions developed a distinct version of the game for Game Boy Advance, and Klear Games adapted the game for mobile phones, with both featuring action-platform gameplay. The film's original cast provided a voice-over reprisal in the game, with the exception of Gary Oldman, who portrays James "Jim" Gordon in the film and was replaced by Gavin Hammon in the game.

<i>Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu</i> 2003 video game

Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu is a 2003 action beat 'em up video game released for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance and GameCube consoles. It was developed and published by Ubi Soft in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics. The game is based on the television series The New Batman Adventures and features most of the voice actors reprising their roles. The story follows the Batfamily as they face a new adversary, a superpowered Asian warlord known as Sin Tzu, on the anniversary of Batman's parents' murder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merlyn (DC Comics)</span> Fictional character in the DC Comics Universe

Merlyn, also known as the Dark Archer, is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a deadly bow-wielding assassin and contract killer and the archnemesis of Green Arrow, though writers have developed him over the years as an adversary of other superheroes as well, such as Batman and Black Canary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sensei (DC Comics)</span> Fictional super-villain and martial arts master

The Sensei is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The Sensei was created by writer-artist Neal Adams and first appeared in Strange Adventures #215. The character is a martial arts sensei and adversary of the superhero Batman, along with Deadman and several other heroes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batman and Son</span> 2006 DC comic book story arc

"Batman and Son" is a 2006 comic book story arc featuring the DC Comics character Batman. Written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Andy Kubert, the story was published in four parts in the comic book Batman starting in #655 and ending in #658. The story was the beginning of Morrison's run in the Batman comic as well as their long-term take on the character of Batman through multiple titles over the next seven years. The arc introduced Batman's son, Damian Wayne, bringing him into the mainstream continuity of the DC Universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batman: Legacy</span> Crossover story arc

Legacy is a crossover story arc in the Batman comic book series, which is a sequel to another Batman story arc, Contagion and also serves as a follow-up to the Knightfall story arc.

<i>Lego Batman: The Videogame</i> 2008 video game

Lego Batman: The Videogame is a 2008 action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X. The game is based on the DC Comics character Batman, as well as the eponymous LEGO Batman toyline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul</span>

"The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul" is the name of an eight issue comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics in 2007 and 2008. It involves the return of notable Batman villain Ra's al Ghul, and is his first appearance since his apparent death in Batman: Death and the Maidens in 2003. It also connects back to the "Batman and Son" storyline, which introduced Damian as the son of Batman and Talia al Ghul.

<i>Batman: Battle for the Cowl</i> 2009 Batman comic book story arc

"Batman: Battle for the Cowl" is a 2009 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, three-issue miniseries written and penciled by Tony Daniel, as well as a number of tie-in books. The central story details the chaos in Gotham City following the "Batman R.I.P." and "Final Crisis" story arcs, due to Batman's absence. His disappearance is caused by the character's apparent death at the hands of Darkseid in Final Crisis, which causes dissension in the ranks of his allies and enemies who fight for the right to become the new Batman.

<i>Red Robin</i> (comic book)

Red Robin was an American comic book ongoing series that was written by Chris Yost, with art by Ramon Bachs, featuring Batman's former accomplice, Robin. The debut of the series follows the events of Batman R.I.P., Final Crisis, and Battle for the Cowl in which the original Batman, Bruce Wayne, apparently died at the hands of DC Comics villain Darkseid. Of all the characters in the so-called "Batman family", Drake is the only one who believes Bruce Wayne is still alive and leaves Gotham City to begin a global search for evidence supporting his theory and hope.

Leviathan is a fictional criminal organization in DC Comics, later revealed to be a schism of the League of Assassins under the leadership of Talia al Ghul, the daughter of Ra's al Ghul.

<i>Son of Batman</i> 2014 animated feature film directed by Ethan Spaulding

Son of Batman is a 2014 American animated superhero film which is the 20th film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies and the third film in the DC Animated Movie Universe. It is an adaptation of Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert's 2006 "Batman and Son" storyline. The film was released as a digital download on April 22, 2014, and was released on physical media on May 6.

<i>Gotham Knights</i> (video game) 2022 video game

Gotham Knights is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by WB Games Montréal and published by Warner Bros. Games. Inspired by the Batman: Gotham Knights comic series and based on the DC Comics character Batman and his supporting cast, the game focuses on the characters Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood as they attempt to restore justice to Gotham City during a period of decline in the immediate aftermath of Batman's death. While investigating the events that led to their mentor's demise, the heroes become embroiled in an ancient conflict between two secret organizations fighting for control of Gotham: the Court of Owls and the League of Shadows.

"Shadow War" is a nine-issue crossover comic book storyline published from DC Comics featuring Batman, Deathstroke, and Damian Wayne as Batman and Robin try to stop Deathstroke from committing an unthinkable act against the League of Assassins, Talia al Ghul, and Ra's al Ghul. The event overall received positive reviews, with critics praising the writing, art, and action.

References

  1. ↑ "Batman: Dark Tomorrow release information". MobyGames. Blue Flame Labs. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  2. ↑ Varanini, Giancarlo (18 March 2003). "Now shipping". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2003.
  3. ↑ "2003年1月～8月発売 ライセンシーソフト". Archived from the original on 2015-03-24. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  4. ↑ "Batman: Dark Tomorrow Review". IGN. 2003-03-24. Archived from the original on 2016-12-18. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  5. ↑ "13 Years Ago Today, 'Batman: Dark Tomorrow' Nearly Destroyed Gotham Games". Inverse. Archived from the original on 2019-07-24. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  6. ↑ "Batman: Dark Tomorrow goes multiplatform". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2019-03-13. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  7. ↑ "Comics on Consoles podcast #5". Archived from the original on 2019-07-30. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  8. 1 2 "Batman: Dark Tomorrow for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 22 November 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Batman: Dark Tomorrow for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  10. ↑ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Batman: Dark Tomorrow (GC) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Batman: Dark Tomorrow (GC)". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 167. June 2003. p. 112.
  12. 1 2 Reiner, Andrew (May 2003). "Batman: Dark Tomorrow (GC)". Game Informer . No. 121. p. 87. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  13. ↑ Tokyo Drifter (27 March 2003). "Batman: Dark Tomorrow Review for Xbox". GamePro . Archived from the original on 12 February 2005. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  14. ↑ Dr. Moo (April 2003). "Batman: Dark Tomorrow Review (GC)". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  15. 1 2 Tracy, Tim (2 April 2003). "Batman: Dark Tomorrow Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  16. ↑ Gibson, Jon M. (1 April 2003). "GameSpy: Batman: Dark Tomorrow (Xbox)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  17. 1 2 3 Lewis, Cory D. (25 March 2003). "Batman: Dark Tomorrow (GC)". IGN . Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  18. ↑ Goldstein, Hilary (24 March 2003). "Batman: Dark Tomorrow Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  19. ↑ "Batman: Dark Tomorrow". Nintendo Power . Vol. 167. April 2003. p. 134.
  20. ↑ "Batman: Dark Tomorrow". Official Xbox Magazine . June 2003. p. 82.
  21. ↑ PastGaming - Archiv (2015-04-06). Gamepro 05/2003 - Testcheck . Retrieved 2024-11-04– via YouTube.
  22. ↑ "The 100 worst games of all time". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.