Batman Returns (Sega video games)

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Batman Returns
BatmanReturnsCoverart.jpg
European Mega Drive cover
Developers Aspect (Game Gear, Master System)
Malibu Interactive (Genesis, Sega CD)
Publisher Sega
Composers Motohiro Kawashima (Game Gear, Master System)
Series Batman
Platforms Game Gear, Master System, Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega CD
Release
September 1992
  • Game Gear
  • Genesis/Mega Drive
  • Master System
  • Sega CD
    • NA: 1993
    • EU: August 1993
Genres Action, platform
Vehicular combat (Sega CD only)
Mode Single-player

Batman Returns is the name of several video games for various platforms based on the 1992 film of the same name.

Contents

The Sega console versions (i.e. Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Master System and Game Gear) were published by Sega. [7]

Genesis/Sega CD

The Sega Genesis version of the game is a two-dimensional platforming game similar in design to Sunsoft's 1990 game based on the 1989 Batman film. The Genesis version of the game was released on December 29, 1992. The Sega CD version is an expanded version of the Genesis game, and adds a number of 3D racing levels that took advantage of the graphics hardware provided by the Sega CD unit, plus improved music in the form of CD audio with a number of animations featuring original artwork instead of still photos. Both versions feature a plot based on the events of the movie starting after The Penguin kills the Ice Princess and frames Batman for the murder, as shown in the game's introductions.

Master System/Game Gear

The Master System and Game Gear versions of the game are essentially identical side-scrolling platform games, but the titles were created independently of the 16-bit versions and share no design elements. This version featured a unique branched level system, allowing players to choose from an easy and difficult route. The latter typically forced players to use rope swinging to navigate over large floorless areas. The music was composed by Motohiro Kawashima under the supervision of Yuzo Koshiro, and was one of his first soundtracks for a game; he utilized Music Macro Language to program the music, with assistance from Koshiro. [8]

Reception

In his review of the Genesis version, Boy Blunder of GamePro described the controls as "a tad cumbersome at first, but playable after practice", and felt that they were "a step down from Sunsoft's cart". He remarked that the visuals were "too muted to win an award", though said that the backgrounds were "well-drawn" and admired the occasional effects, particularly the "bizarre diagonal scrolling in Act I's cutaway building". He was apathetic toward the music and had a mixed response to the sound effects, explaining that "some of the effects, such as the thunderstorm, are hot, but others are not. The death bleep for the enemies is particularly grating". [11]

Sister Sinister appreciated the Game Gear version's "wonderfully elaborate and colorful" graphics and varied soundtrack, though noted that Batman is "small and a little hard on the eyes". [10]

The Sega CD version received middling reviews. The Tummynator of GamePro described the graphics as "unimpressive", elaborating that the backgrounds and sprites were colored with similar dark palettes, which made the game "muddy and hard to see". He further described the music as "average Bat bebop" and the sound effects as "below CD quality", and said that the three Batmobile-centered levels were the only bonus for those who have already played the Genesis version. [12] The reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly commended the Sega CD version's driving levels and soundtrack, but derided the side-scrolling sections as weak. [9] The Mega-CD version was a bestseller in the UK. [17]

Entertainment Weekly gave the game an A and wrote: "Forget about the tortured dualities of good and evil – this is a rousing, jump and-shoot-action game, whose main links with the movie are in its dark backgrounds and Tim Burton-inspired character design". [15]

The 1992 titles together were awarded Best License of the Year by Electronic Gaming Monthly . [16]

References

  1. ↑ "Batman Returns (Game Gear)". Sega Retro. 24 January 2022.
  2. ↑ "Software List (Released by Sega)". セガ 製品情報サイト (in Japanese). Sega. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Re-Animated: Comics to Carts". GamePro . No. 38. IDG. September 1992. pp. 25–27.
  4. ↑ "Mega Drive Review - Batman Returns". Mean Machines . No. 3. EMAP. September 1995. p. 106.
  5. ↑ "Software List (Sega Release)". Sega Hard Encyclopedia (in Japanese). Sega Corporation . Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Master System Review: Batman Returns". Mean Machines Sega . No. 6. March 1993. pp. 64–66.
  7. ↑ "Generation4 Batman Returns advertising". Generation4. November 1993. p. 25.
  8. ↑ Kawashima, Motohiro [@mvorak] (April 16, 2023). "I wrote almost all the songs under Koshiro-san. Since I was working with MML, I don't think I could have made it without his instructions" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. 1 2 "Review Crew: Batman Returns (Sega CD)" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly . June 1993. p. 34.
  10. 1 2 Sister Sinister (November 1992). "Game Gear Pro Review: Batman Returns" (PDF). GamePro . p. 162.
  11. 1 2 Boy Blunder (March 1993). "Genesis Pro Review: Batman Returns" (PDF). GamePro . pp. 40–41.
  12. 1 2 The Tummynator (June 1993). "Sega CD Pro Review: Batman Returns" (PDF). GamePro . p. 66.
  13. ↑ MegaTech rating, EMAP, issue 19
  14. ↑ "Sega Master Force Issue 1" (1). August 1993: 25. Retrieved November 19, 2015.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. 1 2 Strauss, Bob; Burr, Ty (December 4, 1992). "Movies Gone Game". Entertainment Weekly .
  16. 1 2 "Electronic Gaming Monthly's 1993 Video Game Buyer's Guide". 1993.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  17. ↑ Official Gallup UK Mega CD sales chart, December 1993, published in Mega (magazine) issue 15
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