Batman Begins (video game)

Batman Begins
North American cover art
DevelopersEurocom (GC, PS2, Xbox)
Vicarious Visions (GBA)
Klear Games (Mobile)
PublishersEA Games
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
ComposerIan Livingstone
SeriesBatman
Platforms
ReleaseConsoles

Mobile

GenresStealth, action-adventure
Action, platform (GBA, mobile)
ModeSingle-player

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.[8] It was released in June 2005 for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.[8] 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 the 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 Gordon in the film and was replaced by Gavin Hammon in the game.

The game received mixed reviews upon release. A PlayStation Portable version was planned but got cancelled for unknown reasons.[9] A sequel, Batman: The Dark Knight, based on the 2008 film of the same name, was developed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 before being cancelled as well. This made Batman Begins the last Batman film released by Warner Bros. to receive a video game tie-in.[10]

Gameplay

Batman Begins is an action-adventure game incorporating both beat 'em up and stealth elements. The player controls Batman from a third-person perspective, who has access to several gadgets that can be used during both combat and stealth segments. These include batarangs, smoke bombs, flash bang grenades, and a 'High Frequency Transponder', which summons bats to gather around and incapacitate enemies with "fear" (a gameplay mechanic unique to this game).

During stealth segments, the player can interact with the environment to create various circumstances that scare off enemies, such as explosions or dropping crates near them, making them easier to subdue. It is also essential to outsmart armed enemies, especially those with guns, by using the environment to one's advantage; if armed enemies are intimidated, they will drop their firearms. Fear also plays a role in the combat segments, where, if the fear bar is filled, players can finish off the last remaining enemy with a single hit. The overall stealth gameplay is reminiscent of the Splinter Cell series.

Aside from the combat and stealth sections, the game also incorporates several combat racing levels where the player drives the Tumbler. The game features several alternate costumes for Batman to wear, which are unlocked after completing the main story. Aside from the story, there is a "Gallery of Fear", where the player can view various enemies and villains they have encountered throughout the game and read their bios.

Synopsis

The game closely follows the film's plot, albeit with several modifications, such as the introduction of new scenes or expanding upon certain events depicted in the film. The game features over 20 clips from the film that serve as in-game cutscenes between levels.

Plot

Inside a run-down building full of explosives in Gotham City, Batman confronts a group of thugs working for Dr. Jonathan Crane. The explosives are accidentally triggered during the fight, setting the building on fire. Batman makes his way through the inferno and catches Crane, but he sprays him with a toxin, causing Batman to go psychotic and jump through a window. The game then flashes back to a year prior in the Himalayas, during Bruce Wayne's training with Henri Ducard and the League of Shadows, led by Ra's al Ghul. After refusing to execute a captive criminal as part of his training, Bruce discovers that the League has deemed Gotham beyond saving and is planning to destroy it. To stop them, Bruce sets the League's temple alight and escapes with Ducard, leaving Ra's and the rest of the League to die.

Bruce returns to Gotham, where he intends to fight crime and corruption; he sets up a base in the caves beneath Wayne Manor and becomes the vigilante Batman, inspired by his childhood fear of bats. He is aided in his crusade by his longtime butler Alfred Pennyworth and Wayne Enterprises archivist Lucius Fox, who supplies him with advanced technology. Bruce keeps his Batman identity secret from everyone else, including Rachel Dawes, his childhood sweetheart. A week prior to the game's opening scene, Batman, learning that mob boss Carmine Falcone is involved with a drug shipment at the Gotham Docks, captures Falcone and leaves him for the GCPD to find. He then informs Rachel of the shipment and provides her with enough evidence to enlist Sergeant James Gordon, one of Gotham's few honest cops, to arrest Falcone.

Bruce is later informed by Lucius of the theft of a microwave emitter from Wayne Enterprises and pursues the thieves in his Tumbler, but discovers that they used a decoy to lure him away. Turning his attention back to Falcone's operations, he tracks down Walter Pfister and Gordon's corrupt partner Arnold Flass, who attempts to blackmail psychotic killer Victor Zsasz into telling him about Crane, Falcone's new partner. Batman catches Flass and threatens him into revealing that, besides drugs, Falcone's men are shipping chemicals to Crane, who works at Arkham Asylum. Batman intercepts Crane's latest shipment and follows it to Crane's hideout, leading to the game's opening scene.

Lucius develops an antidote for Crane's fear toxin and cures Bruce of its effects. Meanwhile, Rachel seeks to investigate the connection between Crane and Falcone, who was previously transferred to Arkham after being drugged by Crane. She enters the asylum to question Crane, but ends up being drugged and held captive. Batman infiltrates Arkham and learns that Crane has introduced his toxin into Gotham's water supply; however, Crane discovers his presence and calls the GCPD, who storm the asylum. After subduing and interrogating Crane, who claims to work for Ra's al Ghul, Batman finds Gordon and tells him that Rachel is dying from the toxin's effects. With Gordon's help, Batman sneaks out of the asylum and drives Rachel to the Batcave, where he manages to save her life, but elects to continue keeping his identity secret from her.

Later, during a birthday celebration at Wayne Manor, Bruce is confronted by survivors of the League of Shadows, led by Ducard, who reveals himself as the true Ra's al Ghul. Ra's informs Bruce of his plan to destroy Gotham by vaporizing the city's water supply with the stolen microwave emitter, rendering Crane's fear toxin airborne and plunging the population into mass hysteria. As the League sets Wayne Manor ablaze, Bruce rescues Lucius and escapes with Alfred to the Batcave. Meanwhile, a riot erupts at Arkham Asylum, allowing numerous inmates to escape into the Gotham Narrows where, exposed to Crane's toxin, they descend into violence and chaos. Amidst the turmoil, Batman confronts Crane and prevents him from leading the criminals into the rest of Gotham. During the encounter, Crane is exposed to his own toxin and hallucinates Batman as a terrifying monster, causing him to panic and leap into the river.

Batman then turns his attention to stopping the League's plan, as Ra's loads the microwave emitter onto Gotham's elevated monorail and sets it on a course towards the city's central water hub. Rachel attempts to stop the train from the monorail control station but is attacked by Victor Zsasz. Batman rescues her, inadvertently revealing his identity in the process, and boards the train in a desperate attempt to disable the emitter. After defeating Ra's, he discovers that the device cannot be shut down, so he uses the Tumbler to destroy a section of the monorail track, preventing the train from reaching its destination. Refusing to kill Ra's but equally unwilling to save him, Batman escapes moments before the train crashes, resulting in Ra's death. In the aftermath, order is restored to Gotham, and Batman reflects on his new role as the city's protector.

Voice cast

Additionally, Batman Begins producer Emma Thomas and cinematographer Wally Pfister make cameo appearances in the game as an Arkham Asylum doctor and a Falcone mobster, respectively.[11]

Reception

Batman Begins received generally mixed reviews across all platforms. GameRankings gave it a score of 62.14% for the Game Boy Advance version,[15] 66.74% for the GameCube version,[13] 65.63% for the PlayStation 2 version,[14] and 67.20% for the Xbox version.[12] Likewise, Metacritic calculated an average score of 61 out of 100 for the GBA version,[19] 66 out of 100 for the GameCube version,[16] 64 out of 100 for the PS2 version,[18] and 65 out of 100 for the Xbox version.[17] It received G4's award for 'Best Graphics on PS2 and Xbox'.

1Up.com gave the game a C, saying "Begins' big pro is how great it looks, especially the lighting effects, which are contrasted nicely by the dark atmosphere, but I still found myself wishing the game would go the way of the old batsuit nipples and disappear."[20]

The game sold 587,000 copies by 2008.[42]

Sequels

Cancelled The Dark Knight game

A video game sequel to Batman Begins, based on the second installment of the The Dark Knight film trilogy, was in development.[43] In his interview on GameTrailers, actor Gary Oldman said he knew that a lot of effort had gone into getting Batman's gliding abilities to feel suitably smooth and fluid for the game. Oldman, who reprised his role as Lt. Jim Gordon, did not name a developer in the interview, but anonymous sources reported that The Dark Knight was a secret project of Pandemic Studios and EA.[44][45] The project was ultimately cancelled, and Pandemic Brisbane was shut down.[46]

The Dark Knight Rises game

A game adaptation of The Dark Knight Rises was released for mobile devices in July 2012.[47] Developed by Gameloft, it is a fully 3D action role-playing game in which the player controls Batman as he fights enemies in an open-world Gotham City. Batman has access to his arsenal of weapons, gadgets, and vehicles such as the Bat-Pod and the Bat. The game features simple touch controls with a joystick on the left side and context-sensitive action buttons on the right.

References

  1. ↑ Adams, David (June 15, 2005). "Batman Begins at Stores". IGN. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  2. ↑ "What's New? (New releases roundup)". Eurogamer. June 17, 2005. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  3. ↑ Van Leuveren, Luke (June 14, 2005). "Updated Australian Release List - 14/06/05". PALGN. Archived from the original on June 15, 2005. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Upcoming Games (AU)". PALGN. Archived from the original on June 25, 2005. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  5. ↑ "《蝙蝠俠：開戰時刻》同名遊戲 6 月 15 日上市《Batman Begins》 - 巴哈姆特". Archived from the original on May 25, 2025. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Batman Begins". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 18, 2005. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  7. ↑ "New Mobile Phone Game from Warner Bros. Online". GamesIndustry. July 7, 2005. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Batman Begins Videogame Soars onto Shelves" (Press release). Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. June 15, 2005. Archived from the original on April 26, 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2005.
  9. ↑ "Batman Begins (PlayStation Portable)". Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  10. ↑ Skipper, Ben (February 1, 2016). "Cancelled Batman game: Unseen 64 tells story of Pandemic's The Dark Knight movie tie-in". International Business Times. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Batman Begins (2005 video game) Cast". IMDb. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  12. 1 2 "Batman Begins for Xbox". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  13. 1 2 "Batman Begins for GameCube". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  14. 1 2 "Batman Begins for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  15. 1 2 "Batman Begins for Game Boy Advance". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  16. 1 2 "Batman Begins for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  17. 1 2 "Batman Begins for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  18. 1 2 "Batman Begins for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  19. 1 2 "Batman Begins for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  20. 1 2 Cynical Gamer (August 9, 2006). "Batman Begins Review". 1Up.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Batman Begins". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 195. September 2005.
  22. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (June 17, 2005). "Batman Begins Review (Xbox)". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  23. ↑ Mason, Lisa (August 2005). "Batman Begins". Game Informer. No. 148. p. 97. Archived from the original on November 4, 2005. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  24. ↑ Doctor Zombie (December 2, 2005). "Review: Batman Begins". GamePro. Archived from the original on October 16, 2006. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  25. ↑ Hurh, JP (June 2005). "Batman Begins Review". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  26. ↑ Colayco, Bob (June 17, 2005). "Batman Begins Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  27. ↑ Colayco, Bob (June 17, 2005). "Batman Begins Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  28. ↑ Provo, Frank (July 6, 2005). "Batman Begins Review (GBA)". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  29. ↑ Tuttle, Will (June 20, 2005). "GameSpy: Batman Begins (Xbox)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  30. ↑ Tuttle, Will (June 20, 2005). "GameSpy: Batman Begins". GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  31. ↑ "Batman Begins Review". GameTrailers. June 23, 2005. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  32. ↑ Romano, Natalie (June 28, 2005). "Batman Begins - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on November 3, 2008. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  33. ↑ Knutson, Michael (June 26, 2005). "Batman Begins - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  34. ↑ Bedigian, Louis (June 26, 2005). "Batman Begins - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  35. ↑ Casamassina, Matt (June 16, 2005). "Batman Begins (GC)". IGN. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  36. ↑ Harris, Craig (June 21, 2005). "Batman Begins (GBA)". IGN. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  37. ↑ Sulic, Ivan; Lewis, Ed (June 15, 2005). "Batman Begins". IGN. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  38. ↑ "Batman Begins (GC)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 195. August 2005. p. 80.
  39. ↑ "Batman Begins (GBA)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 195. August 2005. p. 85.
  40. ↑ 1UP Staff (August 2, 2005). "Batman Begins (PS2)". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  41. ↑ "Batman Begins". Official Xbox Magazine. September 2005. p. 82.
  42. ↑ "The Dark Knight video game pulls a disappearing act". The Baltimore Sun. August 10, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ↑ "'Dark Knight' Game Leaks". Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  44. ↑ Casamassina, Matt (May 17, 2007). "Rumor: Pandemic to Develop New Batman Game". Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  45. ↑ "'Dark Knight' reigns not in video game - Newsweek Technology - Newsweek.com". Newsweek. August 21, 2008. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  46. ↑ "Screwing Up Batman". Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  47. ↑ Davis, Justin (August 10, 2012). "The Dark Knight Rises iOS Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Batman Begins (video game).
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.