''Batman Returns'' is the name of several

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

s for various platforms based on the 1992

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

of the same name. The

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

console versions (i.e.

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...

Sega CD The Sega CD, known as in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory and format for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. Originally released in November 1991, it ca ...

Master System The is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console manufactured and developed by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series ...

and

Game Gear The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth-generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990 in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and in 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily ...

) were published by Sega while the

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...

and

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...

versions were published by Konami and developed by Spirit of Discovery and Denton Designs respectively. An

Atari ST Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the company's Atari 8-bit computers, 8-bit computers. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985, and was widely available i ...

version by Konami was also advertised, but never released.

Sega

The

version of the game is a two-dimensional platforming game similar in design to Sunsoft's 1990 game based on the previous Batman film. The Genesis version of the game was released on December 29, 1992. The

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 Compact Disc Digital Audio (CDDA or CD-DA), also known as Digital Audio Compact Disc or simply as Audio CD, is the standard format for audio compact discs. The standard is defined in the '' Red Book'' technical specifications, which is why t ...

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 The Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character made his first appearance in ''Detective Comics'' #5 ...

kills the Ice Princess and frames

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

for the murder, as shown in the game's introductions. The

and

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.

Konami

The DOS version of the game, published by Konami, differs considerably from the other versions, in that it was not primarily an action game, rather an

adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...

. The Amiga version of the game was a subject of considerable controversy. GameTek had, prior to the game's release, sent a number of screenshots derived from the PC title to market the game. As such, a number of computer magazines previewed the game as direct conversion of the PC adventure. The reality, however, was very different. The game was, contrary to expectations, not a conversion of the PC title, but a side-scrolling platform game akin to the console games. It was plagued with bugs, including very inaccurate

collision detection Collision detection is the computational problem of detecting an intersection of two or more objects in virtual space. More precisely, it deals with the questions of ''if'', ''when'' and ''where'' two or more objects intersect. Collision detect ...

Reception

In his review of the Genesis version, Boy Blunder of ''

GamePro ''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...

'' described the controls as "a tad cumbersome at first, but playable after practice", and felt that they were "a step down from

Sunsoft , is a Japanese electronics manufacturer, video game developer and publisher. They are known for their video games under the brand name Sunsoft. History In April 1971, Sun Electronics Corporation (alternatively called Sun Denshi) was founded i ...

cart A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs. A handcart ...

". 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". 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". 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. The reviewers of ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...

'' commended the Sega CD version's driving levels and soundtrack, but derided the side-scrolling sections as weak. The Mega-CD version was a bestseller in the UK. Official Gallup UK Mega CD sales chart, December 1993, published in Mega (magazine) issue 15 ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' 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 Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...

-inspired character design". The 1992 titles together were awarded Best License of the Year by ''

''.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{Catwoman 1992 video games 1993 video games Action games Amiga games Aspect Co. games Batman (1989 film series) video games Beat 'em ups Cancelled Atari ST games Christmas video games Commercial video games with freely available source code Denton Designs games DOS games Game Gear games Konami beat 'em ups Malibu Interactive games Master System games MegaTech Hyper Game awards winners Penguin (character) in other media Platformers Sega CD games Sega Genesis games Sega video games Single-player video games Superhero video games Vehicular combat games Video games based on adaptations Video games based on Batman films Video games based on films Video games based on works by Tim Burton Video games developed in Japan Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games developed in the United States Video games scored by Spencer Nilsen Video games set in the United States