2001 video game
Batman: Vengeance
|
---|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/ca/Batman_Vengeance.jpg/220px-Batman_Vengeance.jpg) |
Developer(s)
| Ubi Soft Montreal
[a]
|
---|
Publisher(s)
| Ubi Soft
|
---|
Producer(s)
| Reid Schneider
|
---|
Designer(s)
| Pierre Rivest
|
---|
Programmer(s)
| Stephane Morichere-Matte
|
---|
Artist(s)
| Hugo Dallaire
Stephane Belin
Alex Drouin
|
---|
Platform(s)
| |
---|
Release
| PlayStation 2
- NA
:
October 23, 2001
[1]
- EU
:
November 9, 2001
Game Boy Advance
- NA
:
October 30, 2001
- EU
:
November 9, 2001
GameCube
- NA
:
November 18, 2001
[2]
- EU
:
May 3, 2002
Xbox
- NA
:
December 18, 2001
- EU
:
March 14, 2002
Windows
- NA
:
September 6, 2002
- EU
:
October 8, 2002
|
---|
Genre(s)
| Action-adventure
|
---|
Mode(s)
| Single-player
|
---|
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
.
The game is based on the television series
The New Batman Adventures
, and features the voice cast from the show reprising their roles. The story centers on Batman's investigation of the
Joker
's apparent death after their latest encounter, while having to deal with other villains and their schemes, all part of a larger plot orchestrated by the Clown Prince of Crime.
Batman: Vengeance
received mixed reviews upon release.
Plot
[
edit
]
Batman saves a woman named Mary from a bomb placed by the
Joker
at Gotham Chemicals, who is holding her son hostage for ransom. Using a transmitter, Batman tracks down the Joker and Mary to a partially demolished Gotham Bridge, where she is unmasked as Harley Quinn and the kidnapping scheme is revealed to be a plot to trap Batman. Batman defeats the Joker, but the latter falls off the bridge to his apparent death. Suspicious that the Joker survived, Batman lets Harley escape in order to monitor her using the transmitter.
Batman and
Batgirl
are alerted to
Mr. Freeze
attacking Gotham Industrial Research to kill scientist Isaac Evers, the creator of the miracle drug Promethium for
cryogenically frozen
people. Freeze seeks revenge against Evers for a promotional Promethium video he believes Evers sent to mock him. While pursuing Freeze, Batman uncovers Evers' dealings with the Joker, who funded his research after his initial government funding was cut because of Promethium being unstable. After saving Evers and defeating Freeze, Batman discovers
Poison Ivy
has created a new species of super-plants infested with deadly worms, and tracks her down to the remains of Gotham Chemicals. There, he finds Mayor
Hamilton Hill
, who explains Ivy blackmailed him and other wealthy
socialites
by poisoning them with her worm-infected plants, which were created from a mysterious chemical. Batman defeats Ivy and obtains an antidote to save her victims.
Batman witnesses the Joker's goons hijacking a
blimp
and speaks with Harley, who informs him that they have been operating on their own since the Joker's apparent death. After foiling their plan to send explosive Joker toys into the city's sewers, Batman finds an abducted Issac Evers. He explains that he had hired the goons to destroy Gotham Industrial for the insurance money, having been unable to collect on the damage left by Mr. Freeze without revealing his deals with the Joker. The goons then turned on him to carry out their plan to destroy Gotham using the toys. As Batman hands Evers over to the police,
Commissioner Gordon
is hit with a
batarang
. Blamed for the attack, Batman escapes from the police and concludes that Harley is behind everything since the Joker's apparent death. Disguising himself as a drifter to avoid police attention, Batman investigates the Joker's former hideout and finds evidence hinting at his survival.
After tracking the stolen blimp to the Gasworks, Batman confronts a still-living Joker, having faked his death to exact his true plan. He reveals that he secretly manipulated Evers, Freeze, Ivy, and Batman into fulfilling his goals to mass-produce a flammable
Joker toxin
developed from Promethium, which he intends to spread throughout the city's sewers. Batman shuts off the city's pipe network to stop the flow of the toxin, while the Joker attempts to escape in the blimp and spread the toxin himself. After subduing Harley, Batman stows aboard the blimp and stops the toxin from being released. As a last resort, the Joker tries to crash the blimp into the city, but Batman destroys the blimp and saves the Joker from falling to his death.
The villains are incarcerated at
Arkham Asylum
. Batman meets an apologetic Gordon, as it was discovered Harley threw the batarang, and thanks Batman for saving Gotham. Batman retreats to look out over the city, when the
Bat-Signal
appears behind him.
Development
[
edit
]
Vengeance
took environmental and character designs from
The New Batman Adventures
, with the voice cast from that show including
Kevin Conroy
as
Batman
,
Mark Hamill
as the
Joker
,
Tara Strong
as
Batgirl
,
Diane Pershing
as
Poison Ivy
,
Michael Ansara
as
Mr. Freeze
,
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
as
Alfred Pennyworth
,
Arleen Sorkin
as
Harley Quinn
,
Bob Hastings
as
Commissioner Gordon
, and
Lloyd Bochner
as
Mayor Hill
.
Reception
[
edit
]
Batman: Vengeance
received "mixed or average reviews" across all versions of the game, according to
review aggregator
Metacritic
.
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
Jeff Lundrigan of
NextGen
said of the PlayStation 2 version, "While it has a number of things going for it,
Batman Vengeance
still comes up short in a few key areas."
[31]
Jon Thompson of
AllGame
gave the PlayStation 2 version three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that it was "hampered by its linear nature and lack of mental challenge, but the game is still heads and shoulders above all other
Batman
titles released in the last few years. Those looking for an entertaining action game as well as those who are huge fans of the Dark Knight will definitely get a kick out of the experience."
[38]
Later, Chris Holowka gave the GameCube version a similar score of three-and-a-half stars, saying it was "truly an interactive cartoon, beautifully mimicking the simple, bold animation style that made the animated television series so groundbreaking."
[39]
However, Brett Alan Weiss gave the Game Boy Advance version three stars out of five, saying, "The simplified
Metal Gear
-type gameplay is marginally appealing and helps tie the package together as an entertaining mixture of well-known play styles with a
Batman
theme."
[40]
Computer Games Magazine
gave the PC version two stars out of five, saying, "There's a few clever puzzles scattered throughout the levels; unfortunately, there's also a few incredibly painful flying and driving sequences as well."
[41]
Pong Sifu of
GamePro
said of the PlayStation 2 version, "With some fine tuning,
Batman Vengeance
could've been legendary. Though many gamers may be put off by the game's shortcomings, Bat-fans looking for a fun-filled romp above the streets of Gotham will be delighted by the film-noir visuals and engaging story line."
[42]
[c]
The Man in Black said of the Xbox version, "There's much to praise about the effort behind this rough-hewn but imagnative game. If you're a fan, you might tackle this tale of the Dark Knight with a
Vengeance
."
[43]
[d]
Michael Lafferty of
GameZone
gave the Game Boy Advance version 8.4 out of 10, saying, "The graphical elements are very well done, the animation is solid and the various challenges will keep players intrigued."
[44]
Carlos McElfish gave the Xbox version seven out of ten, saying, "The gameplay as a whole is lethargic and inaccurate."
[45]
Lafferty later gave the PC version a similar score of seven out of ten, calling it "a year-old game newly ported to the PC that plunges players into a world of bad camera angles and overwrought control elements."
[46]
The game was nominated for "
Outstanding Achievement in Original Musical Composition
" at the
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
'
5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards
, which ultimately went to
Tropico
.
[47]
The PlayStation 2 version was also nominated at
The Electric Playground
'
s 2001 Blister Awards for "Biggest Disappointment of the Year", but lost to the Xbox version of
Shrek
.
[48]
By the end of 2001, sales of the game had surpassed 540,000 units.
[49]
Its sales surpassed 670,000 units by the end of March 2002.
[50]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Ported to PC by Ubisoft Shanghai
- ^
Three critics of
Electronic Gaming Monthly
gave the PlayStation 2 version each a score of 6/10, 5/10, and 6.5/10.
- ^
GamePro
gave the PlayStation 2 version 4/5 for graphics, 5/5 for sound, 2.5/5 for control, and 3.5/5 for fun factor.
- ^
GamePro
gave the Xbox version two 4/5 scores for graphics and sound, and two 3.5/5 scores for control and fun factor.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Fielder, Joe (2001-10-09).
"Batman: Vengeance Preview"
.
GameSpot
.
Fandom
.
Archived
from the original on 2002-02-03
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Ahmed, Shahed (2001-11-07).
"Batman: Vengeance to make GameCube launch"
.
GameSpot
. Fandom.
Archived
from the original on 2001-11-12
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
a
b
"Batman: Vengeance critic reviews (GBA)"
.
Metacritic
. Fandom.
Archived
from the original on 2022-07-21
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
a
b
"Batman: Vengeance critic reviews (GC)"
.
Metacritic
. Fandom.
Archived
from the original on 2022-10-20
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
a
b
"Batman: Vengeance critic reviews (PC)"
.
Metacritic
. Fandom.
Archived
from the original on 2023-05-04
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
a
b
"Batman: Vengeance critic reviews (PS2)"
.
Metacritic
. Fandom.
Archived
from the original on 2023-05-08
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
a
b
"Batman: Venegance critic reviews (Xbox)"
.
Metacritic
. Fandom.
Archived
from the original on 2023-05-04
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Babler, Jason (January 2003).
"Batman: Vengeance"
(PDF)
.
Computer Gaming World
. No. 222.
Ziff Davis
. p. 121.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 2023-12-14
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Sewart, Greg; Mielke, James; Johnston, Chris (December 2001).
"Batman Vengeance (PS2)"
(PDF)
.
Electronic Gaming Monthly
. No. 149. Ziff Davis. p. 236.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 2023-07-02
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
MacIsaac, Jason (2001-11-05).
"Batman Venegeance (GBA)"
.
The Electric Playground
. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from
the original
on 2003-07-17
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Mowatt, Todd (2001-11-02).
"Batman Vengeance (PS2)"
.
The Electric Playground
. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from
the original
on 2003-07-16
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
McNamara, Andy (February 2002).
"Batman: Vengeance (GC)"
.
Game Informer
. No. 106.
FuncoLand
. p. 87. Archived from
the original
on 2007-11-27
. Retrieved
2013-10-07
.
- ^
Fitzloff, Jay (November 2001).
"Batman: Vengeance (PS2)"
.
Game Informer
. No. 103. FuncoLand. p. 98. Archived from
the original
on 2008-08-02
. Retrieved
2013-10-07
.
- ^
Helgeson, Matt (February 2002).
"Batman: Vengeance (Xbox)"
.
Game Informer
. No. 106. FuncoLand. p. 92. Archived from
the original
on 2003-12-01
. Retrieved
2013-10-07
.
- ^
Sanders, Shawn (2001-11-25).
"Batman Vengeance Review (PS2)"
.
GameRevolution
.
CraveOnline
.
Archived
from the original on 2016-03-04
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Rivers, Trevor (2001-11-28).
"Batman: Vengeance Review (GBA)"
.
GameSpot
. Fandom.
Archived
from the original on 2001-12-05
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Fielder, Joe (2001-11-28).
"Batman: Vengeance Review (GC)"
.
GameSpot
. Fandom.
Archived
from the original on 2001-12-05
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Park, Andrew Seyoon (2002-10-11).
"Batman: Vengeance Review (PC)"
.
GameSpot
. Fandom.
Archived
from the original on 2002-10-12
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Fielder, Joe (2001-10-15).
"Batman: Vengeance Review (PS2)"
.
GameSpot
. Fandom.
Archived
from the original on 2001-12-07
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Fielder, Joe (2002-01-07).
"Batman: Vengeance Review (Xbox)"
.
GameSpot
. Fandom.
Archived
from the original on 2002-01-14
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Padilla, Raymond "Psylancer" (2001-12-12).
"Reviews: Batman: Vengeance (GBA)"
.
GameSpy
. GameSpy Industries. Archived from
the original
on 2005-01-12
. Retrieved
2013-10-07
.
- ^
Brooks, Mark (2001-12-04).
"Reviews: Batman: Vengeance (GCN)"
.
GameSpy
. GameSpy Industries. Archived from
the original
on 2005-02-23
. Retrieved
2013-10-07
.
- ^
McGovney, Brian (2002-11-06).
"Batman: Vengeance (PC)"
.
GameSpy
. IGN Entertainment
. Retrieved
2013-10-07
.
- ^
Garbutt, Russell (2001-11-07).
"Reviews: Batman: Vengeance (PS2)"
.
GameSpy
. GameSpy Industries. Archived from
the original
on 2002-02-03
. Retrieved
2013-10-07
.
- ^
D'Aprile, Jason (2002-02-06).
"Reviews: Batman: Vengeance (Xbox)"
.
GameSpy
. GameSpy Industries. Archived from
the original
on 2002-02-10
. Retrieved
2013-10-07
.
- ^
Harris, Craig (2001-11-16).
"Batman Venegance (GBA)"
.
IGN
. Ziff Davis.
Archived
from the original on 2023-10-19
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Casamassina, Matt (2001-11-19).
"Batman Vengeance (GCN)"
.
IGN
. Ziff Davis.
Archived
from the original on 2023-05-15
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Butts, Steve (2002-10-08).
"Batman Vengeance Review"
.
IGN
. Ziff Davis.
Archived
from the original on 2022-01-17
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Perry, Douglass C. (2001-10-17).
"Batman Vengeance (PS2)"
.
IGN
. Ziff Davis.
Archived
from the original on 2023-10-19
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Chau, Anthony (2001-12-11).
"Batman Vengeance (Xbox)"
.
IGN
. Ziff Davis.
Archived
from the original on 2022-01-18
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
a
b
Lundrigan, Jeff (December 2001).
"Batman Vengeance (PS2)"
.
NextGen
. No. 84.
Imagine Media
. p. 100
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
"Batman: Vengeance (GBA)".
Nintendo Power
. Vol. 152.
Nintendo of America
. January 2002. p. 134.
- ^
"Batman: Vengeance (GC)".
Nintendo Power
. Vol. 153. Nintendo of America. February 2002. p. 149.
- ^
Lake, Max (2002-01-06).
"Batman: Vengeance (GC)"
.
Nintendo World Report
. NINWR, LLC.
Archived
from the original on 2023-09-01
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
Baker, Chris (December 2001).
"Batman: Vengeance"
.
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine
. No. 51. Ziff Davis. p. 162
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
"Xbox Review: Batman Vengeance".
Official Xbox Magazine
. Imagine Media. February 2002. p. 70.
- ^
Osborn, Chuck (December 25, 2002).
"Batman: Vengeance"
.
PC Gamer
. Vol. 9, no. 13.
Future US
. p. 114. Archived from
the original
on 2006-03-15
. Retrieved
2015-07-25
.
- ^
Thompson, Jon.
"Batman: Vengeance (PS2) - Review"
.
AllGame
.
All Media Network
. Archived from
the original
on 2014-11-14
. Retrieved
2015-07-25
.
- ^
Holoka, Chris.
"Batman: Vengeance (GC) - Review"
.
AllGame
. All Media Network. Archived from
the original
on 2014-11-14
. Retrieved
2015-07-25
.
- ^
Weiss, Brett Alan.
"Batman: Vengeance (GBA) - Review"
.
AllGame
. All Media Network. Archived from
the original
on 2014-11-14
. Retrieved
2015-07-25
.
- ^
"Review: Batman: Venegance".
Computer Games Magazine
. No. 146.
theGlobe.com
. January 2003. p. 77.
- ^
Pong Sifu (December 2001).
"Batman: Vengeance (PS2)"
(PDF)
.
GamePro
. No. 159.
IDG
. p. 138.
Archived
from the original on 2005-02-12
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
The Man in Black (2001-12-04).
"Batman: Vengeance Review for Xbox on GamePro.com"
.
GamePro
. IDG. Archived from
the original
on 2005-03-12
. Retrieved
2013-10-07
.
- ^
Lafferty, Michael (2001-11-22).
"Batman Vengeance - GBA - Review"
.
GameZone
.
Archived
from the original on 2009-11-11
. Retrieved
2013-10-01
.
- ^
McElfish, Carlos (2002-02-25).
"Batman Vengeance Review (Xbox)"
.
GameZone
.
Archived
from the original on 2008-05-09
. Retrieved
2013-10-07
.
- ^
Lafferty, Michael (2002-10-22).
"Batman Vengeance - PC - Review"
.
GameZone
.
Archived
from the original on 2008-02-29
. Retrieved
2013-10-07
.
- ^
"5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards: Winners"
.
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
. Archived from
the original
on 2004-06-03
. Retrieved
2024-02-02
.
- ^
EP staff (2002).
"Blister Awards 2001 (Special Awards 2)"
.
The Electric Playground
. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from
the original
on 2003-07-13
. Retrieved
2024-02-03
.
- ^
"UBI SOFT OUTPERFORMS THE MARKET IN THE THIRD QUARTER : SALES : 165.1 MILLION EUROS, UP 45% ON A LIKE FOR LIKE BASIS UP 34%"
.
Ubisoft
. 2002-01-31. Archived from
the original
on 2017-09-21.
- ^
"CONSOLIDATED SALES FOR THE 2001/2002 FINANCIAL YEAR: 369 MILLION EUROS (+42%) CONSOLIDATED SALES FOR THE 4TH QUARTER OF 2001/2002 ARE UP BY 14%"
.
Ubisoft
. 2002-05-02. Archived from
the original
on 2017-09-21.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Creators
| |
---|
Television
| |
---|
Films
| |
---|
Digital content
| |
---|
Comics
| |
---|
Video games
| |
---|
Characters
| |
---|
Miscellaneous
| |
---|