Tuesday 24 July 2012

Day 59 - I want you to tell all your friends about me.

I had a bad stomach yesterday, so I missed a day.  It's bound to happen occasionally... I think I did pretty well to make 57 days in a row!  But rest assured, missing days will not be a regular occurrence, so keep following and promoting in places of interest if you like what I'm doing.


I've been on a bit of a Batman kick today.  It's nothing to do with The Dark Knight Rises, and instead is everything to do with the questions I've been preparing for someone.  And also because the games are really good!


I'm NOT passing door!  Let me in!
I've played a lot of the Batman games over time... the Spectrum's original isometric 3D game; Batman: The Caped Crusader; Batman: The Movie; and up to the more recent Arkham Asylum (haven't played Arkham City yet, though).  It seems as though it's impossible to make a bad game based on Batman!


He's a great character for games, though.  You want fighting?  You've got fighting.  You want vehicles?  You've got vehicles.  You want gadgets?  You've got gadgets!  You can even throw in a bit of detective work to pad it out or add to the storyline.  Really, if you were to design a games character from scratch, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with one that's better than Batman.


I must admit that my favourite Batman game back in the day was the Amiga version of Batman: The Movie, for one particular reason: its stunning Batmobile level.


Where does he get those wonderful toys?
It's still great fun today.  Like a sort of superhero version of Chase HQ, it sees you pelting along through the streets of Gotham City at breathtaking speed.  Of course, with Gotham being an American city, it's laid out in blocks, which means that there's no way of taking corners at any sort of speed.  This would make any kind of pursuit somewhat pointless.


Luckily, the Batmobile is equipped with a Batrope which you can fling at traffic light poles.  If your aim is true, it connects with a satisfying "ding" and propels the Batmobile around the corner and into the adjoining street!  It's a fantastic game mechanic which was thrilling back in 1989 and still brings a big smile to the face today.


The rest of the game is pretty great, too.  It's always good to be Bat... you should fire up Batman: The Movie at your earliest opportunity.

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