PixlBit

Games of the Decade: Expansion Pass #14/Blog a Day #17

Hello everyone, how are you?

If there is one thing we can say is that superheroes have been really popular these past few years with movies coming out really often. When it comes to video games, not so much. ut these past few years capable developers have actually made some really great superhero games. The biggest one is the Batman Arkham series. But if you look deep enough you can find some really fantastic video games made by other developers as well. WayForward is no stranger to licensed games and today we are going to look at what is the last licensed game on this list. A game that is ased on the cartoon of the same name known as Batman the Brave and the Bold - The Video Game.

                      The music in the game is just like what you hear in the cartoon

I technically don't own this game, my younger brother does. But one day we went out shopping at Target and he saw that there was a Batman game on the Wii. He was a huge fan of the tv show and he said if he could get it and said sure. We were reading the back of the box and it said you can play 2-player co-op and he told me if I wanted to play it with him and said sure, why not? I was also a fan of the tv show myself and was curious to see how it is.

Batman The Brave and the Bold - The Video Game (that's a long name) is based on the cartoon of the same name. If you've never seen it, basically it's a cartoon about Batman and in the cartoon Batman teams up with a well-known hero or a not well-known hero. It's usually the latter and Batman always works alone so it's an interesting dynamic to see how Batman partnering up with someone else plays out. The game works in the same way.

The game is comprised of 4 episodes and in each episode you play as Batman and you team up with a different hero in them. The other heroes are Robin (Dick Grayson), Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Hawkman, and Green Lantern (Guy Gardner). You can choose to play as the other characters if you don't want to be Batman for some reason. You can either solo the game or have someone else join you for some 2-player co-op, which is actually my preferred way to play it.

                                           The game looks just like the cartoon

The controls for all the characters are the same, but they all have their own abilities and so forth. Batman and Robin play largely the same since they rely on gadgets and punching enemies. Characters like Green Lantern on the other hand can use his ring to create constructs like he would in the comics or in the tv show. Hawkman can attack with his mace and Blue Beetle has a variety of ways to attack. He might be the most fun to play as.

There are also jump-in-heroes that you can call to help you in the game. Characters like Green Arrow, Aquaman, and more. Think of them like an assist trophy from Smash that you can have a character assist you. It works like that here and these assist characters can come in handy when you need to clear the screen of bad guys and seeing them attack is just amazing.

"But Captain N, where can I play this game?" On the Wii or the Wii U if you have a physical copy. The game is still really affordable both new and used. There is no online in the game though and at this point it wouldn't matter since the online functions of all Wii games have since been shut down.

Did you know that there is a DS version of this game?

Yes you heard that right, there is a DS version of the game. The DS version follows the same concept from the Wii game, except that the episodes are different and you team up with different heroes. There's also more emphasis on platforming than being a beat-em-up but you still beat up bad guys like the Wii game, it's just that this game is more platformer heavy. You can switch between any character at will with a tap of the touch screen and they have their own abilities. The game has some of the most beautiful spritework on the DS and everything moves all silky smooth. WayForward did such an amazing job with this version.

Another benefit of having the DS version is that you can connect to the Wii version and the Wii version allows you to play as Bat-Mite for some 3-player co-op fun. You control at-Mite via the DS and you can either help the player by attacking the enemies or hinder them since those same attacks can hit the other players. My other brother would join us as Bat-Mite and he would sometimes hinder us there but it was all very fun and we had a lot of laughs. Definitely watch the trailer for it though, it's really good.

THIS IS AWESOMESAUCE! At long last, Batman the Brave and the Bold - the Video Game!

Final Thoughts: Batman The Brave and the Bold - The Video Game (that name is really long) is such a fun game. The game is easy and yes it's short, but that's fine since it never really overstays its welcome. The best way to play the game in my opinion is in 2-player co-op since 2 players can have fun, or 3 if you also have the DS version but the game is playable with just one player. The game manages to capture the spirit of the cartoon in every way, from its humor to the way the episodes are presented. The characters are even voiced by their respective voice actors from the cartoon as well. The 4 episodes feel exactly like I'm watching the actual cartoon itself, the game looks like it too. WayForward did such a fantastic job with this one. When it comes to licensed games I feel this is among the best ones that they've ever made. Maybe they should try making a game based on Batman: The Animated Series.

The controls for the game are the same for every character but each character actually has their own abilities and gadgets and they play differently too. I find that really cool since in these type of beat-em-up games there really isn't much of a difference between characters in terms of playstyle. I love that they keep it fresh. Cuphead might be the game that is basically a playable cartoon, but before that, Batman the Brave and the Bold - The Video Game was a playable cartoon in every sense of that idea. This game might not win any awards, but I had a ton of fun and I really enjoyed playing the game with my brothers. To me that's what matters the most.

I feel like Batman has been treated well these past few years, with games like the LEGO Batman, the Arkham games, and this one. There is something for everyone in these Batman games whether you are a fan of the darker take on Batman, a more humorous one, or something in between. To me, Batman works as both a lighthearted character and a darker character and something in between, everyone has a prefered version of Batman. To me, I have no preference to be honest as long as they keep making some great Batman stuff.

Green Arrow: Video games? Shouldn't you be out there fighting crime somewhere, Bats?  Batman: I'll explain later.

Just because you work better alone doesn't mean you should shun help. Don't be afraid to ask for help whenever you need a helping hand.

That's it for this one. For the next one we are going to live a life of fantasy and see how that turns out. Thanks for reading and...