Of the many DC superheroes that have featured in the video game medium, Batman: Arkham games from Rocksteady and some successful movie-tie ins dating back to Tim Burton's Batman movies.
Batman's gaming history starts in 1986, appearing as a playable character in many of the years after that date. These appearances came in games that range from side-scrollers to stealth games, and even a few racing games. Some of the games made the entire Bat Family playable and even gave the player the option of switching back and forth between them. Many of the games Batman is a playable character in were based on movies or television shows with the same titles and had the same exact plot as whatever they were based on. With that being said, some of the most successful ones were stories of their own. Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham games told their own unique tales in a new version of the DC Universe, while Traveller's Tales' LEGO Batman titles have successfully blended a number of different cinematic and comic book influences into its own interpretation.
Not every Batman game has been successful, and some would even argue that it wasn't until 2009 that the character got a game that fulfilled the fantasy of being the character in Batman: Arkham Asylum. However, there are plenty of games that feature a playable Batman from before then that are worth tracking down. Whether as a part of an ensemble or in his own solo adventure, here are all the DC games where Batman has been playable.
Batman's First Video Game Appearance Came In 1986
The very first Batman game to hit the shelves was released in 1986 for the PC, three years prior to the character making his grand return to the big screen. In this 3D isometric game, players were able to take the role of Batman and set off on a mission to rescue Robin. Pieces of Batman's hovercraft were scattered about Wayne Manor and Batman had to travel through various rooms to find pieces and assemble the BatCraft. Throughout the rooms, there were various enemies and challenges presented for players to beat. Once all of the pieces were assembled the game was complete.
As was standard practice with classic video games, like Atari, there were only a few colors throughout the game with each level presenting as one solid color. Batman would also change colors in each level making it somewhat difficult to see where he was going.
Batman: The Caped Crusader (1988)
Another PC-only title, this was a side scroller that took Batman through various levels collecting recognizable items like a false nose, the Batarang, and even, oddly enough for Batman, hand grenades. Batman can punch and kick his way through the levels and use his collected items to help him out in battles. The best was still to come for the character in the gaming medium, but Batman: The Caped Crusader was a notable step-up compared to his video game debut.
Batman faces notable Arkham-bound villains like the Joker and Penguin as well as various henchmen through the levels. The designer of the game wanted to make it look as though players were moving through comic book s, which was something that they did successfully. The end result became a hit with fans.
Batman (Batman: The Movie) (1989)
This Batman game was based on the Tim Burton movie and each of the levels corresponded to scenes from the film. There were five levels that all had varying game styles depending on the level. Two of the levels were side scrollers where various bad guys made their appearances.
The next few levels helped Batman: The Movie tie-in game stand out above the rest. One level was a racing-style game where Batman hopped in the Batmobile and drove through the streets of Gotham while a similar level put players in the Batwing and race through Gotham once more. Another level was a puzzle game where players had to enter in the correct code to thwart the Joker. Each of these levels gave fans a different experience and overall it was well received.
Batman: Return Of The Joker & Revenge Of The Joker
Batman: Return of the Joker and Batman: Revenge of the Joker were released by Sunsoft for the Genesis, Gameboy, PC, and most notably the NES. Both games were side-scrollers and featured different abilities that Batman could use like wall jumping, a grappling hook, and the Batarang. However, when compared to the games released for Batman '89, they weren't as fondly received.
Batman Returns (1992)
In Batman Returns, players go through different levels beating up enemies with just their fists and the occasional batarang. Enemies would appear from different sections causing players to move back and forth to defeat them all. These levels were broken up by minor cutscenes that showed a character and had text run across the screen. Batman must fight Catwoman and the Penguin along with other henchmen. The final boss is Penguin, and one final cutscene discussing Batman's victory plays once Penguin is defeated.
Batman: The Animated Series (1993) and The Adventures of Batman and Robin (1994)
Thanks to its stellar voice cast, Batman: The Animated Series remains one of the most iconic Batman games there is and one that will remain synonymous with the Batman name. With Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker, these voices would set the precedence for years to come. Both of these titles were developed by Konami and were based on the television series Batman: The Animated Series. The main quest was to travel through different levels and defeat villains, but this time the player had the option of switching between Batman and Robin. Similar to the previous titles, each version of these games offered something unique depending on the platform they were played on.
Batman Forever (1995), the sequel Batman & Robin (1998), and Batman Forever: The Arcade Game (1996)
Despite sharing the same name, these two games are completely unrelated. Batman Forever and its direct sequel, Batman & Robin, are both based on the movies with the same names. Batman Forever allows co-op and a versus mode that pits players against enemies of Gotham or each other. Batman & Robin gave players the option to play as Batman, Robin, or Batgirl, and had different events happen at specific times throughout gameplay. Clues needed to be collected and if the player was not in the right place at the specified time, they would fail the mission. Neither of these games were very well-received when they released.
Batman Forever: The Arcade Game was an action game that, like many arcade games, was a punching side-scroller. There were many different moves and they gave players a lot of opportunities to get massive combo points. There was a two-player mode that let both players choose Batman if they so desired. This game was well received because of the different moves that players could do but was considered too repetitive overall.
Justice League Task Force (1995)
Justice League Task Force is Batman's first appearance in a true fighting game. While there was a storyline to it, the main goal of this game was to defeat your opponent. Batman set out to defeat all of the evil clones of the Justice League and ended in a fight against a clone of his own in order to save the world from Darkseid.
This game was very similar to any other fighting game of the time, like Mortal Kombat, and featured some similar movements and artistic styles. This game also featured a multiplayer mode that let players fight together or against each other. Unfortunately, it was not received well by the general public, but that didn't stop Batman from appearing in a myriad of other fighting games, like the brutal Injustice 2 game, since then.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000) and Batman: Dark Tomorrow (2003)
Both titles were developed by Kemco and sought to stay close to the true name of Batman and how he was in the comic books. This meant that these included more stealth-like gameplay, and also made sure to stick to the "no killing or using guns" mantra Batman kept. Return of the Joker was more akin to the side-scrolling Batman games that had come before it, but Dark Tomorrow focused heavily on stealth and Batman's gadgets. Many levels required players to think about the enemies they were battling and what gadget would work best to defeat them. These two Batman games were unfortunately not very well received and Dark Tomorrow even had a sequel in the works that was canceled.
Batman: Vengeance (2001) and Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (2003)
Ubisoft developed these two Batman titles. Batman: Vengeance and Rise of Sin Tzu went back to the roots of the Batman Animated Series games and saw the return of the iconic voice cast. These games followed the Batfamily as they tried to navigate the Joker's wild plots and a new villain Sin Tzu. Rise of Sin Tzu allowed a four-player co-op mode where players could play as Batman, Robin, Nightwing, or Batgirl.
