Batman Begins (Xbox)

The Batman game is well put together but those familiar with the movie may find it repetitious.

Herald rating: * * *


This is where it begins for Batman. All previous attempts to draw the Dark Knight into the world of video games have been pretty abortive.

With titles like Batman: Vengeance and Batman: Dark Tomorrow you can see why.

When it comes to superhero games on the video game console it is hard to go past Spiderman 2, but Batman Begins succeeds in the same way as the film seems to have - by telling an intriguing story that isn't overcome by flamboyant villains and over-the-top action scenes.

The game shows us what made a pretty ordinary bloke called Bruce Wayne into the crime-fighting Batman of Gotham City.

There is a quick pit stop for learning fighting manoeuvres at a Himalayan fortress, then it's into the grimy alleys and sewers of the city.

Batman Begins employs some fairly coherent story-telling.

But the game indulges in what is known in the movie world as telegraphing, giving clues to the audience as to what is about to happen.

In the midst of the action in Batman Begins, you will suddenly enter an animation sequence and lose control of Batman as he progresses through the next segment of the story.

The same happens in the picture-in-picture screen that pops up from time to time to give you security camera footage of an important conversation that's happening somewhere else.

You're constantly being nudged along and babied in Batman Begins, which will frustrate seasoned gamers. But the game is pleasing because it is so well made.

Video sequences from the movie Batman Begins considered the best of the series, are spread generously through the game. And we're not talking about animation sequences based on the movie but video lifted directly from it.

The stars from the movie - Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson - lend their voices to the game and they've gone far being the usual read-through. The facial details of the characters is very good.

I instantly recognised the pale Irishman Neeson who plays Batman's mentor, Henri Ducard.

Batman Begins is all about stealth, which conjures up visions of stylish espionage role player Splinter Cell.

Both Batman and Splinter Cell are scripted by JT Petty, which explains the similar feel.

In stealth mode, Batman can sneak up behind guards and gangsters and take them out with a single chop to the neck.

But fear is the Dark Knight's greatest weapon and if you don't use it to your advantage you'll soon be mown down with a burst of machine-gun fire.

The fear system lets you trigger explosions or smash crates, confusing the enemies and letting you dispatch them quickly.

The result is that each fight scene becomes fairly predictable - scare the hell out of them then move in to finish them off with a few punches and the potent kick combination.

Batman's arsenal includes non-lethal weapons he favours for combat.

He can hit things by throwing his Batarang and use the Batgrapple to swing from the roof.

The optic cable is a nice touch, letting you peer through keyholes before opening the next door in your path.

A couple of brief missions in the Batmobile are stylish in the manner of the Burnout series and involve smashing enemy drivers off the roads of Gotham.

I was genuinely drawn into Batman Begins, but those who have seen the movie may get the feeling that they are pretty much going through the motions.

Which poses a question about the new trend of turning any half-successful movie into a game.

How much satisfaction can you derive from a game based tightly on the movie?

I guess the games' sales figures speak for themselves because gamers are lapping up such adaptations up and we can expect many more.

* $80