Video Game review: Batman: The Brave and the Bold - The video game for the Nintendo Wii

Batman.  He's one of the most iconic comic superheroes of our time.  His cunning, strength, and skill is marveled (no pun intended) by many fans of all walks of life.  He is also one of the few superheroes that has been well-adapted into the mainstream media, through movies, toys, and yes, even video games.  Well, not every video game, but there are some solid hits, some stinkers, and some forgotten gems.  The game I'm going to review for you falls under the third category.  This game might very well be one of the best games to be released for the Wii.  To some, that's not saying much.  To me, that says plenty.  So, here's my review on one of the few Batman games that work, and hopefully for good reasons.

Graphics

Remember I mentioned the next "brave and bold" move WayForward was going to make, after "A Boy and His Blob"?  Yea, this was it.  WayForward developed this game and it was published by WB Games.  And, in the same fashion, you get great two-dimensional animated sprites that look just as they did on the television show it represents.  Kudos goes out to the art staff on this one, and further kudos to WayForward on animation.  The sprites fully animate as if it was an episode come to life.  Also, once again, the sprites animate over well-drawn backgrounds, that set the tone, mood, and atmosphere for the game.  Whether you are on Oa or in Gotham, the representation artistically could not be faulted.

Sound

The songs are very catchy, and have a “noir” feel to them, like the older Batman comics tend to employ, or at least, a detective serial from the past.  The sound effects are crisp as well.  However, what really sells the game to me is the voice acting in the game, which clearly steals the show.  Warner Brothers did not spare any expense calling in the voice acting cast of the cartoon series to reprise their roles in this game.  Diedrich Bader gives a solid performance as Batman, Paul Reubens continues his hilarious ways as Bat-Mite, and the other voice actors follow suit very well.  This might help if you are somewhat familiar with the show, and are something of a fan.  If not, it’s still refreshing to hear since the dialogue between the stars is very upbeat, clever, and has a specific quality that some forms of pop culture seem to be missing these days: charm.

Control

When it comes to controls, it’s all about the Wiimote and Nunchuk.  To the game’s credit, the controls come off rather decently.  You attack with the various face buttons, along with selecting items, using those items, jumping, and even activate some helper items or heroes.  When it comes to motion control, you shake the Wiimote to do a more powerful strike to one or a bunch of enemies.  Also, when you activate your helper hero, you shake the Wiimote to reach the maximum strength of their attack.  This also comes into play when you are planning your super powered attack, as you shake both the Wiimote and Nunchuk.  This will lay waste to all of your enemies, as will your helper attack.  You also use your reticule on the Wiimote to point and select your character, your helper, and even target multiple enemies to attack with your Batarang. There isn’t any delay on your motions or attacks, and the buttons are mapped pretty well.

Etc.

The story for this game is actually 4 stories combined.  One would say you were playing four different episodes of the television show in one sitting.  Basically, the story formula goes as follows: Batman teams up with a partner, varying in strength, speed, skill, agility, experience, and whatnot to take down a villain.  Once done, they have a much greater villain to encounter, and it’s up to Batman and his partner to find clues, save people, and bust some skulls in order to get to the final boss of each stage.  You start off easy with Batman’s trusty sidekick, Robin, get a bit more of a challenge with the Blue Beetle, then, it gets more challenging with Hawkman, and finally, Green Lantern member, Guy Gardner.  The stories aren’t too challenging, as there isn’t much to fighting people, jumping from platform to platform, and getting to your goal.  In fact, this game isn’t very challenging along those lines, as it is primarily aimed at a younger audience (or in this case, the younger audience who watches the show).  But, you’ll be happy to know that this game is a two-player cooperative affair, so two people can have lots of fun, despite how old you are.  It’s even better when you are playing with the child fan in your life or family.  However, if you are an older fan of this show, this game is also for you, as you will enjoy the nuances the show brings to the table.  Just be mindful to act as a team and a good one, otherwise you’ll find yourself progressing at a snail’s pace and with a lot of hazard.  This is also why it is better to play with a partner. The extras that are presented in this game are pretty useful.  You get a chance to unlock more hero helpers on the way, including Red Tornado, Shazam, Plastic Man, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, and later on, Batman’s robot assistant who pops up in a later episode.  Also, maintaining good scores allows you to buy weapons for the characters in the game, for Batman and his partners.  This will help later, when you need certain weapons to open certain doors.  You can go back and play the episodes again, separately or in series, while in the Batcave, which is where these and other things can be accessed.  Another extra, which can be accessed after finishing the game, is the Bat-Mite challenge, where you play as Batman, and get sent to an alternate dimension, where you are taking on every underling in the game itself (no bosses), and have to defeat them all within in the allotted time.  The difficulty ramps up when the different combination of bad guys come into play, and dealing with gunners, fighters, and animals at the same time can be grating.  A smart move would be to make sure you have all of, if not the best, special weapons to use.  It makes fighting the swarms of bad guys much easier. This brings me to the game’s lasting appeal.  Sadly, the game is very short.  It’s only those 4 missions, then the Batmite Challenge.  Outside of that, it’s a challenge to get every weapon, every helper, and even the special bat armor for Batman.  However, it’s not too much of a complaint, really.  After all, the game is aimed at a younger audience.  Hence, you shouldn’t expect a long, arduous journey, nor should you expect a game to be ridiculously challenging.  However, if you aren’t younger, and have this game, you either have a child at home that is a fan of the show, you yourself are a fan of the show, or you’re a Wii owner looking for a halfway decent game to add to your collection.  And, I just outed myself with those descriptions, didn’t I?

Final verdict:

Batman: The Brave and The Bold: The video game is another decent game that literally brims with charm for the Nintendo Wii.  The graphics animate well, the voice acting is crisp and vibrant, the controls are mapped well, balancing motion with button pressing, and the extras are ok.  The fan in you will definitely enjoy the game, without question, and the youngsters in your life will also have a lot of fun.  It really isn’t aimed for children under the age of 10 as it can be a bit challenging, so make sure the person you bought this for is old enough to handle the game’s content.  And, the game is for 2 players at the same time, making for some fun two player action between 2 fans, of any ages over 10 years old.  If you’re looking for a solid, relatively decent 2 player game for the Wii, this game may definitely be for you.  If you’re a fan of the show, this game is more than likely for you.  It’s brave.  It’s bold.  It’s Batman.  It’s fun for the family.  It’s definitely a keeper.