We all are fans of MCU movies and to less extent DCEU movies.  All the Marvel movies have raked in billions of dollars for their creators. But not  much for their DC counterpart (even Superman), other than one and only “The caped Crusader, The Dark Knight and The World’s Greatest Detective aka “THE BATMAN”!  Over the years The Caped Crusader has become the ultimate flag bearer for the DC universe. However, there is one thing, that marvel or any other Superhero has not been able to compete with The Batman. It is in the field of Video Games. The World’s Greatest Detective has left his competitors miles behind in the ever changing field of Video games. And this blog is all about the batman games in order since its first release in 1986 and its reception by players.

Following are the Batman Games in order of their release and rating:

• BATMAN (1986): The first-ever Game of the Caped Crusader. Developed by Ocean Software for ZX Spectrum, MSX, and Amstrad PCW/CPC, it was a 3D isometric Action-Adventure game. The player needs to save Robin by collecting parts of the Bat hover hidden in the Bat cave. Receiving favorable reviews, its rating was 93% given by Crash and 9/10 by Your Sinclair.

• BATMAN: The Caped Crusader (1988): The second game to be published by Ocean Software. It was an Arcade style Action-Adventure.With its unique technique, the game action seems to happen in a panel of a comic book. Released for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, and Commodore 64, Ms-Dos, and ZX Spectrum platform, the features most notable in this game was, it was split into two adventure parts which the player can play independently facing two of the iconic Batman villains “The Penguin” & “The Joker”. 9/10 was the score awarded by Your Sinclair.

• Batman (1989): The third game to be published by Ocean Software. It was based on the first Installment of The Batman Movie released in the same year and directed by Tim Burton. The player must complete 5 levels based on the action set in the movie.  The supported platforms were Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, MS-Dos, Commodore 64, and ZX spectrum systems. Game of the year was awarded to it by crash Magazine.

• Batman: The Video Game (1989/1990/1991/1992): Developed for NES, Game Boy and Genesis, PC Engine, and Arcade system. These games were developed for the above group of platforms. Developed by  Sunsoft, these games were different games despite having the same moniker. Loosely based on the first film, The Genesis version closely resembled the film plot. Its reviews were: NES (4.5 stars of 5 by AllGame), Gameboy( 78.75% by GameRankings), Genesis(70% by Gameranking).

• Batman: Return of the Joker (1991/1992): The Second Game published by Sunsoft but not a sequel to the first batman game by the publisher. A different game altogether, the player can use The Batwing and the Batmobile introduced in the film. The game was released for the NES, Sega, and Game Boy platforms. The contra games gun and run style had a major influence on the gameplay. The Genesis version was published by the name of Batman: Revenge of the Joker.  The reception for the game was above average with not so good rankings of 64%(NES),84%(Gameboy), 78%(Genesis).

• Batman Returns (1992): This version of the game was developed by different developers for the different platforms with Konami acting as the publisher. The available platforms were Game Gear, master system, Sega Genesis, Sega CD,  MS-Dos, SNES, and NES. Though having the same title but the genre was different for different platforms. The Game Gear, Genesis, and Master System titles were Action platform. Sega CD was vehicular combat. SNES and NES version were Beat ‘em up style. MS-Dos was an adventure Game. It won the best-licensed game from EGM for the year 1992. The rating for the different platforms was 21/40(Sega CD), 20/20(SNES), 15/20(NES), 16.5/20 (Game Gear), 15.5/20(Genesis).

• Batman: The Animated Series (1993): Based on the 1992 Batman animated series. It was released by Konami for the game boy platform. The character of Robin is playable in two levels. It was released as “The Adventures of Batman and Robin” for the Super NES, Genesis, Sega CD, and Game Gear as the series was renamed. It was a Run and Gun genre for the Genesis and Action-Adventure for the other available systems. EGN gave it a rating of 6.5/10.

• Batman Forever (1995): Inspired by the 1995 Batman movie, starring Val Kilmer as Batman in the titular role. Developed by Probe Entertainment and published by Acclaim Entertainment,  It was a Beat ‘em up game for the  Genesis, Game Gear, Game Boy, Super NES, and DOS systems. A two-player CO-OP mode was added to the Game Boy and Game Gear versions. It received a very negative review of 1.25/10 by EGM. All the versions of the game were panned by critics. It was one of the least favorite games in the order of Batman games.

• Batman Forever: The Arcade Game (1996):  Based on the Movie but not related to the earlier Game. It was developed by Iguana Entertainment, Probe Entertainment, and Published by Acclaim Entertainment. It was released for the Arcade, PlayStation, MS-Dos, and Sega Saturn platforms. The player can either choose to pay as The Batman or Robin. They would go on to fight against The Riddler and Two-Face and their minions. Receiving a mediocre review of 4.5/10 by EGM, It was not liked by all the players.

• Batman & Robin (1998): Released after the final Batman Series films “Batman & Robin”, it was an Action-Adventure game of the Caped Crusader. It was developed by the same developer of the 1995 and 1996 game for the PlayStation platform. It was published by Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics.  It was a sandbox-style game. The players can choose between Batman, Robin, and Batgirl to play. Each had their own vehicles. It received unfavorable reviews of 2.3/10 by EGM and low scores from various other publications. The game was commercially and critically a dud.

• Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000): aka Batman of the Future. It was released by Ubisoft for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Game Boy Color. The reception of this game was very poor. EGM gave it a score of 1/10.

• Batman: Chaos in Gotham (2001): Published by Ubisoft, and developed only for GameBoy Color. It followed the basic plotline of The New Batman Adventures animated series. It received a rating of 5/10 by EGM and a 63.5% aggregate score by GameRankings.

• Batman: Gotham City Racer (2001): Develop by Ubisoft for the PlayStation platform. This game is more of a chasing villain or race against a clock game. A  rather forgettable affair!  The only consolation would be the cut scenes from the animated series before and after missions.

• Batman: Vengeance (2001): Developed and Published by Ubisoft with Warner Bros, DC Comics and Interactive Entertainment for Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and PS2. It was an action-adventure video game.  Based again on The New Batman Adventures, The Clown Prince of Gotham is the main antagonist. Receiving average reviews for the Game Cube and PS2 version and the same for the PC version, in part for the confusing and hard controls, the game was a major letdown! The accolades it received were for its OST, story, and cinematic cut scenes. GameSpot gave it a score of 6/10(GC), 4.5/10(PS2), 8.1/10(PC).

• Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (2003): A sequel to the Batman: Vengeance and released and developed by Ubisoft. The game was launched for Xbox, PS 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance. Having a Single as well as Co-Op gameplay, it was an action game that allows the players to upgrade moves for their character. The warlord Sin Tzu is the main antagonist, who has been held at the Arkham Asylum. Games Spot gave it a score of 7.5/10.

• Batman: Dark Tomorrow (2003):  Another game iteration of the Caped crusader. Kemco developed and published the game, and was made available for Game Cube, Xbox, and Xbox 360 consoles. It was a precursor to the Arkham Series of Batman Games with an open-ended and realistic approach. Though ambitious it was received negatively by players and critics alike, EGM gave it a score of 1.5/10 and had an aggregate score of 29/100 by Metacritic.

• Batman Begins (2005): Released along with the rebooted Batman series with Christian Bale as the World’s Greatest Detective. EA, Warner Bros, Interactive Entertainment, and DC comics released the game. It was available for PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and Game Boy.  The movie Plot is adapted closely in this Caped Crusader Saga. Scored 5.22/10 by EGM, it was received well by players.

• Batman: The Telltale Series (2016) and The Enemy Within (2017): It was a point and click Graphic adventure developed and published by Telltale Games. It was developed for the Xbox, Play Station, and Windows, and Nintendo platforms. An Episodic adventure released as 5 episodes over a period of 5 months for the first and 5 episodes in 10 months for the second, Players had the option to approach the missions as either the Batman or his Alter ego The multi-millionaire Bruce Wayne to complete. Each decision taken by the player affects the outcome of other episodes. A total of 10 episodes were released. Both the games were combined and were released as Shadow Edition in 2019. The overall game received positive reviews, with an aggregate of 80/100 from Metacritic.

BATMAN GAMES BY LEGO

• Lego Batman: The video Game(2008):  Based on the DC character and  Batman toy lines of Lego. It was released for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Windows, Mac OS X, Wii, and Nintendo DS. Warner Bros and Interactive Entertainment published and Travellers Tale developed the game. Having an original plot, the character and environment were made of Lego. This game doesn’t follow a movie plotline, unlike the developer’s previous games. Riddler, Penguin, and Jocker are playable characters other than Batman and Robin having different chapters. Upon release, it was well-received by Critics and Fans. IGN gave it 7.3/10. Over 11 million copies have been sold as of 2012.

• Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (2012): Sequel to the 2008 Lego Batman game developed and published by the same studio, It had a standalone story, and also, the first Lego game to have voice over by leading actors. The Playable Characters of Lego Batman and Robin are aided by the Lego Justice League to Lex Luthor and The Joker’s nefarious Plan. A Lego Film adaptation was also released based on this game. Critics received the game well and appreciated refined gameplay and Story. It scored 80/100 in the aggregate score by Metacritic.

• Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (2015):  The third game in the Lego Batman Universe, It got a mixed review from critics. People criticized it for poor AI and other technical issues. Metacritic gave it a score of 74/100 and 7.5/10 by IGN.

BATMAN Games in Order: ARKHAM Series

• Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009): This game was developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros, Eidos, and Interactive Entertainment. Using Unreal Engine 3 and released for MS Windows, Mac OS X, PS3, PS4, and Xbox. The plot revolves around Joker traps Batman in Arkham Asylum along with his other nemesis. The game received many accolades and critical acclaim on its release. The realistic combat narrative and open-ended architecture (first tried in Batman: Dark Tomorrow) was received well.  It was recorded in the Guinness book of world record as “Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever”. It won numerous awards including The Game of the Year for 2009. Getting overwhelming scores, IGN scored 9.3/10, Game Informer gave a 9.5/10, and had an aggregate score 0f 90+ by Metacritic.

• Batman: Arkham City (2011): Based on DC Batman and a sequel to Arkham Asylum. It was released by Warner Bros and Interactive Entertainment and Developed by the same studio. Based again on the Unreal Engine 3 for the Xbox, OS X, Wii U, PS 4, PS 3, and Windows platform. This game had an Open-ended structure, where the player can interact freely with the environment. The gameplay focuses on the stealth, combat, and detective skills of the main character to navigate and complete the assigned missions. The Catwoman is also a playable character with a different storyline. The game was praised well and received critical acclaim for its character design, Storyline, narrative, and architecture. it happens to be considered as one of the greatest video games of all time. Like the prequel, it won numerous awards including Game of the Year, Best Action-Adventure Game, and best original Score. It was the highest-rated video game for the year 2011. EGM gave it a 10/10, IGN gave it a 9.5/10 rating. The aggregate score was 96/100 by Metacritic.

• Batman: Arkham Origins (2013): The Third installment of the Arkham Series. His game was developed by WB Games Montreal and Published by Warner Bros and Interactive Entertainment. Origins were a prequel to Arkham Asylum set 5 years before the original game. Set in an open world of Gotham City, using the same mechanics as the earlier games. The story follows a young Bruce Wayne and his journey. A multiplayer mode was also added to the game. Here the players take part in a gang war involving Bane and The Joker. It used the same Unreal Engine 3 as earlier. Upon its release, it received mixed reviews for all the platforms. IGN gave it a 7.5/10 and got an aggregate score of 76/100(PS3), 74/100(Xbox), 74/100 (PC).

• Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate(2013):  Aside Scrolling Video game for  PS Vita and Nintendo 3DS Hand-Held consoles. Released along with the Arkham Origin game and exclusively for the handheld platform, it is a part of Arkham Franchisee. It received a mixed review from critics and had an aggregate score of 68/100 and 61/100 for 3DS and Vita.

• Batman: Arkham Knight (2015): The fourth installment of the series. It was developed and released by the same Rocksteady Studios who helmed the other Successful Arkham series games. The Batman battles the Scarecrow who unites with the Mysterious Arkham Knight to destroy the Caped Crusader. It received generally favourable to mixed reviews. IGN gave it a 9.2/10 score, appreciating the overall improvement in the gameplay, narrative, and graphics.

The other notable games in the series were Batman: Return to Arkham (2016) which was a remastered version of the first two Arkham series games. It was for the PS 4 and Xbox platform. Batman: Arkham VR was a VR game developed for Oculus Rift, PS VR, and VIVE.

Batman Games in a Nutshell

Avid gamers who want to play some of the older nice and not so nice games of the caped crusader should know how to Download Google play store on PC. There they can download the different emulators available to play the retro games.

So this would be the comprehensive list of games, where the Caped crusader is the protagonist of the games. It would be worthwhile to mention a few other games where The World’s Greatest Detective and the reads can try them out. 1) The Adventures of Batman and Robin Cartoon Maker (1995),2)  The adventures of Batman and Robin Activity center (1996), 3) Batman: Justice Unbalanced (2003), 4) Batman: Toxic Chill (2003), 5) The Batman (2004).