NES

Batman: Return of the Joker

Aspiring Dark Knights will find this cart definitely isn't as challenging as the original because of the password system, but don't let that hold you back. This is still one of the best NES carts of the year. And that's no joke!

A good game which, although slick and playable, achieves nothing new and so renders itself immediately obsolete.

This cart has about the best looking visuals that I've seen on the NES. Despite the graphic improvement there is something missing from this sequel that made the first so good. The gameplay is limited to a walk and shoot contest with pretty graphics and shallow gameplay.

It's certainly not the best game, and I would argue that the anime style makes it a less interesting Batman game, but it's a solid NES platformer. There are some creative battles during levels, like when you're being chased by the tank, and the Joker is always fun to fight. Replay probably isn't there, but worth a playthrough if you enjoy the genre.

Blah... Simply said, I was very unimpressed with this game. I have to wonder what the programmers who designed this game were thinking when they created Batman II. The animation is lack luster, the game control is poor, and whoever thought of making NES sprites this large must have been half asleep. The sprites flicker so much that there are times when your character is up to 50% missing from the screen when there are no enemies to be seen at all. The only saving grace here is great sound, and while paused the graphics look very sharp. I had hoped for much more.

Toss in a killer soundtrack and handy four-letter password feature, and Return of the Joker would appear to be a winner. But as I delved into the later stages, my delight gradually turned to disgust. Beginning with the snowy third stage, the difficulty changes abruptly from reasonable to nearly impossible. Missiles rain from the sky with no warning. Bad guys knock you off of perilous ledges. Mandatory hits are the order of the day, and most platforms either collapse or move like conveyor belts. The intense shooting action that was such a hoot in the first two levels takes a back seat to simply trying not to fall off of the screen. With stage designs like this, even a cheat code can't alleviate the frustrating gameplay. Revenge of the Joker could have been a nice twist on the standard Batman formula, but excessive difficulty and suicidal stage designs spoil the party.