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by Ubi
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Batman: The Rise of
Sin Tzu is an historic game. Not at all in the sense of its content, but
rather, its the very first time weve ever seen a Batman character make
their debut by way of a videogame. Sin Tzu certainly looks and sounds
like a worthy villain, and one that will be an instant classic. Most
die-hard Batman fans will snatch the game up for that fact alone. All
others should demonstrate a stroke of caution before plunking down their
hard earned cash. The Rise of Sin Tzu is a true blue, genuine,
old-school type beat-em up that serves little purpose other than trying
to make your thumbs as sore as possible in the fastest amount of time.
If youre into that type of thing, then by all means dont miss this
game.
I suppose a little
background on Sin Tzu would be appropriate here. Sin Tzu is a very
brilliant but arrogant conqueror who prides himself in beating those who
have never been beaten. He is a warrior and a superb martial artist. He
is also a methodical strategist who, after accomplishing his objectives
in warfare, disappears, and gives no heed to the destruction he has left
behind. He is always on the lookout for someone to challenge, and he
hears of the Batman of Gotham, and sets his sights on destroying him.
Sin Tzu has recruited
the help of veteran super villains Scarecrow, Bane, and Clayface to help
turn Batman into Batsoup. Sin Tzu has seized control of Arkham Asylum in
Gotham City using Mehta-Sua energy, which is the power to control mind
and body. Sounds like a challenge, doesnt it?
Well theres
assuredly plenty of challenge, especially on some of the higher
difficulty levels. However, the question remains: What kind of
challenge? You do nothing more in this game except thrash on anybody
that moves. Which brings me to the one and only objective of the game:
to reach the end of the level without dying. There are certain
sub-objectives, like diffusing bombs, rescuing civilians, protecting the
doors to the entrance of the Wayne Mansion, or just simply beating the
crap out of all the bad guys. It can be fun for the first fifteen
minutes, but gets extremely monotonous and stale quickly. Thank the
heavens you have multiplayer cooperative action here, which does spice
things up a bit. You do have a preference of whom youd like to wail on
your opponents with. Batman, Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl are all
playable characters, which certainly is appreciated, since, other than
the layout of the levels and a couple of different modes of play, this
is about all the variety youll get in this game.
There are a small
handful of gadgets to collect, some of which I find extremely handy,
like the Batarang, electric Batarang, Batarang Ricochet, and smoke
pellets. You have five different levels of moves to unlock by, well,
beating up bad guys. The more difficult the move is to perform, the
higher the points youll score throughout the game, which enables you to
buy higher level moves. You can also taunt your opponents by tapping
the white button, which enables you to boost your combo meter, which in
turn gives you more points to use in your after-level shopping pleasure.
However, I find that all I need to do to slog through any of the levels
is repeatedly tap the X or A buttons, punch and kick respectively, and
it appears to be all the moves I really need.
There are certain
colored tokens to purchase as well, which grant you privileges to unlock
certain trophies in the trophy room, like graphic novels, toys, and
certain upgrades. Honestly though, this just doesnt justify playing
through the game more than once. You get your standard three lives to
make it through the game, and you can save only after youve completed
the level. Yawn.
Xbox owners will see
nothing exceptional here by way of graphics. Since were now starting to
witness third generation software on the Xbox, this is disappointing and
really impermissible, as this game looks like something I might have
been playing on launch day. I can see Ubi Soft getting away with sub-par
graphics if the game had more to offer, but it just doesnt, and it is
rather blasé all the way around. The character models are blocky and
chunky, and levels are empty, bland and just plain uninteresting. The
audio department doesnt fare any better, as you hear the same bed of
music throughout the entire game. The sound effects are ho-hum and what
youd expect in any typical beat-em up, and is passable at best.
Theres also certain in-game effects that are used way too much that try
to enhance the gameplay, but serves little purpose other than obligatory
irritation and squinting of the eyes, and in my case, some cussing.
Ubi Soft has been on
a big time role lately with some stellar titles. Batman: The Rise of Sin
Tzu seems like a throwaway; something they rapidly churned out of the
mixer to meet the demands of some certain demographic, and to beef up
their bank accounts. If youre a die-hard Batman fan and think
everything stamped with the Batman name is gold, then there might be
something here to appease you. Other than that, dont bother. The Rise
of Sin Tzu does nothing particularly well, and is ultimately a
forgettable, flat, and tiresome piece of work that has that bargain bin
smell already, and may be seen there in a couple of months, which is
precisely where I would wait to find it before purchasing it. Actually,
if you must play this game, rent it, beat it in a day or two, and give
this game rebirth through the quick-drop slot at the video store and
leave it abandoned forever. If you have some of those
rent-one-get-one-free coupons from Hollywood Video, all the better.
There are far more pleasing games of this nature to be played, by Ubi
Soft or otherwise, that deserve your dedication and diligence. There is
a bright side to this game: it makes waiting for the first real Batman
game that much more suspenseful. I have no doubt that when or if it
happens, it will be a magical moment in videogame history.
Eric Bodrero (12/01/2003) |
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Snapshot
Ups:
The first Batman character in history to ever make their debut via a
video game, nonstop action, extras to unlock
Downs:
Repetitive and monotonous, graphics and sound are below average, levels
are bland and void of any life
Platform:
XBox
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