16.9.2016

'Batman: The Telltale Game Series' is the latest in the long line of episodic adventure games from the same publisher responsible for other greats such as 'The Walking Dead', 'Game of Thrones', 'A Wolf Amongst Us' and 'Back to the Future', and the first game in a planned series of games from the publisher based on DC's Batman comic book series.Not related to any existing Batman stories or media, the game is an entirely fresh perspective on the character that is set relatively soon after Bruce Wayne has first set himself up as Gothams Dark Knight and Caped Crusader. Whilst you have already established a fearful reputation amongst Gothams low-lifes, and sparked the theories and imagination of the media and public at large,you are still considered very much an outlaw by Gothams Police force, most of whom currently view you as nothing more than another criminal, and your only ally in your fight against crime is a James Gordon (still just a lieutenant at this point) who is not yet fully convinced whether you are part of the problem or the solution.As with previous installments from Telltale, the game is played from a third-person perspective, using a variety of cinematic camera angles for dramatic effect and also comes divided into several TV and/or comic book-like episodes, which all contributes to a stylel that emulates those mediums extremely well.The game plays almost like a traditional style 'point and click' adventure. You control your characters movement with one control stick, whilst moving a target reticule with the other control stick. Moving the target reticule over a point of interest will provide you with a number of options or interactions - such as to pick up an item, look inside something, analyse something, speak to another character etc - and these actions can be confirmed via one of the four buttons.The games action sequences and combat are played out utilising a series of quick-time events requiring the gamer to hit the correct buttons or sequences in order very similar to that used in Telltales other adventure games, however in Batman these sequences are by far the most exciting, challenging, detailed, visually spectacular and dynamic they have ever been, with the content and result of fights changing and raging back and forth in line with your ability as a player to hit those combinations correctly and in time.Additional features introduced in order to emulate the experience of being the Dark Knight as closely as possible, include crime scene analysis requiring you to examine a scene from various angles and levels using your detective skills and advanced technology to inspect clues such as corpses, items, and forensic residues left behind to determine what has transpired and why. Also featured is advanced tactical planning whereby Batman, when faced by the imminent prospect of confrontation with multiple enemies, can form an advanced plan of attack taking into consideration the multiple options, weapons and skills at his disposal, and the numbers, weapons and proficiancies of the enemies he faces.Of course, as with all of the other games from Telltale, the real key to playing is decision making, with a branching storyline that changes depending upon what you choose to do at key junctures. Those decisions may involve actions - such as making choices in combat like which way to turn, or which assailant to attack, but more commonly however they occur in dialogue with other characters you meet during your adventure.Decisions are TOUGH. Rarely is a conversation choice ever straight forward or obvious, and rarely is it ever possible to appease all parties involved when you make a decision or predict how that conversation choice will effect the story in future episodes. Often it is not even possible to make a 'winning' decision, as you are left to choose from what is essentially a series of bad options of varying degrees. You also have to consider the types of people you are required to relate to and how your actions will influence them. Honesty may be the best policy, but is that ever really be the case when Bruce Wayne is being pressured to publically pay respect to notorious and violent suspected gang boss Camine Falcone? Alternatively brutally beating a suspect may quickly gain you the information you are looking for as Batman, but how will the grevious injuries you leave him with effect the opinions and attitude of James Gordon and the GCPD to you? Different people require different approaches and all will remember the decisions you make for better or worse. Its all brilliantly done and helps create a game in which you will agonise over almost every choice you make.In terms of graphics and sound the game is excellent, with characters, locations and backgrounds created in a style remeniscent of a comic book, yet still retaining an impressive similarity to the characters as most fans will perceive them, although some characters - such as Oswald Cobblepot have been heavily redesigned for a fresh perspective. Animations are slick, and I didnt experience any of the lagging that was apparant in some previous games from the publisher. Whilst the voice talent is not provided by mainstays such as Kevin Conroy, it is still very good overall.As far as complaints are concerned, I have none. If you are a fan of this particular genre of game or have enjoyed Telltales previous efforts then I am confident that you will love it.The one thing that you need to be aware of - and this is not a complaint as such - is that this is not a version of the full game but is in fact no more than a disc containing the first episode and a season pass that will allow you to download the subsequent episodes as they are released in the months ahead. In light of that there is little incentive to purchase this product rather than simply download each episode directly unless you are absolutely desperate for a game box to put on your shelf, and it is surely inevitable that Telltale will give you that in a few months with a single release disc containing all of the episodes. This is clearly stated in the item description, however I am absolutely sure that it will be a mere matter of time until we have our first irate one star review from an angry customer who failed to read it!**STORY SPOILERS**The first episode begins at Gotham City Hall where Batman tackles a group of mercenaries attempting to break into the buildings vault to steal an encrypted data drive of at that point unknown significance. Batman foils the burglary and incapacitates the mercenaries through stealth and subdefuge, but then loses the drive when it is stolen by Catwoman (who in this story Batman is meeting for the first time in his crime fighting career). Batman pursues Catwoman and the two battle on the rooftop, with Catwoman eventually escaping but losing the data drive to Batman who subsequently returns to the Batcave in order to investigate what it could contain that is important enough to attract the attention of highly trained mercenaries and an exotically dressed thief.Once back at Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne hosts a fundraising event in support of prospective mayor, and his friend, Harvey Dent which is gatecrashed by businessman and suspected criminal Carmine Falcone, who wishes to propose a partnership with Wayne Enterprises. This leaves the player with the choice of how to best respond knowing that Bruce Wayne is under the full scrutiny of the assembled press. Later at a press conference Bruce is confronted with an allegation that his parents were involved in illicit dealings with Falcone, which leads to a police investigation forcing him to consider how best to defend himself and his family legacy.Later still Wayne encounters Harvey Dents new girlfriend Selina Kyle, and the two of them determine each others secret identities because of the injuries they are still carrying from their earlier fight. An uneasy alliance is formed, with Selina revealing that she was hired to steal the data drive and deliver it to a dock front warehouse, and Batman vowing to investigate the intentions of the proposed purchaser. Upon arriving at the warehouse Batman finds numerous bodies of mercenaries and police officers all killed under mysterious and worrying circumstances, requiring him to analyse the crime scene in order to discover the exact cause of their demiseUpon returning to the Batcave, the data drive is now fully decrypted and is found to contain conclusive and detailed information detailing the criminal actions and enterprises of Carmine Falcone, as well as a shocking revelation about the Wayne family, leaving Bruce Wayne with a decision regarding how best to utilise that evidence - does he hand it over to James Gordon and allow the police to action it, or does he expose Falcone through the press by handing it to investigator Vicky Vale - and what if anything should Batman do with this information?Meanwhile Oswald Cobblepot - an old friend fallen on hard times - contacts Bruce and warns him of a coming revolution and to ensure that when it arrives he is on the right side...

21.9.2016

'Batman: The Telltale Game Series' is the latest in the long line of episodic adventure games from the same publisher responsible for other greats such as 'The Walking Dead', 'Game of Thrones', 'A Wolf Amongst Us' and 'Back to the Future', and the first game in a planned series of games from the publisher based on DC's Batman comic book series.Not related to any existing Batman stories or media, the game is an entirely fresh perspective on the character that is set relatively soon after Bruce Wayne has first set himself up as Gothams Dark Knight and Caped Crusader. Whilst you have already established a fearful reputation amongst Gothams low-lifes, and sparked the theories and imagination of the media and public at large,you are still considered very much an outlaw by Gothams Police force, most of whom currently view you as nothing more than another criminal, and your only ally in your fight against crime is a James Gordon (still just a lieutenant at this point) who is not yet fully convinced whether you are part of the problem or the solution.As with previous installments from Telltale, the game is played from a third-person perspective, using a variety of cinematic camera angles for dramatic effect and also comes divided into several TV and/or comic book-like episodes, which all contributes to a stylel that emulates those mediums extremely well.The game plays almost like a traditional style 'point and click' adventure. You control your characters movement with one control stick, whilst moving a target reticule with the other control stick. Moving the target reticule over a point of interest will provide you with a number of options or interactions - such as to pick up an item, look inside something, analyse something, speak to another character etc - and these actions can be confirmed via one of the four buttons.The games action sequences and combat are played out utilising a series of quick-time events requiring the gamer to hit the correct buttons or sequences in order very similar to that used in Telltales other adventure games, however in Batman these sequences are by far the most exciting, challenging, detailed, visually spectacular and dynamic they have ever been, with the content and result of fights changing and raging back and forth in line with your ability as a player to hit those combinations correctly and in time.Additional features introduced in order to emulate the experience of being the Dark Knight as closely as possible, include crime scene analysis requiring you to examine a scene from various angles and levels using your detective skills and advanced technology to inspect clues such as corpses, items, and forensic residues left behind to determine what has transpired and why. Also featured is advanced tactical planning whereby Batman, when faced by the imminent prospect of confrontation with multiple enemies, can form an advanced plan of attack taking into consideration the multiple options, weapons and skills at his disposal, and the numbers, weapons and proficiancies of the enemies he faces.Of course, as with all of the other games from Telltale, the real key to playing is decision making, with a branching storyline that changes depending upon what you choose to do at key junctures. Those decisions may involve actions - such as making choices in combat like which way to turn, or which assailant to attack, but more commonly however they occur in dialogue with other characters you meet during your adventure.Decisions are TOUGH. Rarely is a conversation choice ever straight forward or obvious, and rarely is it ever possible to appease all parties involved when you make a decision or predict how that conversation choice will effect the story in future episodes. Often it is not even possible to make a 'winning' decision, as you are left to choose from what is essentially a series of bad options of varying degrees. You also have to consider the types of people you are required to relate to and how your actions will influence them. Honesty may be the best policy, but is that ever really be the case when Bruce Wayne is being pressured to publically pay respect to notorious and violent suspected gang boss Camine Falcone? Alternatively brutally beating a suspect may quickly gain you the information you are looking for as Batman, but how will the grevious injuries you leave him with effect the opinions and attitude of James Gordon and the GCPD to you? Different people require different approaches and all will remember the decisions you make for better or worse. Its all brilliantly done and helps create a game in which you will agonise over almost every choice you make.In terms of graphics and sound the game is excellent, with characters, locations and backgrounds created in a style remeniscent of a comic book, yet still retaining an impressive similarity to the characters as most fans will perceive them, although some characters - such as Oswald Cobblepot have been heavily redesigned for a fresh perspective. Animations are slick, and I didnt experience any of the lagging that was apparant in some previous games from the publisher. Whilst the voice talent is not provided by mainstays such as Kevin Conroy, it is still very good overall.As far as complaints are concerned, I have none. If you are a fan of this particular genre of game or have enjoyed Telltales previous efforts then I am confident that you will love it.The one thing that you need to be aware of - and this is not a complaint as such - is that this is not a version of the full game but is in fact no more than a disc containing the first episode and a season pass that will allow you to download the subsequent episodes as they are released in the months ahead. In light of that there is little incentive to purchase this product rather than simply download each episode directly unless you are absolutely desperate for a game box to put on your shelf, and it is surely inevitable that Telltale will give you that in a few months with a single release disc containing all of the episodes. This is clearly stated in the item description, however I am absolutely sure that it will be a mere matter of time until we have our first irate one star review from an angry customer who failed to read it!**STORY SPOILERS**The first episode begins at Gotham City Hall where Batman tackles a group of mercenaries attempting to break into the buildings vault to steal an encrypted data drive of at that point unknown significance. Batman foils the burglary and incapacitates the mercenaries through stealth and subdefuge, but then loses the drive when it is stolen by Catwoman (who in this story Batman is meeting for the first time in his crime fighting career). Batman pursues Catwoman and the two battle on the rooftop, with Catwoman eventually escaping but losing the data drive to Batman who subsequently returns to the Batcave in order to investigate what it could contain that is important enough to attract the attention of highly trained mercenaries and an exotically dressed thief.Once back at Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne hosts a fundraising event in support of prospective mayor, and his friend, Harvey Dent which is gatecrashed by businessman and suspected criminal Carmine Falcone, who wishes to propose a partnership with Wayne Enterprises. This leaves the player with the choice of how to best respond knowing that Bruce Wayne is under the full scrutiny of the assembled press. Later at a press conference Bruce is confronted with an allegation that his parents were involved in illicit dealings with Falcone, which leads to a police investigation forcing him to consider how best to defend himself and his family legacy.Later still Wayne encounters Harvey Dents new girlfriend Selina Kyle, and the two of them determine each others secret identities because of the injuries they are still carrying from their earlier fight. An uneasy alliance is formed, with Selina revealing that she was hired to steal the data drive and deliver it to a dock front warehouse, and Batman vowing to investigate the intentions of the proposed purchaser. Upon arriving at the warehouse Batman finds numerous bodies of mercenaries and police officers all killed under mysterious and worrying circumstances, requiring him to analyse the crime scene in order to discover the exact cause of their demiseUpon returning to the Batcave, the data drive is now fully decrypted and is found to contain conclusive and detailed information detailing the criminal actions and enterprises of Carmine Falcone, as well as a shocking revelation about the Wayne family, leaving Bruce Wayne with a decision regarding how best to utilise that evidence - does he hand it over to James Gordon and allow the police to action it, or does he expose Falcone through the press by handing it to investigator Vicky Vale - and what if anything should Batman do with this information?Meanwhile Oswald Cobblepot - an old friend fallen on hard times - contacts Bruce and warns him of a coming revolution and to ensure that when it arrives he is on the right side...

15.12.2016

Telltale games always manage to bring a breath of fresh air. A superb ''comic book' graphic style has been implemented well with Telltale's latest game engine in their latest instalment portraying the early days of Batman in an original story independent of any previous Batman media. For those new to Telltale, they specialise in environmental, story driven games in which you, the player, drive the plot through choices in both dialogue and action. Unlike previous titles such as The Walking Dead which typically focused on different locations and atmosphere, Batman is a far darker, and fast-action paced story. I felt an entirely original approach has been taken by the developer in allowing you to both control aspects of the story for not only Bruce Wayne,

13.1.2017

This is a cool game IMO the Telltale style of game worked particularly well for a comic book source material - the games graphical style & decision based story telling made it feel like an interactive comic - which as a Big Batman fan was pretty sweet.As with all Telltale games you have to make hard choices and depending on what you decide will influence the rest of your path through the story. For me the coolest part of this game was how brutal your Batman is going to be. The story was pretty brave - without giving anything a way it might prove controversial with some Batman fans but for me personally I felt it was a pretty original angle to explore.Despite the positives this game is quite gitchy there were quite of a few cases where the sound and visuals went out of sync.

28.3.2017

I really enjoy Telltale games, which are an interactive story with decision making and sometimes a little puzzle solving. This style of game appeals to me as whilst it is not too difficult, it is still very involving and keeps you interested. The game is split up into episodes, making it ideal to play bit by bit if you do not have lots of time.I like Batman, not read a lot of the comics but I enjoy the films and it was nice to see Telltale's take on the characters. I like the art style a lot, it is like being in an interactive comic book. This disc has the first episode on it only, but purchasing it pays for the other episodes and you can download them at no extra cost.

5.3.2017

*No Spoiler Review*I have to start by saying I am a huge Telltale fan, and I've played most of their offerings. Considering the fact that Telltale has extraordinary storytelling ability, 'Batman' has a great universe going for it with comic influences, great character development and Telltale making crafting their version of the World's Greatest Detective. What I loved so much beyond all these points is the in-depth character exploitation of a Bruce Wayne/Batman that's new to the hero business. He has just started gaining traction and what we see is this novice Batman getting hit with so many conflicts and dilemmas, leading us to making those critical decisions that builds the road for our character.

6.10.2016

I've been waiting for this game since it was announced last year, with high anticipation as I'm a big telltale games fan having played most of their games like The Walking Dead S1/S2, Tales From The Borderlands, The Wolf Among Us, Back To The Future and the harshly reviewed Game Of Thrones series which was pretty decent.Having bought the Michone Season Pass back in February and playing it, it was by far the weakest game they've put out (and the shortest) did make me nervous for batman.But playing the first episode on release day, my worries were over pretty quickly as the game engine has been upgraded and telltale looks better than ever, Troy Baker is a superb Bruce Wayne/Batman,

19.7.2018

I've never played a Telltale game before, but I will certainly be buying more now. The story in this game is incredible; dark, full of twists and turns and (thankfully) realistic. If you love the characters and world of Batman then this game gives you the chance to fully immerse yourself and interact with these beloved heroes and villains. It does exactly what it says on the tin: a story-driven game where your choices affect how you proceed in a scene, or how the story unfolds further down the line. You may have a biased perception of Harvey Dent, Vikki Vale or Selina Kyle, but when your put on the spot in front of them humanised characters, and all your choices result in some kind of ethical dilemma,

7.10.2016

If you have played any of the Telltale Games then you know what to expect, it is a story based game where you chose (QTE) Quick Time Events. This will be either in fighting (move direction when prompted) or with answers (select from 4 available). More often than not it does not change the story but the answer you choose decides their opinion of you. Sometimes later they will remind you of a reply you give earlier so it does have relevance. There are 5 or 6 episodes but at the time of writing (7/10/16) only the first 2 are available with the rest to follow. The price does include all of them so depending on when you buy it you may get some or all. The story itself is good enough to make you want to keep playing,

4.2.2017

I bought this as a gift but I have played the game. It's good but it might not be the Batman your familiar with which might be dispointing or really interesting depending on your stance. Either way if you've played telltale games in the past you will have a good idea what to expect.I hope in future games telltale take a leaf out of dontnod's (life is strange) book and add some real depth, thought and emotion to their games. Telltale do make good cliffhangers though and this game certainly keeps up with that theme.

16.6.2017

I tried to play this game as i personally would, i was very disappointed that i was not able to hug harvey at any point, he's so sad, just let me hug him... Also disappointed that i was not able to punch ozzy more than once, and where is the short chubby ozzy i know and love??? Plus as i am a gay man i did not want to romance selina, later on the game she said she 'thought we had something special' after i had HORRIFICALLY rejected her?? Come on girl have some self respect!

9.1.2017

Can't fault the game - it is what it is, a telltale game. Can fault the terrible state of the item that arrived, the front cover had been slashed in about three places, the spine actually looked like a spine with the amount of dings it had up and down it. Apart from that though the game itself plays like every other game telltale have made, point and click puzzler with a little but of movement around the screen. Good story, good graphics, good all round.

20.9.2016

Bought this game and it got delivered on time. Have to say after playing the first episode, I literally cannot wait for the next one. All episodes included in the season pass so you only just have to wait till each episode is available for download. The emotion and development of the characters makes it look like a film. The choices are superb and the fight scenes were top notch. Highly recommend to anyone who loves Batman and choice games.

10.10.2016

Batman the Telltale Series is in my opinion the best game they have made yet. The design and game play style are great but it is the story and the way you shape its future where the game really shines. They took the Batman story in a different light in ways I would not have seen and I know my Batman stuff having watched the animated series, Batman Beyond and most of the films. You will not be disappointed if you pick this game up.

27.9.2016

Just finished the first episode and I'm loving the focus on Bruce and his family rather than being Batman. You are Batman a lot but it's nice to have most of your choices be as Bruce. Had no problem with the season pass, you just have to make sure it's downloaded at the same time as the game and you're good to go. Can't wait to play episode 2.

Batman: The Telltale Series - Reviews

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