Batman Begins' weird PS2 game

[@minimme]

New Bespoke Post subscribers get a free mystery gift with your first membership purchase - go to bespokepost.com/minimmegift and enter code MINIMMEGIFT at checkout. Thanks to Bespoke Post for sponsoring!

[@SianaGearz]

Seems like this company only operates in US&Canada, not serving say Europe and Antipodea?

[@SianaGearz]

@MrDjBigZ I don't know i'd like to receive a lootbox of shitty headphones every once in a while, i have a sort of fetish in discovering just how bad they are. I've been thinking of starting a channel that reviews the absolute worst audio products, 1€-store grade garbage, but maybe also overpriced and critically flawed high price products once in a while if things get going.

[@SianaGearz]

@MrDjBigZ I do do that already. It even often surprises me in how close to being actually good it is, not irredeemable.

[@thencrranger5628]

when are you going to review the forgotten Disney's chicken little games?

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

Review X-Men the official game

[@qew_Nemo]

You don't understand, Batman climbs ladders this way on purpose, to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies.

[@SHADOMEGA7569]

I'd be terrified of that not to mention he's technically T posing when he glides so not only is he striking fear into people's hearts but he's also asserting dominance

[@Pyke64]

Oh my God Batman just crashed into a bus full of children at 150mph. Oh nevermind, it says there were no casulaties.

[@HonestObserver]

Well, that car chase is happening in the middle of the night while that bus is out for some reason

[@HOTD108_]

Still a lower Batmobile body count than Arkham Knight.

[@Not_a_Lizard_]

@@HOTD108_ Nah man. They just get zapped. This gigantic tank going at F1 speeds just zaps them out of the way you see.

[@TeleporterDown]

All the children are paraplegic now... But no casualties!

[@braxton4999]

Batman’s animations are reused from a game Called Sphinx and the cursed mummy from 2003. They reused them. The running, jumping , idle, and ladder climbing animations. The spihinx game even had a Batman model inside the games files. Eurocom just reused them for this game.

[@Eebers]

That's hilarious, i can't unsee it now

[@therealquinnzack1819]

So weird that they did that, but it explains A LOT

[@whatr0]

​@@therealquinnzack1819it's a lot more common than you would think, but it makes sense. why go through the trouble of making new animations when you can reuse old ones and the audience won't even notice? a lot of being a game dev is knowing how to reuse stuff wisely

[@MrMobista]

I can remember playing this over and over on the OG Xbox. I'll maintain forever that this was the best Batman game we got until Arkham Asylum came out.

[@M1keFoxxx]

I mean the competition wasn't great but I definitely agree! Those batmobile sections were a lot of fun

[@NemesisOgreKing]

LEGO Batman was pretty good. It released in September 2008, almost a year before Asylum.

[@cookieface80]

Sunsoft Batman NES.

[@Psilocervine]

I came here to post exactly this because it absolutely was

[@InkyMuste]

@@cookieface80This is the king right here. Insanely good game with one of the best soundtracks ever.

[@StudioInkblot]

The clip of Michael Caine asking for a copy of the game has always stuck with me and I always hoped against hope that he went through with it.

[@johans3164]

He prob wont. He still trying to get his e-mail

[@IamNOVAone]

There was originally supposed to be a sequel to this game being a Dark knight tie in game but it was ultimately cancelled when licensing rights expired and in return we ended up getting Arkham asylum instead. Don’t get me wrong I love the Arkham series but I also wonder what that Dark Knight game might have been like.

[@ChaseMC215]

Not to mention the sequel was supposed to be developed by Pandemic, the same team behind Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction

[@Nor-tc8vz]

If I remembered the engine that was also used for the Saboteur was a pain to get running at an acceptable frame rate with high quality assets they planned to use.

[@Deliveredmean42]

Well, it made sense it had trouble, they were TOO detailed which even crashed the dev kit. They kind overestimate the console's budget and seem to only work on the PC for the longest. @@Nor-tc8vz

[@RappingNinja]

Gary Oldman actually DID do voice work for that game. There’s interviews where he talks about it. Makes you wonder who else from the cast did voice work for Pandemic’s Dark Knight, recordings that’ll never see the light of day…

[@XxJohnnyGATxX]

Isn't there archived screenshots of it and wasnt the final draft of it proposed for psp?

[@juarezamorim]

I love those Renderware models from Batman Begins, it's peak art direction.

[@BalletRosesOfficial]

Cillian Murphy getting into and having fun with the voice acting is awesome lol

[@theburnedman5641]

Cillian Murphy was so great as Scarecrow and seeing how enthusiastic he was about voice acting in and playing the game made me appreciate him even more!

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

Mad to think the film came out only a few years after PS2.. in my mind, PS2 feels _wayyy_ older than the Batman reboot crazy how time and memory play tricks like that!

[@svenbtb]

I mean it was a good 5 years after the PS2 came out, 360 and ps3 were just around the corner one year later at that point.

[@isaiahyinko7182]

@@unbearifiedbear1885 Was this your first introduction to batman in 2005?

[@longplayarchive]

Thanks for using and crediting our footage. Nice review!

[@cruisinobscurae3274]

You're the gaming KZbinr I've been watching consistently for the longest amount of time. From when your graphically impressives were new to now, I've never gotten bored of the channel. You deserve more props from the long-video-essay game critics. What you do is really valuable to the study of game design.

[@rihardsrozans6920]

The quality has been consistently great the entire time, down the the first Max Payne review

[@richardtickler8555]

I watch most videos multiple times: once to watch and the rest to fall asleep cause theres no sudden noise and a calm voice

[@Smansteel]

This game walked so the Arkham series could run!

[@lutherheggs451]

Well it helped that the Arkham Series borrowed combat from Spider-Man 2 for PS2. It will never stop being hilarious when people try to claim that Spider-Man borrowed Arkham's combat, when Spider-man has been doing it since PS2. Well it also makes alot more sense that Spider-man is flying and flipping all over the place as opposed to Tank Man

[@HOTD108_]

​​​@@lutherheggs451Arkham also lifted detective mode straight from the Spider-Man 3 (2007) video game, which not only had you seeing enemies through walls but also used the mechanic for solving puzzles and tracking down enemies by following trails of DNA, and all a solid two years before Arkham Asylum. The "unique" mechanics the Arkham games are famous for are just a bunch of reused ideas from Spider-Man games lol.

[@mingusmofaz5898]

​@@lutherheggs451It's all borrowed from Mark of Kri.

[@polanskyf]

@@lutherheggs451 freeflow on ps2? Are you drunk?

[@20vTurbae]

​@lutherheggs451 this is very true wtf I never thought of that man😂

[@asdfreii]

Batman’s parents died when he was a child. Most tragically he had to teach himself how to climb ladders. I think he’s doing well considering.

[@Jakewake52]

One of the main things I remember from this was playing it in the living room and dying twice at a bit where theres some overheard enemy dialogue and it ends with with the woman they had captured screaming, and I thought the scream was from outside and when I had to redo that bit due to failing I kept thinking that two people just up the road were screaming so loud I couldnt hear the end of that convo and was annoyed

[@jaysanj152]

Those Goofy Goblin like animations for Batman really takes out the tone of this game. Crazy how Arkham Asylum just took pretty much all of the cool ideas from this game had, Especially the Fear mechanic and simply made them all better. in a way you gotta owe it to this game's existence we got the Arkham Games.

[@project-gladiator]

In the conclussion he says it didn't have much to do with the development of the Arkham games. But it sure as hell wouldn't be a surprise

[@project-gladiator]

I like how it has a little bit of Rocksteady's Arkham games. For example, the fear mechanic remind me of how enemies AI in the Arkham games is made so that the enemies become more and more paranoid the more of their comrades you take out, untill the last one shoots at any noise it hears. Rocksteady's games seem almost like a remate of this one, in the best way possible.

[@acomingextinction]

It's like Rocksteady drew on all the genuinely good ideas and ignored the... less inspired stuff.

[@PonkeyPoe]

Oh, man. I remember renting this from the Family Video way back when. The graphics were insane compared to Spiderman 2 and I was amazed at how well it followed the film, at least in my 12 year-old head.

[@KobatheASMRbiker]

This was a pretty decent movie tie in game for its time. I played it for the first time a few months ago, and couldn't believe how great the graphics looked with some nice character models to boot. And also, Batman climbs ladders like he just pooped his pants

[@Danominator]

I like how mini keeps calling Henri Ducard "Liam Neeson". Sometimes he just refers to characters by their voice actor and something about that is inherently funny to me

[@KrazyKain]

I just remember this as "the splinter cell-y Batman game" and remember it quite fondly.

[@theburnedman5641]

Man, I absolutely loved Splinter Cell as a kid (and still do). Maybe that’s why I loved the Batman Begins game so much! Fun stealth, cool gadgets, enemy interrogations. Never really thought about the similarities until reading your comment! Guess my subconscious always knew

[@er_mu8336]

This is one of those games where everything looked great when you were a kid, and you swear it's an awesome game based on that one experience years ago, but if you come back to it immediately notice its problems.

[@HOTD108_]

I think you might have dementia.

[@connorottem5767]

I have a soft spot for this game. I remember getting sucked into its atmosphere and it was one of the first "dark" Batman media I experienced. It's kinda funny going back because there are some ideas that Arkham took and improved upon, such as stealth and the use of fear to fight armed enemies. Begins never really develops those ideas beyond linear setpieces, but Arkham would take those same concepts and refine them into actual gameplay mechanics. For what it is though and the time period it came out, I still think Begins is a fairly solid game, and it's at least somewhat better than a lot of other licensed games from that era.

[@isaiahyinko7182]

Did you see Batman Begins in 2005? Was this your first introduction to batman in 2005?

[@isaiahyinko7182]

How old were you when the movie came out? Was this your first batman film you saw?

[@huzi990]

I don't know why but that ladder climbing animation made me think that would be how the College Humor Badman would move around.

[@StudioInkblot]

You're not wrong

[@gimmibox]

Bros thumbnails getting more and more unhinged. Love it

[@RandomGuy-yp6py]

Gotta love how he includes Tony Hawk in all of them and sometimes you have to look really close to find him lol

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

Did you see the one he did for Disneys "Cars"? 😂

[@Guymanbot97]

​@@RandomGuy-yp6py I just NOW realized he did this. And am now trying to find him in every thumbnail.

[@some-replies]

​@@RandomGuy-yp6pyoh damn!!

[@HOTD108_]

​@@RandomGuy-yp6pyLiterally not true. Tony Hawk is only present in about a third of the thumbnails.

[@SpaceCase100]

Another certified hood classic.

[@zwete]

They’re following Nolan’s vision on sound mixing I guess

[@father042]

The game also has a weird GBA port if you are interested in that It was done by Vicarious Visions of course

[@EverythingPS5Pro]

Thank you soo much!! ❤️❤️❤️ Absolutely think that this game has some really special vibes to it, and playing it as a kid at 6 years old makes it kinda spooky. Seeing your retrospective videos of my childhood games always makes me happy ❤️❤️

[@isaiahyinko7182]

Did you see Batman Begins in 2005? Was this your first introduction to batman in 2005?

[@isaiahyinko7182]

I was born in 1999 and you?

[@EverythingPS5Pro]

@@isaiahyinko7182 Yes! Was terrifyed of Batman Begins back then and still think its awesome today 😎😂😂

[@EverythingPS5Pro]

@@isaiahyinko7182 2000 🥂

[@isaiahyinko7182]

@@EverythingPS5Pro That means you were 6 in 2006?

[@BugsyFoga]

Always up for weird licensed games

[@Saitamaz94]

I like to think that this game is some kind of Arkham games' drunk, clumsy but still genuinely kind dad. Also, this is the videogame adaptation of Nolan's movie. Let that sink in.

[@HOTD108_]

"Also, this is the videogame adaptation of Nolan's movie." Yes, we know... What's your point?

[@notkyloren]

I'm genuinely impressed with the character modeling and texturing for the PS2 version (even if it's upscaled through an emulator).

[@MorbidVoid]

All I've ever known about this game is the INSANE ladder climbing animation lol

[@BrandonOfJapan]

This was the first Batman game to somewhat do the batmobile justice

[@Parambolumberienriatta]

This one brings some good PS2 memories. I remember being stuck for ages in the sewer because I couldn't find the code to the doors. Took me years to come up with the idea of turning on subtitles.

[@nathanielroy1996]

I played this over and over again on my gamecube, I loved this game back in the day.

[@awareclueless]

Minimme giving me a glimpse into games I have missed out over the decades with such good storytelling Im almost reliving it as I would have. Good work yet again!

[@snowblind9551]

Arkham Asylum was originally gonna be a sequel to this game, as a game adaptation of the Dark Knight. So it's pretty obvious that Batman Begins's DNA is in the Arkham games.

[@solid_fire9388]

my absolute favorite batman game, used to play the shit out of it back in the day 🥲

[@meditatednut3336]

I've been reading a ton of batman comics so this is timed perfectly. Thank you minimme!

[@BeardTech]

This channel has introduced me to some true gems for the PS2 GameCube, Xbox etc and definitely given me a great nostalgic history lesson through the decades

[@CYPH3RsD0M41N]

One of my favorite movie tie-in games. I remember playing through for the sake of unlocking the ingame outfits. Loved playing as the classic crusadee suit.

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

6:42 Does anyone else hear a little _"ding!"_ every time a games reviewer says the word "Sewers"? God damn you, Civvie 😂

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

_"Fear is your Weapon"_ has never been more competently achieved in a game than playing the Alien campaign in *Aliens vs Predator* (the '99, one) - and to a lesser extent the sequel Human NPCs would go from ballsy and brave, to nervous noises and twitchy reactions, to running to hide behind geometry in other rooms, to the point you'd startle them so badly by dropping down or hissing above/behind them, that they'd blow everyone else in the room away with their shotgun trying to kill you OR better yet, drop what they were carrying; which was usually a molotov cocktail 😂🔥 I used to spend *hours* just fkn around with them, like a cat torturing a mouse. This this day, one of the best implementations of fear in a game and one of the most entertaining powertrips in the *history* of gaming (Also, the best AvP "anything" ever made)

[@ultimateaquiles]

You should really do a video on the Dark Knight Rises game for iOS. It was like Arkham Knight before Arkham Knight (and on mobile), I remember playing it when I was younger and being amazed at how good it looked and how complex it played.

[@MrVeljkosrb]

I was waiting for so long to you do this vid. I like it, cool stuff. I pray, you get into a rhythm with upload (with cool videos like last few)

[@eVerProductions1]

I love that you also appreciate what these games were for the time. People keep having too much expectation from consoles that just started making 3d graphics the norm. The n64, ps1 and Dreamcast did have 3d but only like 70% of the games were 3d then finally the tech got better around 2000 and 3d became the norm and we got gta San Andreas

[@dtxspeaks268]

Yea, those clickbait videos with condensending jokes and remarks really get under my skin for that exact reason

[@jarg8]

I played this every winter for several years growing up. It had just enough splinter cell in it, the graphics are still excellent overall for 2005, its a fairly faithful movie adaptation, and its probably the only playable 3D batman game outside of the Arkham games. Such a Minimme pick as always. I love everything you do so much.

[@bloodczar9353]

i remember renting this game but then getting stuck whenever it said to press r3 and i had no idea you could press down the joystick so i just ended up returning it

[@some-replies]

"R1....R2...wait 3?"

[@Guymanbot97]

All of these games fucked with me whenever they said this. I'm pretty sure it wasn't until the PS3 days that I learned what an R3 and L3 was

[@jokerzwild00]

Shit I still forget about the stick clicks to this very day. I think jumping in Dark Souls 1 was the most use I ever got out of that input.

[@VincentMaslowski]

24:54 that is a large door.

[@ninjapunk3392]

Such memories. Thank you for praising the game, because it really is great for its time. And I still play it to this day.

[@BasedToastnt]

6:42 cause they were smuggling falcone's "special powder" through the sewers

[@TheGoldenBolt]

benedict cumberbatch thumbnail

[@alecpatterson6271]

Recently found my ps2 and had this game with it. The game manual comes with a movie ticket to the movie too. Such a cool marketing stunt.

[@subhanmalik1446]

i remember playing this as kid and thinking it was one of the best games ever, years later i google it and come across videos calling it one of the worst movie tie in games lol

[@dtxspeaks268]

"One of the worst movie tie ins" thats just typical KZbinr Clickbait nonsense tbh

[@ItsOver9000Productions]

This game along with Batman Vengeance, BTAS on SNES and the Arkham Series are the best of the bunch when it comes to Batman. This game holds up surprisingly well imo

[@pushon10]

This game was pretty decent. However, it's biggest crime is that it lacks a level select mode. You can't just play your favourite level whenever you want, even after completing it.

[@dtxspeaks268]

Agreed. That's why I always make separate save slots for The Docks, Black Market and Arkham Asylum levels

[@joshwhite557]

I was 12 when this came out and I played it at least a dozen times. If you played this around that age you felt like you stumbled onto a master piece.

[@northdwarf]

"Tell me about bears and rabbits!" 😂

[@budaroddy]

awesome, even back in the day I thought why so realistic approach and then you see batman doing double jumps and all sort of funky movements lmao

[@dtxspeaks268]

It's a nice balance to make the gameplay more fun, even if Batman's running and ladder climbing animations take away any seriousness 😂

[@DetectiveStablerSVU]

I miss the artistic aesthetic in old games. A lot of it was to cover up the graphics limitations but i wish that was still common. They can always offer an option to turn it off or something to some degree if it's a AAA budget.

[@cooknmediastudios7926]

Bro, I have no idea how you're cranking these videos out consistently they are very good. Also, I was literally playing the Xbox version on my 360 about a day ago so seeing this pop-up was a nice surprise.

[@EmmBee27]

As a kid who had a GameCube growing up, titles like this were ones that I *never* heard about even existing on the console. By 2005 I feel like I was running into that a lot.

[@elshazlio]

I remember having this game and being too afraid of it to get past the tutorial. I don’t remember what I found to be scary exactly but I remember a lot of fires.

[@colbybradbury870]

Its interesting to me how, a lot of things in this game were also done by Rocksteady, like fear as a mechanic etc.

[@SkyeArrow222]

Really enjoyed this game back in the day. The fear mechanic was fun to use and wish they could bring it back in newer games.

[@maggot2471]

Dude! My cousin and I played this on the gamecube everytime he came over to my house as kids! Good times

[@electricramjet]

I remember when Nokias used to fly away when you hung up 5:09

[@guycoolSpore2]

I still have this game for the Xbox, but my copy never worked past the tutorial. It was also before my parents realized I needed glasses, so I definitely thought the character I was controlling was in his Batman costume.

[@garywillig5143]

I remember renting this from Blockbuster as a kid and being blown away. It wasn't one of my absolute favorites like Smash Bros. Melee and Rogue Leader, but I couldn't believe character models could look so good, and at the time I loved the combat and the stealth. Also, Christian Bale's Batman voice was better in the game than in the movies. It seemed like he was moving closer to the Kevin Conroy standard as opposed to the chain-smoker voice Nolan had him do.

[@24hoursayear]

This was the first videogame I ever *completed*, like the whole story. I had played many games before, but never finished them, but this one, I loved it so much I played it to the end. In retrospect, it was probably because of how linear this game was that I was able to finish this while I never left the first island in GTA San Andreas (who needs story when you've got cheatcodes)

[@GuevaraGG]

Got this game when I was a kid for my 7th or 8th birthday lmao, could never get past part of the later game as the enemies kept killing me when trying to save Rachel

[@some-replies]

I still remember going to Movie Gallery and renting this game. I had only played the Tim Burton batman game on PS2 before and assumed it would be terrible like that. This was quite a treat

[@DCGMatthew1]

I used to rent this game for the PS2 all the time when I was a wee little lad. This, SOCOM, Spider-Man 2, Battlefield 2 Modern Combat, and the Harry Potter games.

[@AfterBurnerTeirusu]

What a neat paper folding animation.

[@nicksterwixter]

Believe it or not this was the FORTH Batman game on Gamecube! And as a teenager going through my peak Batman fandom era at the time, I bought this the day it came out an absolutely ate it up. Even then I remember being slightly disappointed once I realized that the whole fear system amounted to basically nothing. But as a Batman fan in a pre-Arkham world, I still had a lot of fun playing this one.

[@1257dude]

Family video used to have this as one of the $1 for 5 nights rentals. Used to always rent this beat it like 3 times. Super slept on

[@cikame]

I like to think the animator had previously worked on those PS1 Loony Tunes games and didn't get the memo.

[@Cinemaphile7783]

There was a time when I wouldn't even give a movie tie-in game a second thought. They were absolutely terrible up until the sixth gen.

[@dtxspeaks268]

Yea, I feel like MTI games got good around the late 90s/early 2000s, even if there were plenty that weren't good

[@amirmohamad2270]

This dude is really underrated.

[@PaballoKobe-xh9ve]

I played a little bit of this at a resturant that let kids play games while they waited for their food decent to mid

[@adrienbroditore]

I love your content so much dude! Would you ever consider covering the PS2 x-files game? I think you'd be the perfect guy for it

[@Palma5025]

Wholesome feeling when listening to minimme. I also share his Driv3r enthusiasm.

[@20vTurbae]

I agree that a lot of the sewers stuff and things like that dont make sense but it doesnt bother me because the gameplay is so entertaining

[@michaelsoto8490]

This and Vengeance were the only good Batman games up until Arkham so this game has a special place in my heart.

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

Batman NES, SNES/Genesis Returns, SEVERAL Adventures of Batman and Robin games on handhelds and console...what??? At the VERY least, this comments section forgetting the Sunsoft NES game is surprising, you'd think the AVGN drilled that into everyone's head already.

[@HollywoodGaming-fy3vt]

Great video. I never had the chance to play this game. Thanks for the retrospective!

[@uuu12343]

For what it was, this was pretty big for a movie tie-in game, certainly better than most

[@DaddyRatchet23]

Minimme should check out the PS1 Batman and Robin game. It's the bizarre sort of movie tie in game that is frustratingly clunky and unpolished, yet almost endearing in how ambitious it was. In other words, exactly the sort of thing Minimme would probably appreciate.

[@kazy8029]

My dad's special friend once brought this over for me. I played it in the basement while he was... 'visiting' with Dad. I ended up playing through it quite a few times before he stopped coming around (he also got me the PS2 Mission Impossible game). When Arkham Asylum came out, for some reason I defended Batman Begins as the superior game. I think I just loved the atmosphere of it. Years later, I can sit down and just blitz through Arkham Asylum and have an amazing time but I have no idea what happened to the Begins PS2 disc and I kinda don't care.

[@some-replies]

Its like you got my old PS2 collection and started making reviews.

[@АндрейТрофимов-ф9в]

guns are dangerous casually crouching away and dodging a bullet at 14:17 is stupid good)))

[@WinnieAndTheWraiths]

These videos are incredible. I love how thorough and well researched they are! I would love your take on the Matrix tie-in video games if and when you are able to look into them! 💛

[@lazycouchman]

This game was so fun back when it first came out. I had completely forgotten about it until now though lol

[@Desmodontidae78]

I loved that game! I had it for PS2. It was good fun to enter the Nolanverse back when the Nolanverse was fresh and brand new. This game may not have aged well, and the Arkham games have since improved on the Batman formula, but for its time, this was good stuff!

[@deadspace4755]

Actual good old games. Love them. For a different game, that is rare to have voice commands and more depth of a typical 3rd person shooter, try Binary Domain

[@Elvisbackpack]

My friend and I played this together, and every time we used gas grenades, we shouted "GAS!" One time, I threw the grenade, shouted "GAS!" and the grenade went from one side of the map to the other before it exploded, so I had to say it three times before it finally landed.

[@Iwoply]

Batman moving like spider-man is scary to see lol

[@gabrielledebourg2487]

The music starting at 10:28 made me immediately think of Dankpods… so I guess it must the theme of KZbinrs from down under?

[@novelezra]

In the words of Rob Florence. "Batman Begins... Begins to bore me to fucking tears"

[@joestock732]

I love these weird games you play for our enjoyment. You suffer so we don’t have to.

[@dtxspeaks268]

"Suffer" you're acting like this is Superman 64 or the GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition or Bubsy 3D 😂. This game is decent