Batman fans are excited about the latest game release, Batman: Arkham VR for PlayStation VR, taking the Caped Crusader into a whole new dimension of gaming. The move to VR is just the latest in a long line of Batman inspired games.
The first Batman video game was released back in 1986; it was a 3D action adventure game where Batman has to save Robin by collecting missing pieces to Batman’s hovercraft that are scattered around the Batcave.
In 1990, Batman was developed for console games, with a game based on Michael Keaton’s Batman, for Nintendo, Sega Genesis and Game Boy. The Nintendo version of the game had 5 levels, and Batman had to defeat several of his nemeses, with a big showdown at the end against the Joker.
In 1992, the Batman Returns based games were released to all major systems. The game was a definite improvement over the 1990 game, with more levels, more shooting, and more bad guys.
Throughout the next 20 years, it seemed as if new Batman video games were being released every year, as the consoles improved so did the quality of the games. Every new movie brought about a new game, complete with the movie villains and game play that attempted to resemble the plot.
In the early 2000s, there were new innovations to the Batman games. Smartphones were becoming popular and game developers saw a whole new market they could reach. Batman Begins was released for mobile devices in 2005 and players had to try and defeat Falcone. This game was followed up in 2008 by The Lego Batman: The Mobile Game, and many other games coming in quick succession.
In 2009, Rocksteady Studios released the first of what would eventually be three games called the Arkham Series: Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight (which we reviewed here). The first two titles received a facelift in Batman: Return to Arkham which not only had the remastered versions but also included all previously released DLC.
Batman games have come a long way since its simple beginnings in the mid 80s and we’re excited to see what fun games the future will bring.