Batman Returns Review(Atari Lynx)

Batman Returns for the Lynx is one of the most underrated platformers for this system. The game is extremely challenging, starting you with only one life and when you die, the game is over. On the other hand, if the Penguin really managed to kill Batman, you wouldn't expect him to pop back up a few seconds later and continue the fight. The control is dead-on, and being the caped crusader has rarely ever been so much fun. You even get to control many of Batman's signature gadgets.The graphics in this title are just like the movie of the same name -- Dark and foreboding... but so is the entire Gotham universe. When Burton was making these films, he really pegged the "feel" of Gotham and made the story a lot better because of the creepy atmospheres that they were set it. It almost felt as if Batman belonged there. Same thing with the game. Batman belongs here in the dark streets to clean up the crime that is going on. Unfortunately, some of the enemies don't seem like they should be there. Namely, there are these weird Native American headdress-wearing knife throwing girls that pop out and look more like they came from Pocahontas and decided that it was time to take on Batman... but only after visiting the great plains to get headdresses. The other problem with the enemies is that they are barely animated. It doesn't take away from the overall game, but when they only have a few frames of animation, they look kinda clunky.The sounds are good, although I have heard the original Batman theme so much that this seems to be extremely watered down to me. For the hardware running it, I can't make any complaints.The gameplay is a love it or hate it type of gameplay. Personally, I love it... Mostly. The challenge is intense, but every time you play the game you get a little further in the game. The problem is with a few of the later levels, you have to make jumps from one ledge to another. These jumps are very precise, and if there is an enemy on the other side, they can knock you off the ledge before you can do anything about it. With no extra lives, this makes the game too tough in the later levels. Had these jumps been taken out, I would have adored this game even more than I already do, and I would probably play through it every once in a while just because I love the Batman theme and there really aren't many (any?) games that do this license justice. This is one of the best Batman titles, and it is a great platformer as long as you don't suffer from the cheap-deaths of the upper levels.