Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (video game)

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
North American Playstation cover art
Developer(s)	Kemco
Publisher(s)	Ubi Soft Entertainment
Distributor(s)	Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment DC Comics
Platform(s)	Game Boy Color, PlayStation, Nintendo 64
Release date(s)	Game Boy Color[1] & PlayStation[2] NA: November 20, 2000 EU: December 8, 2000 (GBC) EU: December 15, 2000 (PS) JP: May 1, 2001 (PS) Nintendo 64[3] ‹See Tfd› NA: December 13, 2000 EU: January 19, 2001
Genre(s)	Scrolling beat 'em up
Mode(s)	Single-player

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (or Batman of the Future: Return of the Joker as it is known in Europe) was released by Ubisoft for Game Boy Color, PlayStation and Nintendo 64. The game was released to coincide with the film of the same name, and is largely based on the original TV series.

Gameplay

Similar to games like Final Fight, Batman Beyond plays as a beat 'em up-type game where the player, as Batman, wanders through levels that are essentially side-scrolling, but have some depth to allow for three dimensional movement. The game is fairly simple along those lines.

The PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions of the game allow the player to select and switch between four suits while playing the game. Each suit has its own abilities.

• Standard: Even mixture of offensive strength and shielding. The Standard Suit comes equipped with three weapons: Dark Knight Discus, which are thrown as projectiles and require ammunition; Magnetic Nunchuku, which can be charged and attacks in a short straight line; and the Dark Knight Staff, which attacks in a circular area.
• Offense: Capable of stronger attacks, but is more fragile than the other suits of the game. The Offense Suit allows the player to punch open gray crates, which grants access to extra items and a few extra areas.
• Defense: Deals weaker attacks, but better protects the player from damage. The Defense Suit is equipped with two shields that can be used to deflect nearly all enemy attacks. A special technique called the Shield Punch allows the player to deal heavy damage to enemies.
• Nimble: Allows the player to double-jump, glide, and perform jumping kicks. The double jump ability allows the player to access some extra items, but the glide ability seems to have only one function in the game.

Reception

Reception
Review scores Publication Score GBC N64 PS AllGame [4] [5] [6] EGM N/A N/A 1/10[7] Game Informer N/A N/A 0.5/10[8] Game Revolution N/A F[9] N/A IGN 6/10[10] 2/10[11] 2/10[12] Nintendo Power N/A 5.6/10[13] N/A OPM (US) N/A N/A [14] OPM (UK) N/A N/A 1/10[15] Aggregate scores GameRankings 60%[16] 31%[17] 22%[18] Metacritic N/A 24/100[19] 24/100[20]

The game received mostly negative reviews by critics on the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions. The Game Boy Color version received mostly mixed reviews.

References

1. "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker Release Information for Game Boy Color". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
2. "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker Release Information for PlayStation". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
3. "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker Release Information for Nintendo 64". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
4. Nicholls, Shawn. "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (GBC) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-11-14. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
5. Ottoson, Joe. "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (N64) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-11-14. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
6. Woods, Nick. "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (PS) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-11-14. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
7. EGM Staff (January 2001). "Batman Beyond [Return of the Joker] (PS)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Archived from the original on 2001-01-29. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
8. Reiner, Andrew (December 2000). "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (PS)". Game Informer (92): 111.
9. Liu, Johnny (January 2001). "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker Review (N64)". Game Revolution. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
10. Nix, Marc (2000-11-22). "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (GBC)". IGN. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
11. Casamassina, Matt (2000-12-13). "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (N64)". IGN. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
12. Perry, Douglass C. (2000-12-01). "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (PS)". IGN. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
13. "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker". Nintendo Power. 138: 130. November 2000.
14. Baker, Chris (December 2000). "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Archived from the original on 2001-01-27. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
15. "Batman of the Future: Return of the Joker". Official UK PlayStation Magazine. Future Publishing (73). May 2001.
16. "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker for Game Boy Color". GameRankings. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
17. "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
18. "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker for PlayStation". GameRankings. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
19. "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker for Nintendo 64 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
20. "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker for PlayStation Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2016-05-03.

External links

• Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker at MobyGames