It is late in the evening; we see our caped crusader surveying his home, his territory, Gotham City. This is his time. Honoring a vow made to his deceased parents the Batman will sacrifice all he has to protect the innocent from suffering the same loss he has experienced. Suddenly a series of explosions releases the inmates of Gotham Prison and Arkham Asylum to scourge the city. With the cops over worked and under staffed it is up to the Batman to set the wrong things right. No this is not a movie or a new animated feature it is the opening sequence to the game, Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu.

Gameplay:

It is easy to see the link between Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu and Batman: “Vengeance”. In both games the cinematic are just as good, if not better than the animated series. Being a huge fan of Dark Knight I thought Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu would be a nice addition to my animated series collection, plus the hype of the new forth coming Batman Begins movie added to my excitement (shameless plug). For those who don’t know, Sin Tzu is a new character added to the Batman universe created specifically for this game. Don’t fret because most of the classic cartoon heroes and villains from the animated series have guest starring roles.

The object of the game is to defeat this new villainous warlord. Sin Tzu is a kinetically enhanced master of the Asian Art of War, who wishes to conquer Batman using Gotham City as his battleground. Fighting along side Batman are all of the animated series heroes: Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl. Anyone unfamiliar with Nightwing should visit his or her local comic book store to see what he or she is missing. Nightwing is Dick Grayson (original Robin) all grown up, kicking butt and taking names. All four heroes are playable characters.

When I say fighting along side Batman I mean it literally. Two players can fight side by side to save Gotham City from the brink of domination by evil. Assortments of different combination moves are learnt along the way, during the action inspired game play. However, this games biggest foe is perhaps one of repetitiveness. Sophisticated gamers may lose interest after only a short time of gameplay because of the continuous fighting with the common henchmen. After awhile I didn’t even care whether Batman used a spinning heel kick or a simple punch to just get past the tedious fighting. I just wanted to move the story along.

Enter the second downfall of the game, and perhaps the only other negative thing to say. Although Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu has a slightly enjoyable story, it lacks the mystery that Vengeance possessed to keep gamers wanting to see the next chapter. Yes, just as the previous Batman game this one unfolds by chapters. The chapter effect instead of levels makes the game feel more like a comic book and not a game, which is good for the Batman genre.

Graphics:

As mentioned earlier, the cinematic and cut scenes are as good if not then better then the animated series. In fact I would love to see a feature length picture done with the cinematic of this game. It is that damn good. The fighting sequences are smooth with no noticeable flaws. The controls and handling of the different characters are right on the money and offer ease of use for most games players. The button scheme is very simple: punch, kick, jump and block. plus, the batarang and other gadgets are on hand as well should you require. Although, “Vengeance” did make better use of the grappling hook, and most of the other Bat gadgets Rise of Sin Tzu does manage to incorporate them pretty well. All the details are complete, from the jump kicks to the flowing of the capes, as the animation is smooth.

Sound:

Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu is possibly one of the best games out on the market in the sound category. This is solely attributed to the truly professional cast of talented actors from the animated series that agreed to lend their voice talents to this game. Fans of Batman: the Animated Series and even the Batman universe should appreciate Kevin Conroy continuing the complex Batman that only his voice and talent can embody. Also worthy of note is the music from the animated series which also paints the background with aural excitement during gameplay. Outside of the music and voice talents this game has nothing significant to offer in the sound department other than your usual thwack and crunching sounds.

Longevity:

Truly sad for Batman is the fact that this is a game that will not be played over and over again. Except by our younger game players (12 -) who may not appreciate the Batman legacy or franchise anyway. The only reason to continually play Rise of Sin Tzu is to complete the story line just as you would a comic book. Just as a great story in a comic book may make you reread it; a mediocre story will entertain you for one time only. Such is the fate of this game, a one-time completion not worthy of a second time around. Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu is just way to simplistic.

Overall:

Flawless animation, solid voice acting and a top quality cinematic experience makes this game a marvel to look at. On the flip side, a linear story line removes the intrigue that the animation series has captured and pulled its audience in with. The creators of Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu has done their best to recreate a beloved series however is this enough for non fans to perhaps purchase? The bottom line is; Ubisoft has done its homework to honor the look, sound and feel of a game worthy of the Batman name and on that front the game succeeds.