Remember the Joker? Well, he's returned. Return of the Joker!
This screenshot looks cooler than it really is.
Nobody likes a clown, but everyone likes the Joker. Despite the fact that he resembles a malevolent clown, he's really more of a jester; perhaps this is one of the reasons for his longevity. It could also be his honesty. He knows he's a complete psychopath, and he's ok with it. Clowns pretend to be goofy and child-like, but what lurks underneath the makeup? A false sincerity at best. Perhaps the poor people who wear white makeup are decent, honest folk, but the clowns they become are made of pure evil. This has little to do with Sunsoft's sequel, Return of the Joker, and since I can't think of a proper segue, I'Il just say I understand why Sunsoft chose to return to the Joker as the main villain. He is one of the ultimate villains, comic book or otherwise, because his unpredictability allows for almost unlimited scenarios. Also, since the image of Batman coupled with the Joker prints money and "Batman Returns" the movie hadn't emerged yet, Sunsoft needed to tide itself over.
It's a shame that the game is average at best. Batman blew gamers away with how well-crafted it was, and since I hadn't played this sequel before, I was expecting a similar masterpiece. While I can appreciate the changes Sunsoft made, they certainly weren't for the better. Many of the elements I praised Batman for have been taken out, such as the excellent controls. I'm not sure if Sunsoft's enlarging of the Batman sprite forced clunkiness on his movements, but that's what happened. They aren't bad compared to some other stinker games, but it's hard to go from flawless to average for the follow-up. I also applauded Batman for its well-thought out challenges, and how no section of the game felt purposeless in its design. Alas, such is not the case with Return. Enemies attack you right when they see you, without giving you a chance to retaliate. When you get hit, you also pause for a brief second, which can give them enough time to move out of your line of fire and hit you from a different standpoint. It's frustrating. Wall-jumps? Yeah, those are gone too. Batman's too large to do any proper jumping, I suppose, but why take out one of the best parts of the first game? The wall-jumps really tied the game together and they are sorely missed here.
There's challenge, yes, but it's the cheap kind of challenge and Sunsoft knows it. The inclusion of a password system - something the first game lacked - reveals all. Instead of using your fists and your wits to get through a stage, you rely solely on the Batarang and the many upgrades that come in easily explodable boxes strewn throughout the level. Strangely, most of the upgrades are weak and slow as crap. It doesn't matter anyway when the enemies pop out of nowhere and get three hits on you before you can give one.
Until about stage 3-1 or so, I was really enjoying the game. The environments were more colorful, the music was as good as the first, and there was even a shmup level! Even the boss battle was interesting: instead of a life bar, you try to wittle away at the Boss' "points." It was strange, but unique. Hooray variety! I missed the changes from the first, but it felt like a worthy, if slightly weaker, successor. Around 3-1, though, bombs fall from the sky, enemies start becoming cheap, the music repeats, and the backgrounds all begin to run together. Add this in with all the new changes, and you have a perfectly playable, but sadly mediocre sequel to one of the best side-scrollers on the NES. Shame.
C-
This is the second to last stage before the Joker. If anyone is amazing enough to have beaten this, let me know.
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