Overall Batman Begins is a good movie tie-in game. Not great. But close, and definitely worth a playthrough, especially with current used prices below $10 across all platforms.
(It looks great on my Xbox 360, as it's on the list of backwards-compatible games, and I have the original Xbox release.)
I was relieved the devs got all the original actors for the game's dialogue. Definitely a plus.
The Batmobile controls great in the two driving levels that thankfully add some much-needed variety to Batman Begins. Yes, this game lacks variety. It's very linear, and the entire game plays like this: You get to an area, see some thugs, figure out how to frighten them, then attack when they are scared. If you rush into a fight, you'll quickly die in a hail of bullets in most cases. Problem is, there's mostly only one exact approach to each encounter, which is the greatest weakness of the game and limits the replayability. I do like that rushing into a fight will get you killed. It reinforces the fact that Batman is only a man after all, lacking the super powers of his peers.
Batman has gadgets to help him fight crime, but they aren't as developed as I'd like, often requiring case-specific use. For example, the batarang is only used to clear debris or break some support structure or whatnot to open up your path. Kinda lame since I wanted to hit some baddies with my bat-shuriken. And that super sick high frequency emitter that Batman uses to summon bats in the film? Super lame in this game.
Combat is okay. The controls feel delayed but once you get the timing down, there's enjoyment to be found within the rhythm of this dance. It was like playing Ninja Gaiden 3 instead of Ninja Gaiden Sigma or Black, the latter having very responsive controls and requiring precise timing. That's not what you do here. There's no combo system. The fighting looks cool tho and feels satisfying when you clear a room of enemies without taking any damage.
I played the game on the easiest difficulty, not wanting to spend too much time with this slightly outdated game. But nothing kept me from ultimately enjoying my time with Batman Begins. I just wish I could have played the game with the alternative costumes, as they appeared to only be unlocked after beating it.
Honestly surprised the rating is so high (currently an 8.2), as this is higher than some of the more recent Batman games. My guess is that most ratings were given before the next gen games were released. If I had played this back in 2005 I would have been more impressed. Nevertheless, it's still a solid experience playing Batman Begins in 2020, and I definitely recommend it to every gamer who is a fan of Batman.
