Batman Returns could have been a classic. The greatest game in the history of the Lynx. The greatest action game ever. On *any* portable. It had everything, and I mean everything. KILLER graphics. Superb sound. Awesome gameplay. It couldn't miss. But *one* flaw sent it all crashing down. More on that later. First, let's take an initial look at Batman Returns. As the story goes, the Penguin and Catwomen have emerged in Gotham. Causing chaos through the city. The dark knight (that's you) is called upon to end there reign of terror. And what we have is your standard side-scrolling beat-em-up. Where you fight through waves of baddies till you reach the boss at each level's end. But what seperates BR from the rest is it's simple *brilliance* in terms of graphics, sound, and gameplay. Everything is at such a high level it blows the mind. BR looks like a SNES game. And sounds even better. But one, seemingly simple, oversight takes away all that could have been. And reduces Batman Returns to a game that's almost unplayable.

GRAPHICS: The graphics in BR can't be described. They are truely 16-bit quality. Everything moves with wonderful fluidity. The animation is unreal, especially for a portable. Batman's cape flies in the wind. Gotham comes to life with snow covered streets and spooky, dark allies. Even the generic thugs are given the same attention that Batman recieved. *****

SOUNDS: Everything is directly ported from the movie soundtrack. And that's definately a GOOD thing. The low, depressing music sets the tone perfectly. And the sounds of fist-on-thug's face are just right. ****

CONTROL: Again, perfect. Whether it's throwing Batarangs or throwing fists, Batman's controls are a breeze. ****

DIFFICULTY: Here it is. The one thing that destroys EVERYTHING. In Batman Returns you have *one* life. With one life bar. Once it's gone, it's all over. And it's back to "press start" screen. And that to the fact there are numerous chances to instantly die (falling off building tops). And that extra life icons only show up about once every *other* level. Unreal. If you make it half way through the second level you're a god. Which means you'll never see the other 60% of the game. Which means you'll want to throw your Lynx accross the room after five minutes. Negative ***

So how did I beat the game? Well fortunately there is a code for invincibility. Believe me, it's the only way to play the game. Cheat. And that's what makes this all the more frustrating. How could any programmer fail to see this? What's the point of having a perfect game if it's impossible to play? What's that you say? What's the code? Hey, this is a review pal. Not an FAQ. Besides...I don't think you'll have to look very far ;)

Need Codes? Click Here.