The Adventures of Batman and Robin Longplay (Mega Drive/Genesis) [60 FPS] 

Developed by Clockwork Tortoise and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in 1995
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Throughout the early 1990's, Warner Bros. achieved critical success with it's cartoon based on one of DC Comics most famous creations. Batman: The Animated series was a darker, more gritty portrayal of the character targeted at a more mature audience, something that would influence future media featuring the character.
Cashing in on the success of the cartoon, The Adventures of Batman and Robin would be released for the SNES in 1994 and 1995 for the Mega Drive. It's worth pointing out that despite bearing the same title, these games are completely different to one another, the only similarity being that it features artwork and animation based on the animated series.
The game begins with Gotham under threat and the city reaching out to Dark Knight for aid. The principle threat this time around is Mr Freeze, intent as always in trying to make things rather chilly and miserable for the city's fair citizens.
In a bid to keep Batman and Robin occupied and to throw them off the scent, Freeze masterminds the escape of several of Batman's arch nemeses from Arkham Asylum. Before they can put Mr Freeze back on ice, the Dynamic Duo must track down The Joker, Two-Face and Mad Hatter and prevent them from causing chaos in the city.
In terms of gameplay, the Mega Drive version is primarily a side-scrolling run 'n gun experience. Taking on the role of Batman or Robin, the player must guide the heroes through four stages of shooting action, taking out legions of henchman, mechanical monstrosities and all kinds of bad guys in an effort to bring peace back to the streets of Gotham. Players will need to possess quick reflexes, learn where the enemies spawn and deal with their attack patterns and abilities if they hope to succeed - easy this is not.
Upon dying, certain bad guys will drop weapon upgrade tokens that can be used to upgrade the power of the player's current weapon, or allow them to change to a different weapon by waiting for the token to change colour. Each weapon features a different spread pattern and projectile power, so you should try and pick the best weapon to deal with the types of enemies you know you'll be facing.
Players should also be on the lookout for enemies that drop tiny life hearts, as these can be used to restore some of Batman's lost health. You'll be sucking up a lot of punishment and the hearts float out of reach very quickly, so be sure to grab them as soon as possible!
Hitting the fire button will launch a volley of projectiles in the direction of the enemy, but it's also possible to power up your weapon for a super-shot by waiting until the power gauge in the top left fills up. The super-shot can be really useful for taking out some of the tougher bad guys so it's recommended to let it charge up as often as possible.
Eventually, Batman will face off against one of his main rivals in a classic boss-fight scenario. These encounters require the player to chip away at the bosses health (indicated by the flash indicator that appears at the top of screen) whilst paying close attention to their attack patterns. Make no mistake, this is one tough game and it will take plenty of practice if you hope to have a chance of beating it.
I think it's fair to say that the game is one of the most visually advanced titles available for the system, featuring some extremely impressive sprite scaling, parallax and rotational effects for the time. Whilst some of these are purely visual eye-candy, some actually play a part in the action and require the player to react to what's happening, such as the boss fight against the Mad Hatter at the end of the third chapter.
I was also particularly impressed with the game's soundtrack, which features some particularly gritty, industrial-sounding music. The Mega Drive usually lagged behind the SNES in terms of audio capabilities, but I've no complaints about the audio here!
Something I'm less enamoured with, however, is the actual gameplay. Sure, it's an extremely accomplished shooter, but that's actually part of the problem - it doesn't feel right to be playing a game where Batman is unleashing a never ending stream of projectiles. Batman does used ranged weapons, but he predominantly relies on martial arts skills and melee combat, of which there's very little on display here (you can kick and punch enemies you;re right next to, but they're ineffectual compared to the ranged weapons).
For those who enjoy a stiff shooting challenge, The Adventures of Batman and Robin on the Mega Drive offers plenty of content for you to get your teeth into. However, for those who like to get up close and personal with a bit more in the way of fisticuffs, the SNES version might be more your cup of tea.
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#batman