An example of good "movie to videogame". A good option for the old style Beat'em up and Batman fans.
There is no big science in a BEU. You just hit people as much as you can an avoid them do it to you. In this game you control… well… Batman, of course (DUH!) through levels, beating people and at the end of the level, you face a boss with different kind of styles, you beat him and reach to the next level.
What makes a beat'em up interesting is all the fighting skills that you have. Basically you have a punch, jump, jumping attacks, grab attacks and special counter attack moves (which always take away energy from you). Batman returns has all of these and more, which will be explained later.
The game follows the movie in a really good way. No scenes seem to be forced like in previous Batman games. As you go as Batman, fighting enemies you can use your skills to beat all the guys in your path. Batman's main attack is punching series, but of course he must have some other interesting things. You can grab your enemies by going close to them and make whatever you want to them. Sometimes, you can throught them to the background which for the time was cool. In some other you could grab two bad guys and smash their heads (Just like in the movie!). While jumping, you can perform a jump kick or a body slam which is great for a big group of enemies. And of course, you have the possibility to use the defense button to cover yourself. This is not very effective since you lose energy anyway. Another big possibility is to use some Bat-gadgets to get advantage. You can use the bat-arang to paralyze your enemy and waste him the way you want or you can use your bat-wire to make a special kick (takes energy too). And of course the special counterattack that is useful when you are getting beat up by a bunch of guys. (Yeah, you lose energy using it, but you are going to lose it anyway… and with interests)
All these movements are for the 3D sections of the game. Some parts are in 2D which are more limited and, in my opinion, harder. There you can only jump and attack through bat-arangs and use your wire to get through certain levels (Believe me, you are going to need it). This sections are quite frustrating since the enemies attack you with no mercy and it is easy to be hit since the only way to dodge is by moving back and forth.
One of the highlights of the game is the Test Tube which can be used in both sections. This is the most powerful attack that Batman can impress you with in the game. By using it, Batman creates a big explosion and virtually all enemies disappear. Very useful against the bosses.
During the battles, no matter how good you think you are, you are going to be hit and you are going to use a lot of Test Tubes. For this, Alfred (Well, I think it was Alfred… if not who else) put a lot of things in some sections of the background. Garbage cans, Public telephones, statues and fences. Everything that can be destroyed can hold Test tubes, Points (That can give you extra lives) and energy, making your quest much easier.
You can set the difficulty of the games, and as always with Konami games, you must end he game in the hardest difficult to see the best ending (which is only a big screen saying "you are cool" or something like that) The enemies you are facing, are all those characters you saw in the movie, which really makes it a real special experience. (Well, I think that). You see thin clowns, fat clowns, Blade eaters, devils that throw fire and motorcycle skulls. The bosses are important characters that showed during the movie. One of them is really funny. The first boss is the guy that catches Selina Kyle during Batman's appearance. If you use the wire in the wall he is against and retrieve it, you will hit him, making him lose almost a line of energy. (Just like in the movie!) Among other bosses, you fight the Penguin and Catwoman, which are really… really hard battles.
One of the levels involve riding the batmobile, which someone though it would be a pretty idea but didn't use it properly. It is hard because the batmobile has the worst movility ever in a car. And if you try to move and dodge the multiple guys that are Kamikazing (yeah, I made up that word) to crash with you or dodging missiles, it can be a really hard experience. This is the worst level in the whole game.
The graphics are really cool and seem more adapted with the movie. The music is the same as the movie which makes the "movie to videogame" experience complete. And the gameplay is great in the 3D scenes, not so great in the 2d scenes and really annoying in the batmobile level.
Overall, this is an example of a good "movie to videogame" game. Konami was one of the best developers in the SNES days and this game is a good example of that. The game gave you a great BEU experience and all its inconveniences were bearable to make it one of the best options in the SNES catalog. A must for the old style BEU and Batman fans