There are no spoilers in this review. We all know how seriously everyone takes the plot twists in these games and rather than give it all away now (insert Flea bass solo here) we’ll just provide opinions and flavors.
Telltale Games live and die on the audacity and ferocity of the choices you’re forced to make during gameplay and the second episode of the Batman series lives up to it.
With a killer climax that changes the game entirely, Bruce Wayne and Batman know there’s no turning back. With the deep and multifaceted story, Telltale hits a homer here, but it’s the combat elements that bring the best of both Wayne and The Caped Crusader out.
Hardcore Gotham Knight fanatics may find Bruce Wayne’s brashness and Penguin’s new costume here too much of a contrast to its more proven forms, but rest assured, all of the liberties that Telltale has taken here work. Penguin is no mere villain anymore- he’s a friend, that’s also a terrorist. Expecting him to have a monocle and a long cigarette is way too pass for the grit of this story.
Like Penguin, your relationships with Vikki Valle, Gordon, Selina Kyle, Alfred and Harvey Dent all need constant nurturing. Batman is a hero, but he’s also a man. His words have just as much power as his cool toys, which too, are on full display in this episode. Seriously, who needs Robin when you have a drone?
With plenty of room left to develop and new faces emerging in the war against crime in Gotham, Bruce Wayne and his alter ego are still just getting started. Like the previous episode, it’s a shame this one had to end.
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports.
Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders.
His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023.
Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief.
Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale.
Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.
There are no spoilers in this review. We all know how seriously everyone takes the plot twists in these games and rather than give it all away now (insert Flea bass solo here) we’ll just provide opinions and flavors.
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