Gotham City's Dark Knight returns to the big screen and in videogame form with Batman Begins. Both mediums have been lackluster to say the least, with Joel Schumacher killing the franchise with his Neon, rubber nipple, Batman films, and the games not living up to their potential, especially Batman: Dark Tomorrow. With the new film being a critical and fan success with Christian "American Psycho" Bale playing the disturbed alter egos of Batman and Bruce Wayne, does the video game of the same name and plot have the same results?

The graphics in Batman are very good on all 3 systems, with little to no difference between them, and each supporting widescreen formats as well. The character models and facial designs are very vivid and as realistic as you can get. You will have no problem recognizing the polite face of Morgan Freeman, the sophisticated face of Michael Caine, the "Qui Gon-ic" face of Liam Neeson, the "Psychotic" face of Christian Bale, or even the lovely "I'm from the Creek" face of Katie Holmes. The animations for the characters are smooth and fluid, and the whole engine holds a pretty consistent frame rate. This is impressive as there is so much detail in the backdrops; as well as tons of interactive objects and surprises along the way.

The sound effects and voice acting help bring the game to life. The effects are as authentic as you can hope for with changing footstep sounds when moving from wood floors to gravel, etc. Everything is so loud and vibrant as well, bringing that movie feel right at home in glorious 5.1 sound. The music score is ripped straight from the film and the gothic, orchestrated score fits this game like a glove. Even the voice acting is genuine and gives Batman Begins even more reason to let yourself become immersed into the game's story. Most of the cast of the film provided their talents, with the exception of Gary Oldman.

Gameplay is best described as a less intense Metal Gear/Splinter Cell stealth game. Sure, it introduces the "fear" system, but it comes off little more than an overblown interrogation. The game play itself is very solid, as you will have no problems with the game's controls, camera, or A.I. The interactive environments help add depth to the game play, and the stalking and stealth portions of the game help elevate this from being just another beat 'em up title. Toss in some very fun Batmobile missions that not only are extremely fast, but handle great as well. While Batman may not be that "A list", deep, head scratching stealth title you've been hoping for, one thing is certain; it's fun, it's fast, it's easy, but in the end it is very enjoyable and that's what counts nowadays.

If one thing hurts Batman Begins it is the fact there is nothing really to go back to once you have beaten the game. The game is very linear, there's not much in the way of extra goodies, and it's short too boot with only about 5-8 hours of game play depending on your skill level. If only the game developers would take the movie plot as a guiding tool, yet make a game that has tons of extras, the life span of these types of films-to-game video games wouldn't be ignored as much. As good as Batman is, there was room for more innovation, and once the movie runs through its big screen/DVD life, the game will eventually be in bargain shelves shortly after.

In the end, Batman Begins is worth a buying or a renting at the very least. Which one you choose obviously should be based on how much of a fan of the Dark Knight you are. If you are a fan of the Batman, you should play this game in some form, as it is one of the better representations of the comic hero in quite some time. While Sunsoft's Batman games of old still hold dear to my heart, I think I can make room for EA's take if they plan to make more like it in the future.