Batman: The Telltale Series is a 2016 superhero graphic episodic adventure video game developed and published Telltale Games, released for Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.  The plot follows the exploits of Bruce Wayne, billionaire-by-day who fights crime at night as Batman, who must stop Gotham City from falling into anarchy of the rise of the Children of Arkham.

Positives:

• Great voice performances
• Great soundtrack
• Compelling story
• Great characters

Negatives:

• Occasional freezes
• Occasional lag
• Long loading times

Campaign: The campaign is quite extensive featuring a compelling story filled with surprising twists and the characters are just awesome.  The campaign is linear but there are some moments where the choices do alter the story.  Follows both the superhero, Batman, and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, as they deal with the threats of the Children of Arkham and the allegations towards the late Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne.  There are a ton of really good characters.  Bruce Wayne is a really good, complex character and the focus on him dealing with his world slowly being destroyed shows his determination and courage in the face of all of this. The story does gradually unfold with a lot of really exciting and suspenseful moments. Really liked the different incarnations of the other characters such as Harvey Dent, Penguin, Alfred, James Gordon, Lucius Fox, and even Catwoman.  The main antagonist of the game are Penguin and the Children of Arkham led by the mysterious Lady Arkham. (5 out of 5)

Gameplay:  The player takes the role of Batman, both as the superhero and as his alter ego Bruce Wayne, and playtime will be split evenly between them, though at times the game will offer the player a choice of whether to approach a situation as Wayne or as Batman. As a graphic adventure, it is played from a third-person perspective with a variety of cinematic camera angles, which players can examine and interact with characters and items, and must make use of inventory items and the environment. Throughout the game, the player is presented with the ability to interact with their surroundings, and options to determine the nature of that interaction.  There are moments in the gameplay that make choices in combat feel unnecessary because even if a player doesn’t press the button(s) Bruce/Batman still reacts.  There’s no punishment for failure a lot of times.  There is a lot of lag even for a Telltale Game that does take away from the experience.  Definitely could’ve been smoothed out better. (3 out of 5)

Graphics: Visually the game is what you’d expect from a Telltale game.  It does a great job of meshing the comic book style of a Batman comic with the animation style of a Telltale game.  Character designs do have a good amount of depth to them as well as the environment designs.  The cinematics are pretty good.  It does suffer from the typical Telltale glitches, you know some of the extensive loading times, glitched cinematics, and freezing. (3 out of 5)

Score:  Voice performances are just terrific. Troy Baker does a phenomenal job as Batman/Bruce as well as Laura Bailey as Catwoman/Selina. Definitely give life to the characters. The music is actually pretty good. There are some standout moments with the soundtrack giving the game a heroic feel. (4 out of 5)

Replay Value:  Of course, like any Telltale game, the game’s replay value lies in its branching choice system.  In one playthrough players can be passive while in others really aggressive.  Choices do provide different outcomes so its good to see how the characters and story change. (4 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, Batman: The Telltale Series is an awesome game.  Although it does suffer from many of the typical Telltale Game glitches, extensive loading times, and freezes; the game does feature an awesome story, great characters, an awesome soundtrack, great voice performances, and an entertaining gameplay experience. This is definitely a game not only for Batman fans but fans of Telltale Games. Batman: The Telltale Series gets 4 out of 5.  It is easily one of the best and most intense Batman games ever.