XBOX-HQ.COM - Batman Begins

While EA and Eurocom's first partnership didn't exactly warrant much trust with the horrid Catwoman, the recently released Batman Begins could, and very well should, be a different story. We know that because of our paid subscription to Game Informer, which has given us new details behind the upcoming action-stealth game.

Due to ship on Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube in summer 2005 simultaneously with the Warner Brothers' movie, Eurocom's Batman Begins is a one- to two-player action-stealth game shaped along the lines of Ubisoft's Splinter Cell. The game follows the narrative of the movie, which is re-written by Splinter Cell writer JT Petty. It follows the main points from the movie using cutscenes and scripted events. The movie is based on Frank Miller's 1980s excellent Batman: Year One.

So it's natural that players take on the role of a young Batman at the beginning of his superhero career. They'll prowl the streets of Gotham City, crawl up water pipes, and swoop down from skyscrapers (using Batman's cape) to strike fear into the hearts of the city's rank criminals. Eurocom has designed a fear meter that measures enemies' heartbeats, giving players cause to earn a reputation as a frightening figure throughout the course of the game.

A little like THQ's The Punisher, Batman can incapacitate or interrogate, though Batman doesn't kill. Instead, he threatens and applies force, knocking enemies unconscious. Interrogation gains the night-prowling detective information but it doubles as a way to upgrade your reputation too. Instead of key and lock level progression schemes, players find passwords, kingpin locations, and acquire enemy goals to further the story.

Although players will primarily play as the Dark Knight, following the arch of the movie, they'll also get a chance to backtrack in time and take on the role of Bruce Wayne in training. Batman sports the trusty Batarang, Eurocom is likely to announce more weapons and gadgets as time progresses. He'll use stealth as his primary weapon, though Batman's natural athleticism enables him to throw elbows, knees, head-butts, punches, kicks, and sweep kicks to defeat enemies. He can also use environmental objects to scare enemies, including the ability to hang from pipes and fire escapes to quietly snatch and interrogate guards. Source: IGN