Remember that fun lighthearted Batman who used to run under the name “the Caped Crusader?” well he steps out of the shadows for another tale of criminal hijinks in Gotham City.

In 'Batman: The Brave and the Bold,' Batman ditches the "Lone Wolf," "Dark Knight" persona to team up with Robin in this lighthearted tale. 'Batman: The Brave and the Bold' is a far cry from the last Batman adventure, Rocksteady's Arkham Asylum, with an emphasis towards a more kid friendly market. Batman has more persona’s then 'Lady Gaga' at a Red Carpet event, so it's good to see another side of Batman get some game time, even if it's not an in-depth project of intellectual depth likes Arkham. 'Batman: The Brave and the Bold' is for all those gamers who are too young to walk the halls of the asylum, and for those who don't mind a “sillier” run with their iconic hero.

'Batman: The Brave and the Bold' is taken from the Cartoon Network’s series of the same name that debuted in 2008. 'The Brave and the Bold' has a campy style that is a lot of fun that never takes itself serious. Like the show, the game focuses on teamwork, multiple appearances from the DC Universe super-heroes, and a host of familiar and unfamiliar villains. To name a few you will see a few "lesser" known characters such as Hawkman, Aquaman, Plastic Man, Blue Beetle, Green Arrow, Booster Gold, Catwoman and Catman, and more. As you can see 'The Brave and the Bold' has Batman covered from all angles, bringing in a entertaining cast of DC characters. Now who is Booster Gold exactly?!

Left to Right
The gameplay is total side-scrolling, traditional beat em' up. Run right to left jumping on platforms, kicking and punching your enemies out of the way. The levels have you chasing the bad guys around through multiple stages, eliminating hundreds of no-named thugs until you get to the boss battle, which can include more then one villain per scenario. There is hefty amount of dialogue and a lot of silly circumstances to enjoy during Batman's travels making the repetitive nature of the beat em' up more enjoyable. Batman might not provide much of a challenge, even for younger gamers, but its still a lot of fun. Better yet, co-op plays a big role as Batman allows you to team up with Robin to save Gotham.

Sidekick Me
In each episode you also have the chance to team up with a new sidekick, who adds more then a gameplay variant, they also add a lot of personality into the game with their quick witted one-liners. The story was really crafted with a lot of care with each character properly representing their persona’s. Its a feat that shouldn't be taken lightly, and even more impressive is how funny the writing is. I had a few moments were I was laughing out loud. It's ridiculous, but it sure is a lot of fun and more dynamic then you might expect.

I also mentioned co-op, so to expand on this, you can jump in with ease as Brave and the Bold features drop-in-and-out support. If you're fighting the good fight solo, then the computer's A.I. Will take over. It's not as fun as playing with a friend, but it does an sufficient job helping you out. Thankfully, you never have to wait for the computer to figure out what is happening, so if you run ahead of the your partner they will catch up. They way its all set up is first rate making 'The Brave and the Bold' a great game to pick up if you have players with contrasting capabilities.

Minimual Waggle
In another thanks, WayForward keeps the motion control business to a minimum, which is great. 2D beat em' up's don't need motion controls, and Batman never suffers from having limited waggle. The combat is handled by the buttons and a few wiggle waggles for powering up moves isn't bad. Even though the gameplay is really dumbed down, the combat system makes the best of it with a several diversified combo-moves and gadgets to mess around with. Although it is somewhat sad that the adversaries never pose as a “real” threat, 'The Brave and the Bold' is still interesting enough to hold your interest.

'Batman: The Brave and the Bold' is a far cry from the shadows of Arkham, but if you love the man with the icon of the bat, 'Batman: The Brave and the Bold' is one tale you don't want to miss. It is a lot of fun, optimized for co-op play and geared for the younger audience who might not “get” the darker side of the bat. I really enjoyed WayForward's take on the television series, and it is great to see some of these other DC faces getting some game time. Plastic Man, gotta love those twisty arms.

Gameplay:7.0, Graphics:7.5, Sound:7.0, Innovation:7.0, Mojo:7.5  Final: 7.2 / 10

		Great art style Lots of DC faces we don't see too much of Excellent game for co-op Script is well written and entertaining Fun levels, upgradable characters For all the gamers too young for Arkham
		Really easy Super basic combat Highly repetitive

Similar Games: Justice League Heroes (7.5) | Batman: Arkham Aslyum (9.5)