Batman: The Telltale Series for PlayStation 4

I really enjoy Telltale games, which are an interactive story with decision making and sometimes a little puzzle solving. This style of game appeals to me as whilst it is not too difficult, it is still very involving and keeps you interested. The game is split up into episodes, making it ideal to play bit by bit if you do not have lots of time.I like Batman, not read a lot of the comics but I enjoy the films and it was nice to see Telltale's take on the characters. I like the art style a lot, it is like being in an interactive comic book. This disc has the first episode on it only, but purchasing it pays for the other episodes and you can download them at no extra cost. Be aware of this before you put the disc in and play, as downloading all four additional episodes can take time, even if you have a good internet connection.I enjoyed the story, and have not experienced any crashing issues just a small amount of minor lag during some action sequences. Annoying but not enough to ruin the game for me. Trophy hunters may wish to know that as long as you complete each episode you cannot miss any trophies therefore guaranteeing you a platinum. As with all telltale stories, the choices you make can affect the story so I will definitely be playing through again at some point to see how different the ending can be. If you like these sort of games, I think this one is very good.

'Batman: The Telltale Game Series' is the latest in the long line of episodic adventure games from the same publisher responsible for other greats such as 'The Walking Dead', 'Game of Thrones', 'A Wolf Amongst Us' and 'Back to the Future', and the first game in a planned series of games from the publisher based on DC's Batman comic book series.Not related to any existing Batman stories or media, the game is an entirely fresh perspective on the character that is set relatively soon after Bruce Wayne has first set himself up as Gothams Dark Knight and Caped Crusader. Whilst you have already established a fearful reputation amongst Gothams low-lifes, and sparked the theories and imagination of the media and public at large, you are still considered very much an outlaw by Gothams Police force, most of whom currently view you as nothing more than another criminal, and your only ally in your fight against crime is a James Gordon (still just a lieutenant at this point) who is not yet fully convinced whether you are part of the problem or the solution.As with previous installments from Telltale, the game is played from a third-person perspective, using a variety of cinematic camera angles for dramatic effect and also comes divided into several TV and/or comic book-like episodes, which all contributes to a stylel that emulates those mediums extremely well.The game plays almost like a traditional style 'point and click' adventure. You control your characters movement with one control stick, whilst moving a target reticule with the other control stick. Moving the target reticule over a point of interest will provide you with a number of options or interactions - such as to pick up an item, look inside something, analyse something, speak to another character etc - and these actions can be confirmed via one of the four buttons.The games action sequences and combat are played out utilising a series of quick-time events requiring the gamer to hit the correct buttons or sequences in order very similar to that used in Telltales other adventure games, however in Batman these sequences are by far the most exciting, challenging, detailed, visually spectacular and dynamic they have ever been, with the content and result of fights changing and raging back and forth in line with your ability as a player to hit those combinations correctly and in time.Additional features introduced in order to emulate the experience of being the Dark Knight as closely as possible, include crime scene analysis requiring you to examine a scene from various angles and levels using your detective skills and advanced technology to inspect clues such as corpses, items, and forensic residues left behind to determine what has transpired and why. Also featured is advanced tactical planning whereby Batman, when faced by the imminent prospect of confrontation with multiple enemies, can form an advanced plan of attack taking into consideration the multiple options, weapons and skills at his disposal, and the numbers, weapons and proficiancies of the enemies he faces.Of course, as with all of the other games from Telltale, the real key to playing is decision making, with a branching storyline that changes depending upon what you choose to do at key junctures. Those decisions may involve actions - such as making choices in combat like which way to turn, or which assailant to attack, but more commonly however they occur in dialogue with other characters you meet during your adventure.Decisions are TOUGH. Rarely is a conversation choice ever straight forward or obvious, and rarely is it ever possible to appease all parties involved when you make a decision or predict how that conversation choice will effect the story in future episodes. Often it is not even possible to make a 'winning' decision, as you are left to choose from what is essentially a series of bad options of varying degrees. You also have to consider the types of people you are required to relate to and how your actions will influence them. Honesty may be the best policy, but is that ever really be the case when Bruce Wayne is being pressured to publically pay respect to notorious and violent suspected gang boss Camine Falcone? Alternatively brutally beating a suspect may quickly gain you the information you are looking for as Batman, but how will the grevious injuries you leave him with effect the opinions and attitude of James Gordon and the GCPD to you? Different people require different approaches and all will remember the decisions you make for better or worse. Its all brilliantly done and helps create a game in which you will agonise over almost every choice you make.In terms of graphics and sound the game is excellent, with characters, locations and backgrounds created in a style remeniscent of a comic book, yet still retaining an impressive similarity to the characters as most fans will perceive them, although some characters - such as Oswald Cobblepot have been heavily redesigned for a fresh perspective. Animations are slick, and I didnt experience any of the lagging that was apparant in some previous games from the publisher. Whilst the voice talent is not provided by mainstays such as Kevin Conroy, it is still very good overall.As far as complaints are concerned, I have none. If you are a fan of this particular genre of game or have enjoyed Telltales previous efforts then I am confident that you will love it.The one thing that you need to be aware of - and this is not a complaint as such - is that this is not a version of the full game but is in fact no more than a disc containing the first episode and a season pass that will allow you to download the subsequent episodes as they are released in the months ahead. In light of that there is little incentive to purchase this product rather than simply download each episode directly unless you are absolutely desperate for a game box to put on your shelf, and it is surely inevitable that Telltale will give you that in a few months with a single release disc containing all of the episodes. This is clearly stated in the item description, however I am absolutely sure that it will be a mere matter of time until we have our first irate one star review from an angry customer who failed to read it!**STORY SPOILERS**The first episode begins at Gotham City Hall where Batman tackles a group of mercenaries attempting to break into the buildings vault to steal an encrypted data drive of at that point unknown significance. Batman foils the burglary and incapacitates the mercenaries through stealth and subdefuge, but then loses the drive when it is stolen by Catwoman (who in this story Batman is meeting for the first time in his crime fighting career). Batman pursues Catwoman and the two battle on the rooftop, with Catwoman eventually escaping but losing the data drive to Batman who subsequently returns to the Batcave in order to investigate what it could contain that is important enough to attract the attention of highly trained mercenaries and an exotically dressed thief.Once back at Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne hosts a fundraising event in support of prospective mayor, and his friend, Harvey Dent which is gatecrashed by businessman and suspected criminal Carmine Falcone, who wishes to propose a partnership with Wayne Enterprises. This leaves the player with the choice of how to best respond knowing that Bruce Wayne is under the full scrutiny of the assembled press. Later at a press conference Bruce is confronted with an allegation that his parents were involved in illicit dealings with Falcone, which leads to a police investigation forcing him to consider how best to defend himself and his family legacy.Later still Wayne encounters Harvey Dents new girlfriend Selina Kyle, and the two of them determine each others secret identities because of the injuries they are still carrying from their earlier fight. An uneasy alliance is formed, with Selina revealing that she was hired to steal the data drive and deliver it to a dock front warehouse, and Batman vowing to investigate the intentions of the proposed purchaser. Upon arriving at the warehouse Batman finds numerous bodies of mercenaries and police officers all killed under mysterious and worrying circumstances, requiring him to analyse the crime scene in order to discover the exact cause of their demiseUpon returning to the Batcave, the data drive is now fully decrypted and is found to contain conclusive and detailed information detailing the criminal actions and enterprises of Carmine Falcone, as well as a shocking revelation about the Wayne family, leaving Bruce Wayne with a decision regarding how best to utilise that evidence - does he hand it over to James Gordon and allow the police to action it, or does he expose Falcone through the press by handing it to investigator Vicky Vale - and what if anything should Batman do with this information?Meanwhile Oswald Cobblepot - an old friend fallen on hard times - contacts Bruce and warns him of a coming revolution and to ensure that when it arrives he is on the right side...