Action Animated Television Short Review: Batman the Animated Series Pilot

Batman: The Animated Series was a big part of the formative years for many millennial and Generation X people. In addition to that, it is a show that was popular with many demographics. As a women who grew up with this series and its follow-ups, and who knows many women who grew up with it, it's safe to say it was one of those shows that was just so well done that it transcended gender as well. Along with the great action sequences, it had the depth, humor, and heart to reach so many for so many different reasons. It drew me in by the great writing and voice acting, and this show as well as its predecessors kept me invested well into my twenties. It's pretty amazing to think that it all started with a two-minute pilot animation that served as the team's pitch to the high-ups at Warner Bros.

While watching the pilot, you are likely to notice that the animation looks very familiar. The pilot animation was so well done, that much of it was used as the introduction to the series proper. It detailed something with which Batman fans are very familiar. He interrupts a jewel heist, knocks out the robbers, and leaves before the police can arrest him. That's all there was to it, but it works so well since it very well could be a typical night in the life of Batman. The only weird thing here was his ability to swiftly dodge bullets, which was thankfully left out of the series. Batman did pull off more superhuman feats as the show turned into a shared universe, but the original series was very much grounded in reality. Well, at least in as much reality as is possible when dealing with a man jumping off a skyscraper dressed as a bat.

The voice of Kevin Conroy isn't there yet, so Batman stays silent throughout. In fact, the only real voice to be heard is when a police officer yells a warning to Batman. Other than that, it is a silent short apart from the grunts from the robbers as Batman fights them. This works well for a character that is as dark and brooding as Batman had become since the success of Frank Miller's seminal story, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

In behind the scenes material, it was revealed that the studio requested that the show adhere to the characters most recent film, which was also the most successful Batman live action adaptation up to that point, Tim Burton's Batman. The pilot was completed in 1991, so Burton's 1989 hit was still on the minds of both the studio heads and the public. The music for the short was lost, so the version that was distributed on DVD incorporated the fantastic main theme from the film, which was composed by the talented Danny Elfman. This score fit in so well, as could be seen when it was used when the short was retooled into the intro animation.

The Batman: The Animated Series pilot is more than a simple curio or a piece of animation history. Its use in the into animation means that it is well ingrained in the minds of anyone who watched the series. Its use of the iconic Batman score by Danny Elfman gave it the gravitas that was needed for a series created so close to the classic 1989 film. Other than the superhuman feats shown at one point in the animation, it is darn near perfect.

Final Score:

4½ out of 5

Batman: The Animated Series - View Master Experience Pack Review

VR Point and Click Adventure: Batman: The Animated Series - View Master Experience Pack

Mattel brought back their iconic View-Master in a fun way. The View-Master VR viewer is a virtual reality device for smartphones. It adheres to the Google Cardboard standard and adds a button on the side of the device that functions like the lever that changes slides on the classic toy. There were several experience packs released for the device, including one based on the classic Batman: The Animated Series television show from the 1990s.

Batman is voiced by the original voice actor who sadly passed away in 2022, Kevin Conroy. He needs help with his missions so he gives the player access to a prototype Batwing. This Batwing contains elements that bridge the current and future Batman as it has elements of Batman: The Animated Series as well as Batman Beyond. Batman has equipped a method to control the Batwing remotely and uses a holographic video monitor to communicate. This monitor is used by Batman and  Alfred Pennyworth to talk to the person seated inside.

The object of the game is to choose locations and solve puzzles put in place by several of the villains from the series. Several actors reprise their roles from the series including Mark Hamill as the Joker, Tara Strong as Batgirl, and Loren Lester as Robin. Some actors replaced those from the series, but they all perform their roles well. Andrea Romano, the long-time series voice and casting director, voiced the Batcomputer. Tara Strong voiced Harley Quinn, a role she has played in other media. The versatile Maurice LaMarche played three characters, Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner James Gordon, and the Riddler.

Because it is virtual reality, the player has the ability to look 360 degrees as well as up and down. The best part of this was the classic intro, which could now be seen in multiple directions while still appearing like the 2D art from the show. The Batwing interior art is also well done and it does have the look of the show, despite using 3D graphics. The performances of the actors from the show are animated in two dimensions on the holographic screens of the Batwing. This works well, and the art and animation match that of the series. The voice actors nail their roles making it feel like an episode from the show.

Batman: The Animated Series - View-Master Experience Pack is a fun point-and-click virtual reality adventure. The click part is apt, as locations and puzzle solutions are entered by looking at a spot until it is highlighted and pulling down the View-Master lever to choose the appropriate option. As it is aimed at children, the puzzles aren't difficult. However, the fact that it uses art and animation from the classic series as well as many of the same actors, it is also fun for older folks who are fans of Batman: The Animated Series.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Batman: The Animated Series: Pilot Review

MultiVersus Season 1 (Open Beta) Review

Telltale Game Availability

Gearbox Software just re-released Tales from the Borderlands to digital storefronts a few days ago. It's also coming to Switch next month.

Here's a list of the Telltale games that are available again:

The rights to Batman: The Telltale Series, Batman: The Enemy Within, Hector: Badge of Carnage, Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent, Puzzle Agent 2, and The Wolf Among Us, were acquired by LCG Entertainment. It also acquired the publishing rights to RGX Showdown. These rights were secured with their formation of Telltale 2.0 on August 28, 2019. They later acquired the rights to Tales of Monkey Island on June 26, 2020, and Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures on November 7, 2020.

The rights to Telltale's The Walking Dead games were acquired by the creator of The Walking Dead, Skybound. They are now published by Skybound Games, a subsidiary that contracted members of the Telltale staff to finish The Walking Dead: The Final Season from the Telltale 1.0 offices in 2019. They also released a remastered version of all of Telltale's The Walking Dead games titled The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series.

As mentioned above, the rights to Tales from the Borderlands were acquired by 2K subsidiary Gearbox, the company that holds the rights to the Borderlands franchise.

The rights to the Sam & Max games were acquired by Skunkape Games, a company formed by former Telltale 1.0 staff. This is the studio that's currently remastering the games.

These games are currently available again to purchase, plus Sam & Max Save the World is available to pre-order in its remastered form. Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space and Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse will be available once Skunkape remasters those as well.

The rest are not available for purchase, although all are available to re-download if you purchased them from GOG.com, Steam, the Telltale Store, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Nintendo e-Shop, etc. These remaining games presumably remain in rights limbo. I'll keep you updated as, hopefully, more legacy Telltale games become available to purchase again.

Update February 22, 2023: It's been two years to the day since this list was posted here. Since then, Sam & Max Save the World Remastered and Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space Remastered were released. Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse Remastered will be released in late 2023. The original Sam & Max games are available as a bonus with the remasters of the Windows versions. 

Plus, Tales from the Borderlands received a sequel and there is now a Sam & Max virtual reality game. Additionally, if all goes as planned, Telltale 2.0 will release its first games in late 2023, including The Expanse and the long-awaited sequel to The Wolf Among Us.

Telltale Shakeup

I last posted adventure game news way back in... 2016! Holy Moly! Since then, a lot has been going on at Telltale:

They've completed season one and season two of Batman, season two of Minecraft: Story Mode, season one of Guardians of the Galaxy (season 2 hasn't been announced... but it's pretty inevitable), and Season Three of the Walking Dead.

Plus, they announced season two of The Wolf Among Us (yes!), and announced that season four of The Walking Dead will be the final season.

Even more surprisingly, Kevin Bruner quit and Dan Connors stepped back temporarily as CEO. Then, Pete Hawley, the former general manager of games at Zynga replaced Dan Connors as CEO.

Then, on the 7th of November, a little more than a month after Pete Hawley became CEO, Telltale laid off 25% percent of its staff.

According to The Verge, the atmosphere at Telltale was toxic long before Pete Hawley came in. Kevin Bruner apparently stifled creativity and pushed employees into long crunch times.

Dan Connors was mentioned to be a much less imposing figure, but Pete Hawley isn't off to a great start. But some employees are hopeful that they'll have more creative freedom going forward.

I hope so as well. This blog was once named "Telltale Fan" after all. I wish the employees who are still at Telltale luck that they'll be able to once again make the games they want to, without being overworked. And, I wish those that lost their jobs luck in the future. If any of you haven't yet landed a new job, hopefully you will soon. And hopefully the next job will be your dream job.

Details on Telltale's Batman Revealed at SXSW

Telltale's South by Southwest Batman panel is now online for all to see.

Some interesting things have emerged from that panel. Players will play as Bruce Wayne more than usual in a Batman game. In many situations, there will also be a choice between confronting a situation as Bruce Wayne or going all in as Batman. As Batman, you'll also be given a choice to physically harm a suspect or take a more diplomatic approach through interrogation to get the information you're seeking. You won't be able to play the whole game without becoming Batman, but the developers have stated you should be able to play a large portion of it as Bruce if that's the way you wish to play.

It is going to be similar in approach to their The Wolf Among Us series in terms of artistic presentation. It will be set in its own universe. Although it will draw from the 77 years of comic lore that already exists, the team will be able to make their own mark on the iconic characters. It will have an art style inspired by DC artists such as Jim Lee, Greg Capullo and Neal Adams.

It will have an M for mature rating, will consist of five episodes, and will begin releasing this summer.

Telltale Is Making An Episodic Batman Series

Telltale and Warner Brothers just announced a Batman episodic series, coming to PC, Mac, consoles, and handheld devices next year. It was just announced at the Game Awards 2015 in Los Angeles a few minutes ago. No name has yet been revealed, but it certainly is a major franchise for Telltale to tackle.

The only thing known about the story is a small tidbit from the press release: "“This iteration of Batman will give fans a first-hand opportunity to dive deeper into the complex life and mind of Bruce Wayne, the duality of his own identity, and the struggle of responsibility in saving a city overcome with corruption and villainy.”

This also means that we'll be seeing Telltale's take on games from both of the major comic universes, as Telltale has already announced a Marvel game, that will be premiering in 2017.

From Minecraft Story Mode, to The Walking Dead: Michonne, to Batman, to their Marvel game, and their first season based on an original intellectual property that will be both a television show and a video game series, Telltale certainly has a lot lined up in the next few years.