Traditionally, the only thing worse than a video game based on a superhero is a game based on a movie, so when a game comes out that's based on a movie about a superhero, it's fairly remarkable if it isn't a steaming pile from the get-go. Batman Begins rises above mere "not sucking," though, and actually manages to combine different gaming genres into an entertaining, if short, gaming experience. Equal parts fighting, sneaking, and driving, BB never quite attains a true feeling of supercool, but does its license and its title character justice.

Though the Batman movie franchise started off well enough with Tim Burton's vision of the Dark Knight, Joel Schumacher did pretty much everything he could to make the caped crusader his bitch. Batman Forever and Batman and Robin were horribly written, technocolor travesties that annoyed and bored viewers so much that only the most ardent of fanboys retained any interest in the series after viewing them. Fast forward a decade, and Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins manages to impress fans and critics enough to restore a bit of the man in black's street cred. Of course, being a summer blockbuster comes with a price: the inevitable video game tie-in. Being so closely tied to the movie does have its benefits, though, as actors from the film lend their voices and likenesses to the game, thus adding to its authenticity. Christian Bale's husky growl gives Batman a believable air of menace, and Michael Caine adds a certain amount of class to the gameplay as the long-suffering butler, Alfred. And, really, how cool is it to play a game with Michael Caine in it? Michael Caine! The music is straight from the action movie library, with orchestral swells as the danger increases and quietly tense strains as Batman lurks in shadows. It's generic as hell, but it does what it's supposed to do, atmosphere-wise.

The movie eschews the dark, gothic look of the Burton films and the candy-colored eyesore of the Schumacher movies and instead adopts a more realistic (if slightly futuristic) vision of Gotham. The streets are grimy, the cops are tired, and the villains are smug. If it weren't for the monorail going through the middle of town, it would be tough to distinguish Gotham from any other modern American city. BB replicates this look well, with nicely detailed environments and textures, and character models that are dead ringers for their cinematic counterparts. The random thugs Batman encounters do tend to look a bit alike, but it's not blatant or distracting enough to be a real problem.

The plot of Batman Begins plays a bit fast and loose with the story of the movie upon which it's based, but the key elements are still in place. Instilled with a deep need for justice after the murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, takes it upon himself to clean up Gotham one crook at a time, whether they be garden-variety mob types like Carmine Falcone, or more exotic evil-doers like the hallucinogen-spreading Scarecrow. Although the movie starts with Wayne's training in Tibet, the game realizes that folks don't want to wait around to earn their wings, so to speak, and drops them square into the cape and cowl of the titular hero. Players controlling Batman will have access to the gadgets we've come to expect, including the Batmobile and those wonderful toys from the utility belt. In contrast to previous Batman titles, however, BB emphasizes the use of stealth and fear as a tool against enemies. The idea is that the more mysterious and scary Batman is, the more afraid his enemies become, and the greater a reputation he earns as a bad-ass. Successful stealth kills or fear-inducing moves, such as knocking out the lights, add to Fear and Reputation meters, with higher levels making it easier to give bad guys the heebie jeebies. Frightened enemies are far easier to defeat, as they just don't have the heart to put up much of a fight. Their aim suffers, their stamina suffers, and they oftentimes just plain run away. While it's technically possible to simply blow through the game picking fights with every thug that comes Batman's way, it's incredibly difficult. A few shots is enough to put our hero six feet under, so wading into a crowd of enemies with nothing more than a nice right hook and a steely demeanor pretty much guarantees a swift and ignoble demise.

While the idea of Batman being a slightly more campy Sam Fisher sounds great on paper, in practice it's a little less satisfying Although the context-sensitive finishers and the stealth kills are nifty to watch the first several times, there's just not enough variety to them, and it all becomes repetitious pretty quickly. The fighting is competent, and Batman eventually learns a fairly decent roster of moves, but button mashers will fare as well as those who actually take the time to learn the combos. As Batman progresses through the game, he gains more gadgets and moves, which shakes things up a tiny bit, but not really enough to keep the action feeling fresh. The collision detection could use a bit of work, but it's not too much of an issue most of the time, and the AI is at least intelligent enough to follow Batman when he attempts to hide, or to attack him in force, as opposed to one at a time.

Breaking up the 3^rd person action punchy-kicky stylings are the Batmobile levels, which borrow mightily from the Burnout series. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the folks at Critereon Games should feel very, very flattered, indeed. Players must race the Batmobile against numerous enemy vehicles, causing enough weapon or collision damage to take them out for good. Sure, it's a blatant rip-off, but it's a fun blatant rip-off, so I'm not complaining. The driving levels aren't terribly long, challenging, or frequent, but they do add a nice dose of speed and fury to the otherwise slow and deliberate stealth-based gameplay experience.

Batman Begins fares better than other superhero titles, Spider-Man 2 notwithstanding, but it's really nothing to shout about. Gamers who really loved the movie will enjoy putting themselves in Batman's shoes (or boots…whatever they are) and facing off against the villains of Gotham, but those who couldn't care less about the film will find little to love about the game. It's pretty to look at, and to listen to, and scaring the willies out of enemies is fun and innovative for a while, but it's unlikely that all but the most devoted Batman fanatic will find its 10-15 hours of gameplay worth the asking price.