Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu

Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu
Developer(s) Ubi Soft Montreal
Publisher(s) Ubi Soft
Platform(s) Xbox, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, GameCube
Release Xbox[1] & PlayStation 2[2]
  • NA: October 16, 2003
  • EU: November 14, 2003 (Xbox)
  • EU: November 21, 2003 (PS2)
Game Boy Advance[3]
  • NA: October 27, 2003
GameCube[4]
  • NA: November 11, 2003
  • EU: December 5, 2003
Genre(s) Action, beat 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player, cooperative gameplay

Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu is a 2003 beat 'em up video game released for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance and GameCube consoles. It was developed and published by Ubi Soft in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics. It is based on the television series The New Batman Adventures and is a sequel to the game Batman: Vengeance.

Gameplay

As Batman, Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, the player has to fight groups of enemies. The story mode, which forms the bulk of the game, can be played either alone or co-operatively, and rewards players for completing levels not only by continuing the story, but also with an upgrades system. This allows players to purchase new moves for their character and other game bonuses.[5] There is also a challenge mode in which players (either cooperatively or competitively) take on groups of thugs without a storyline.

The game is played under a time limit, and features co-operative play. It also has 4 different difficulty levels: 'Easy', 'Medium', 'Hard', and 'Dark Knight'.

Voices

Kevin Conroy - Batman/Bruce Wayne

Scott Menville - Robin/Tim Drake

Loren Lester - Nightwing/Dick Grayson

Tara Strong - Batgirl/Barbara Gordon

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa - Sin Tzu

Jeffrey Combs - Scarecrow

Hector Elizondo - Bane

Ron Perlman - Clayface

Additional Character Voices By:

Kevin Michael Richardson

Philip Maurice Hayes

Chad Einbinder

Kimberly Brooks

John Cho

Tim Dang

Will Friedle

Plot

On the anniversary of the murders of his parents Thomas and Martha Wayne, Batman takes a visit to Crime Alley to pay his respects to them. Just as he finishes saving civilians and defeating their captors, both Arkham Asylum and Stonegate Prison experience a massive prison breakout. Commissioner James Gordon contacts Batman, but is overwhelmed by the Scarecrow's nerve gas. Rushing over to the courthouse, Batman sees Gordon affected by the toxin and Scarecrow appears. He taunts the hero, claiming that Batman will soon give in to fear. Despite being at a disadvantage due to the nerve gas, Batman overcomes and defeats Scarecrow. Gordon recovers and agrees to keep watch on Scarecrow whilst Batman leaves.

Gordon notifies Batman of Clayface having taken over the Gotham Chemical Factory. Defusing the bombs that were placed on the rooftops of Gotham, Batman makes contact with Clayface, who reveals his plan to turn everyone in the city into beings like himself. Batman arrives at the chemical factory, and Gordon informs him of a weapon of mass destruction that is planning to arrive at any minute. Batman confronts Clayface, as the villain merges with a few of the infected to become a larger version of himself. Batman weakens Clayface via electricity, neutralizing him in the process.

During a talk with Gordon, Batman deduces that the culprit has to be Sin Tzu, a renowned warlord from Asia that was captured and sent to Arkham Asylum for further study. Sin Tzu intercepts the transmission and declares Gotham will become a new stronghold for his empire once Batman is defeated. Gordon tells Batman to head to the harbor to disarm the doomsday weapon. Arriving at the harbor, Batman hijacks the cargo ship carrying the weapon and takes it to the Batcave, just as Sin Tzu predicted. Batman finds the doomsday weapon, but is ambushed by Sin Tzu's men. Just as Batman thwarts their attempts to open the doors to Wayne Manor, he attempts to disarm the weapon, only to have Bane surprise him. Batman soundly defeats Bane.

Batman discovers Sin Tzu is hiding in Arkham Asylum, and he has Gordon and the GCPD surround Arkham so Sin Tzu won't escape. Batman enters the sewer system. Gordon reveals a method Sin Tzu used to mentally control Scarecrow, Clayface, and Bane, and he warns Batman he may be suspectible to Sin Tzu's power as well. Now in the main Arkham facility, Batman sees that the Joker, Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, and Poison Ivy have been placed in suspended animation as he goes into the lower levels of Arkham. Finding Sin Tzu in a chamber, Batman and the former engage in a lengthy fight. Sin Tzu is defeated once and for all.

As dawn approaches, Gordon reveals he couldn't tell Batman about the imprisonment of Sin Tzu at Arkham for national security reasons. The hero reminisces on the vows that have to be honored to the living and the dead (reminding himself of his parents' murder having a profound effect on his life), and the game ends with Batman looking over Gotham City.

Publicity

One of the main draws to the game was that it introduced a new character into the Batman universe, as Batman: The Animated Series did with Harley Quinn. This new character, Sin Tzu, was created by comic artist Jim Lee.[6] However, Sin Tzu did not gain popularity as a character and was never to be seen again in any media, with the exception of the game's novelization. The game shipped in regular versions with just the game, and boxed special editions that came with action figures for the Xbox and PS2 versions, and a lithograph with the GameCube version.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings61.68% (GC)[7]
61.62% (Xbox)[8]
59.44% (PS2)[9]
58.80% (GBA)[10]
Metacritic67/100 (Xbox)[11]
63/100 (GC)[12]
63/100 (PS2)[13]
63/100 (GBA)[14]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1UP.com7/10[15]
EGM5.5/10[16]
Game Informer7/10 (GBA)[17]
5/10[18][19][20]
GamePro[21]
GameSpot7.5/10[22][23]
GameSpy[24][25][26]
GameZone7.2/10 (PS2)[27]
7/10 (GC)[28]
6.9/10 (GBA)[29]
6.5/10 (Xbox)[30]
IGN6.5/10[31]
5.5/10 (GBA)[32]
Nintendo Power3.4/5[33][34]
OPM (US)[35]
OXM (US)6.1/10[36]

Rise of Sin Tzu was given a score of 59.44% for the PS2 version, 61.62% for the Xbox version, 58.80% for the Game Boy Advance version, and 61.68% for the GameCube version on GameRankings.[7][8][9][10] On Metacritic, it has a score of 67 out of 100 for the Xbox version,[11] and 63 out of 100 for the other console versions.[12][13][14]

Game Informer gave the game a score of 5 out of 10 for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube, while the same magazine gave the Game Boy Advance port a better score of 7 out of 10.

Other media

A novel based on the game with the same name was released around the same time of the games release date. The novel, written by Devin Grayson and Flint Dille (who wrote the game's script) was told in the first person, with Clayface, the Scarecrow, a Stonegate inmate named Freddie Galan, Bane, a Hispanic thug named Ramon Domingo, Sin Tzu, Batman, Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and Alfred each providing the narrative at different points.

Batman: Shadow of Sin Tzu was a year-long webcomic released bi-weekly on the DC Comics website, serving as a sequel to events depicted in Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu.

References

  1. ↑ "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu Release Information for Xbox". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  2. ↑ "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu Release Information for PlayStation 2". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  3. ↑ "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu Release Information for Game Boy Advance". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  4. ↑ "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu Release Information for GameCube". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  5. ↑ "Xbox - Batman: The Rise of Sin Tzu". Kidzworld. Archived from the original on 18 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  6. ↑ D'Marcus Beatty (17 December 2003). "GameCube:Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu - Review". Gaming Target. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu for GameCube". GameRankings. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu for Xbox". GameRankings. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu for Game Boy Advance". GameRankings. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  11. 1 2 "Batman: Rise of Sin Tsu Critic Reviews for Xbox". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  12. 1 2 "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu Critic Reviews for GameCube". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  13. 1 2 "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu Critic Reviews for PlayStation 2". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  14. 1 2 "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu for Game Boy Advance". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  15. ↑ Orlando, Greg (December 2003 – January 2004). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu". Xbox Nation Magazine: 87. Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  16. ↑ "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu". Electronic Gaming Monthly (173): 172. November 2003.
  17. ↑ Biessener, Adam (March 2004). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (GBA)". Game Informer (132): 114. Archived from the original on 22 November 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  18. ↑ Reiner, Andrew (November 2003). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (PS2)". Game Informer (127): 143. Archived from the original on 21 June 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  19. ↑ Helgeson, Matt (November 2003). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (Xbox)". Game Informer (127): 167. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  20. ↑ "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (GC)". Game Informer (128): 159. December 2003. Archived from the original on 30 January 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  21. ↑ Dr. Zombie (16 October 2003). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on 20 January 2005. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  22. ↑ Davis, Ryan (27 October 2003). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu Review (PS2, Xbox)". GameSpot. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  23. ↑ Davis, Ryan (18 November 2003). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu Review (GC)". GameSpot. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  24. ↑ Meston, Zach (7 November 2003). "GameSpy: Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (PS2)". GameSpy. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  25. ↑ Meston, Zach (7 November 2003). "GameSpy: Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (Xbox)". GameSpy. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  26. ↑ Meston, Zach (24 November 2003). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (GBA)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  27. ↑ David, Mike (6 November 2003). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on 17 February 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  28. ↑ Hollingshead, Anise (8 December 2003). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  29. ↑ Wrentmore, John (21 November 2003). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu - GBA - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  30. ↑ Raymond, Justin (8 December 2003). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu Review - Xbox". GameZone. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  31. ↑ Irwin, Mary Jane (17 October 2003). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (GC, PS2, Xbox)". IGN. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  32. ↑ Harris, Craig (13 November 2003). "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (GBA)". IGN. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  33. ↑ "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (GBA)". Nintendo Power. 175: 160. January 2004.
  34. ↑ "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (GC)". Nintendo Power. 175: 158. January 2004.
  35. ↑ "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 130. November 2003.
  36. ↑ "Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu". Official Xbox Magazine: 154. December 2003.
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