This review is based upon the Gamecube version. While there may be subtle differences found between the two other ports, we feel that all three versions are identical enough in quality to provide a worthy analysis. As with any review, it is suggested, and highly encouraged, to check with other critics covering all versions of a multi-platform title, as Guttergamers’ Paradise does not claim to be the final authority of any game’s worth. If you feel that there are issues with other console ports of this title that need to be taken into consideration, we urge you to comment and tell us about it!

Also, please note, while there is a Game Boy Advance game with an identical title and setting, it is not identical to the game being reviewed. This review should not be taken as an analysis of the quality of the GBA version, as it is considered a separate game with different gameplay mechanics.

With Eidos getting ready to roll out a very promising new Batman title that’s already been confirmed to not be a total piece of crap (take the disclaimer at the top into consideration, but always be skeptical of “rave reviews” by hype-drunk critics; happens to the best of us), I thought it’d be a good idea to take a gander at one past attempt of transferring Gotham’s Dark Knight onto a video game format. Yes, there’ve been a slew of horrible Batman games.  But none of them seem to strike as much disgust into the hearts of Bats fans the way Rise of Sin Tzu did.  I happen to have a copy of the GameCube version on hand, and… okay, listen.  I played the beta for an unreleased Batman Final Fight clone on the Super NES that was being developed by long-defunct developer Software Creations, a game know in certain circles as “Really Shitty Batman”.  I survived 20 minutes of that slow-paced, camp-inspired unfinished franchise butchering.  I wasn’t too shocked to see the programmer’s suicide note hidden in one portion of the game’s memory banks after running that unfinished disasterpiece through a hex editor*, but after hearing the masses whine over how awful this Sin Tzu game was, I wanted to put my digital sadomasochism to the test by taking another dance with the devil in the pixelated moonlight.  How well was I treated, you ask?