Rush 'n Attack: 1HN Knife Knavery

Nostalgia is a funny thing. Even concerning unfavorable events and outcomes, many of us can still wax nostalgic about the results of those situations. However, in my mind, there are some games and hobbies about which I cannot reminisce enthusiastically or even lukewarmly. One of those games used to be Rush ‘n Attack by Konami, but after a decades-long journey I can discuss this one-time stinker.

Rush ‘n Attack was a Nintendo Entertainment System game that was released in 1985. It was a well-rendered platform side-scroller that was somewhat realistic by 8-bit standards compared to relatively cartoonish games like Super Mario Brothers; Rush ‘n Attack had detailed sprites, semi-realistic Cold War-inspired backgrounds, heart-pumping music, and relentless bad guys. Much like Konami's other offerings at the time, characters were strinkingly humanoid in appearance; in fact, character design was similar to characters in Castlevania and Double Dribble, which were two other games from Konami's stable. When I first received Rush ‘n Attack, I was excited because Konami meant quality. Because I liked Double Dribble, I believed I would like Rush ‘n Attack. Even when I first inserted the cartridge into my NES console, I was certain I would enjoy myself thoroughly.

However, I realized rather quickly how arduous a task it would be to play this game. The game opens with your character outside an enemy base somewhere in Russia or someplace. (Of course, it required little imagination to comprehend that "Rush 'n" meant "Russian".) It's a bleak, gray winter day and all you're armed with is a knife. then the bad guys rush at you. what are you supposed to do? Well, you're supposed to rush and attack (Get it?). And so I did. With one button for jump and another button for attack, I rushed at the enemy with deft presses of the D-pad. Suddenly, a barrage of bullets arrived. I leapt to dodge the incoming bullets, but one bullet grazed my boot. In game-speak, it was but one pixel of my boot. Yet, that was enough to kill my character rather unceremoniously. Rapidly, I re-spawned and attacked again. Once again, another bullet grazed me by one pixel and my character was downed. This process repeated once more until all three lives were lost. End of game. No save points. No starting where I left off. When your character died in Rush ‘n Attack, you started from the very beginning. There was not even a Konami code to give me more lives. I was done right there.

Frustrated, I tried again. I got a little farther, but I died again. So, I tried again. Each time, I would advance a little farther and die again. Sadly, each time, I had to start at the very beginning. Eventually, I would get to Level 2 and then Level 3. However, after losing three lives, I had no choice but to return to the very first level. Frustration would turn to angst, and angst would compel me to eject the cartridge in extreme disgust and disdain.

To be fair, controls were responsive and gameplay was brisk, but the mountains of cheese in this game were undeniable. Of course, there was the aforementioned death by a pixel. More annoying than that was having to start at the absolute initial position of the game after losing all your lives. Yet, what was most disheartening about this game was that sinking feeling of powerlessness. Except for your knife, weapons have ammunition limits with no hope of replenishment except for picking up a new weapon. Moreover, there were no super weapons in this game; there was no spread gun like in Contra, no Batman batarangs, and no Marioesque invincibility. Tragically, in the end, it was just you and your knife.

It took little time for me to trade the game away. I could tolerate it no further and had to remove it from my sight as soon as humanly possible. At the time, Rush ‘n Attack seemed like a rare dud from Konami and a stark reminder of how flawed this world truly is. Nonetheless, like God's grace, there was a silver lining to this story: I managed to trade the game away for Solomon's Key, which also proved to be frustrating, but in a challenging, positive way.

For decades, I lived with the psychological trauma of Rush ‘n Attack. However, a few years ago, I found a video on YouTube. Sometimes, people post videos of their speed runs through games, attempting to finish them in record time. For example, one person posted a video of finishing Super Metroid in 90 minutes. Similar to that, someone posted a speed run of Rush ‘n Attack. As I watched, I witnessed something that stoked uncontrollable and hearty laughter. Throughout the entire speed run, the player simply tap the knife button repeatedly and rushed forward to the very far right edge of the screen. Foes scattered like so many leaves. The player persisted in this way with nary an incoming bullet, literally rushing through level after level with just a knife. I was awestruck with how easy the player made it all appear. I wondered why I had not read about this in Nintendo Power magazine so many years ago. (Kids, there was no Internet back in those days!)

Oddly, witnessing that herculean feat redeemed the game in my mind. I took comfort in knowing that there was greater cheese to overcome this game's cheese. I had found solace and rest as if some profound injustice had been addressed. Even stranger was the urge to play that game again after having beheld that indescribable spectacle. Indeed, that game is long gone and it's just as well that it is. Nevertheless, I can now wax nostalgic about Rush ‘n Attack, and it's a miracle that I can wax nostalgic about it, even though it took me decades to do so.

Retro-Comparo: The Dark Knight Trilogy

As the loyal few of you who follow RetroBeliever are aware, there aren't many things I enjoy more than to wax nostalgic about some anachronistic 8-bit or 16-bit video game, lament about the lost simplicity of the past, or tie my somewhat antiquated interests to Christ. However, today's post is different because... well, it's about something currently popular: I'm talking about Batman, specifically the Dark Knight trilogy of films directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale as the titular Dark Knight, aka Batman.

What am I writing about? Just to let you know, it's not a review of The Dark Knight Rises, which I happened to see on July 20th. Instead, I shall briefly compare the three movies as I have written my Retro-Comparos, in which I've compared video games. My comparisons between the three movies will be based on several categories I feel capture the various aspects of movies, such as acting, editing, story, special effects, music, and so on. So, here goes:

Acting: 
It is difficult to differentiate between the three movies because there are the same actors playing the same roles, though I would contend that the acting in Batman Begins was a shade better because the actors were fresh in their roles, working to establish the characters as they might develop in future films. Some may argue that The Dark Knight was the most stellar when it came to acting, but I'd take Katie Holmes' youthful vibrance over Maggie Gyllenhaal's school-marm-like demeanor as Rachel Dawes; and, call it controversial and merely personal preference, but I take Liam Neeson's quiet menace as Ra's al-Ghul over Heath Ledger's just-too-psychotic Joker. That said, Aaron Eckhart's portrayal of Two-Face/Harvey Dent was emotionally affecting. It's really hard to choose... I'll give a shout out, though, to Tom Hardy for his portrayal as Bane; that was a tough role to play with a mask obscuring most of his face. Verdict: BB (Batman Begins)

Characters:
Batman Begins has the advantage of being the origin story for Bruce Wayne and Batman, so there is much character development, as well as introductions of all the principal supporting characters. However, The Dark Knight does not have to spend time introducing characters except for Harvey Dent and The Joker, who is only developed as a diabolical foil for Batman and as an instigator. Despite this, The Dark Knight is important in leading Batman down the path that would lead to The Dark Knight Rises.

Development aside, The Dark Knight presented strong, clearly-defined characters that guided the story, and not the other way around. The most impressive thing is that the movie seems plot-driven on the surface: after all, The Dark Knight is really about how much Batman would bend his own moral laws in his pursuit of the Joker, who is actively pushing Batman's buttons. It's splitting hairs, but TDK prevails. Verdict: TDK (The Dark Knight)

Direction, Action Sequences:
Many have lambasted Christopher Nolan's direction of the various fight scenes in Batman Begins, noting scattershot editing, too-closely-zoomed fist shots, and almost incomprehensible sequences. Nolan sharpened his direction for The Dark Knight, giving the viewer more time to observe fight scenes and action sequences develop. The Dark Knight Rises continued his superlative work. Verdict: TDK

Direction, Dramatic Sequences:
Action and fighting aside, Nolan coaxed out many more moments of emotion in Batman Begins than any of the three: the sadness of young Bruce Wayne, the anger of post-teen Bruce, the focused intensity and sense of justice of Batman, and the sympathy of the various figures who served as fathers to Bruce all served to make Batman Begins an affecting movie. I must note The Dark Knight Rises, which pulls in some of the emotion from Batman Begins and ends with a heroic crescendo that is evocative in its own right, particularly the last five minutes which provides the greatest payoff of all the three films. Verdict: BB

Editing:
As mentioned previously, the fight scenes in Batman Begins were the lone weak spot to the movie. The Dark Knight Rises didn't suffer from this weakness, but there were a few editing gaffes when it seemed like Nolan was forced to cut dramatic sequences for the sake of brevity; specifically, I refer to a romance between Bruce Wayne and one of the female characters because it seemed either inserted as a last-minute decision, disrupting the continuity of the return of Batman, or severely punctuated to cut down on what some felt was an overly long movie.

Of the three, The Dark Knight had the best balance of action and fight editing, as well as the appropriate length of set pieces and dramatic exchanges to establish and develop characters. Verdict: TDK

Music:
Each of the three movies have very similar musical themes, but with flourishes that distinguish them. Batman Begins is a bit more upbeat, particularly in the final third of the movie. The Dark Knight has themes that are darker, featuring more low strings. The Dark Knight Rises features more drum beats, which mimics the chanting in the movie. It's all good. Verdict: Push

Special Effects:
This one is especially subjective, though I must admit that The Narrows in Batman Begins LOOKS like a miniature set. As technology advanced, Nolan and his crew were able to synthesize more convincing special effects. The Dark Knight Rises attests to this, as the bridges exploding and the stadium field imploding were two of the best effects sequences in the entire series (both of these are viewable in the trailers, so I'm not spoiling anything). Verdict: TDKR

The Batsuit:
I am partial to Batman's Nomex Survival Suit-derived armor and stiff cowl in Batman Begins over the much more modular design of the suits in the subsequent movies, mostly because of the relatively simplicity and story-appropriate clunkiness of the first suit. I just think the armor got weirder and weirder with each passing movie. Verdict: BB

Props:
I find it odd that Batman relied on his trademark utility belt in Batman Begins much more than in the next two movies; the grappling gun, Bat-grenades, Bat-throwing stars, and some nifty hallucinogenic gas capsules all make appearances, while we only see a lame gun-barrel-bending/van-door-cutting hand tool (and the grappling gun) in The Dark Knight. Sure, there was that sonar-based internal mapping technology that proved so pivotal in the finale, but that just wasn't as nifty as anything that can come off Batman's utility belt.

Oh, and as I recall, there were NO Bat weapons in The Dark Knight Rises, but we get Bane's medieval gas mask and Catwoman's eye disguise/visor. Verdict: Tie, BB and TDKR

Vehicles:
Batman Begins was about the Tumbler, The Dark Knight was about the Batpod, and The Dark Knight Rises was about both AND the "Bat," which is simply an inverted helicopter with missiles and a dual cockpit. Verdict: TDKR

Sets:
With each successive movie, the sets became more elaborate, though I enjoyed the eldritch trappings of Wayne Manor over the rebuilt one in The Dark Knight Rises. Also, we can rule out The Dark Knight because Bruce Wayne's penthouse in The Dark Knight is sterile and dull, and, inexplicably, there is NO Wayne Tower; instead, we have the monolithic Wayne Building, which appears again in The Dark Knight Rises. However, I won't rule out The Dark Knight Rises because that Indian prison is grimly exotic and the Batcave returns with a revamped raising platform. Verdict: TDKR

Final Verdict: Batman Begins

Though The Dark Knight Rises had the most toys, most complicated and visually-appealing special effects, and most jarring sets, Batman Begins edges it with acting, origin story, a more simplistic Batsuit, and more utility belt gadgets. Sure, it's highly subjective and many people will attempt to discredit me in my preference of Batman Begins over The Dark Knight, but the most outstanding issue I have had with The Dark Knight is that it is a movie largely detached from any positive emotion; for most of the film, we observe the moral challenges Batman/Bruce Wayne has to face and how the Joker prevails on many fronts, even though he is captured. Some may point at this as the benchmark of an exceptional superhero movie, but I watch superheroes to see them overcome great odds to win the day. I suppose, in that sense, that The Dark Knight is an appropriate middle movie, just as The Empire Strikes Back was an appropriate middle movie of the original Star Wars Trilogy. As Harvey Dent says in The Dark Knight, "The night is darkest before the dawn," right?

Anyway, Batman Begins runs the full gamut of emotion, but emerges with a optimism and a sense of hope that always compels me to watch it again. Bruce Wayne truly comes full circle as a character vis-a-vis his father and the memories he has of him: from love to guilt to rage, and then to a deeper admiration for his father. As for The Dark Knight Rises, the movie is mostly dark and grim, but there is triumph, in a manner of speaking. I'll just say that the emotional payoff is huge in The Dark Knight Rises.

Batman: 1HN Crimefighter

Back in 1989, I was 15 years old and big into Batman; not the DC Comics series as much as the Batman movie directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Jack Nicholson as Jack Napier/Joker. I remember going to see Batman on my birthday, wearing my blue T-shirt with the Batman logo prominently emblazoned across the chest; at the time, the movie was an awesome spectacle of darkness and Tim Burtonesque quirkiness. Despite being a well-known and accomplished comedic actor with dramatic chops, Michael Keaton was surprisingly effective as Batman, and Jack Nicholson was, as always, excellent as the demented Joker. In my lifetime, I would end up watching that movie well over 10 times. Even today, Batman is still eminently watchable, despite the existence of two superlative films directed by Christopher Nolan: Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008).

In 1990, Sunsoft released Batman: The Video Game for the NES. I got this game for Christmas; and, I don't remember asking for the game, but I'm glad that my mom and dad got it for me because, even today, this side-scrolling platformer is still a classic on the NES. As you may have guessed, you play as Batman and start out in the middle of the action with the Joker's flame-throwing and dashing minions gunning for you. Ground-level robots with retracting spikes, mobile mines, and hulking robots comprise some of the drones, which you can dispatch with Bat-a-rangs, Bat-gun rockets, some spread weapon that launches three shurikens, or your fists. Batman also has a very effective wall jump technique, which is much easier to master than Samus Aran's wall jump in Super Metroid. The game features wonderfully catchy 8-bit music, moody scenery, and smooth animation for an NES game.

Of course, as with any Batman game, movie, or comic book, there is violence: Batman punches, Bat-a-rangs (if that can be rendered a verb), and assaults baddies left and right with almost-reckless abandon. Such is the nature of the Batman mythos -- a one-man (or two, counting Robin/Nightwing) crime-stopping show. But, I put the violence in context: Batman is a crimefighter who fights for the poor and defenseless and stands against the tyranny of megalomaniacal supervillains and amoral thugs. On a level of principle, Batman stands in the gap by saving flawed humanity from itself; I am not likening him to Christ, but his sacrifice undergirds the "violence."

That said, children do not make such distinctions; after all, punching

someone is punching someone, and kids may take what they see in this game and translate it to real-world actions. Because of this, I caution people about exposure to this game, though discussions can be had regarding why Batman fights. In my opinion, children may understand the heroic nature of Batman's actions; and, fortunately, the NES' presentation of Batman is somewhat filtered through 8-bit graphics and sound, thus separating the violence from the blood and bruises of more realistic fare, such as in games and movies today.

Batman: The Video Game is often touted as one of the top 10 or top 20 games on the NES, and for good reason: the graphics and music are top-notch, gameplay is smooth and responsive, and the action is non-stop. Anyway, I have a soft spot for comic book heroes. I used to collect all the X-Men titles, as well as Spider-Man, Hulk, and other Marvel comic book series. Superheroes remind us of that innate yearning in all people for a savior to stand up against evil. At least, that's how I see superheroes, and you may feel the same way, though the in-game violence may be an issue. For more on this discussion, please refer to my previous post by clicking here and here.