Warner's first interactive movie* is a retelling of the 2010 movie Batman: Under the Red Hood - but with the viewer making choices at key points, and deciding how the story plays out. For example, where Jason Todd dies in the explosion in the original, the viewer here gets three options; 'Robin cheats death', 'Batman saves Robin', and 'Robin dies'. If you choose 'Robin dies' you get an abbreviated version of the Under the Red Hood movie. If you choose 'Robin cheats death', he survives the explosion, and if you choose 'Batman saves Robin' Batman gets him out of the warehouse before the explosion. Those last two each lead to a completely new series of events, with the 'Batman saves Robin' option having the longest, most interesting story, with more 'branch points' as it develops (some going where you'd never expect, with real surprise twists and turns).
Bruce Greenwood and John DiMaggio return as Batman and Joker, and are fantastic (DiMaggio absolutely nails Joker here). Jensen Ackles doesn't voice Jason Todd this time (perhaps because he was lined up as the new DC Universe movies Batman), but Vincent Martella, (who played younger Jason in Under the Red Hood) does return and voices Jason/Red Hood throughout. We also get prominent appearances by Talia al Ghul, Two-Face, and Jim Gordon, plus many cameos. Animation is good to very good (the material reproduced from Under the Red Hood looking the best). I've played all seven (apparently) scenarios through at least twice and can still see myself coming back to it.
This also includes four Showcase shorts; Death, The Phantom Stranger, Sgt. Rock, and Adam Strange. I found Adam Strange the weakest, whilst Sgt. Rock and The Phantom Stranger are enjoyable horror yarns. But Death is hands down the greatest animation, from any company, I have ever seen. Heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, it's worth the cost of the Blu-ray on its own. See it if you can.
Overall, Batman: Death in the Family gets 9/10
*Interactive version is Blu-ray only.
Bruce Greenwood and John DiMaggio return as Batman and Joker, and are fantastic (DiMaggio absolutely nails Joker here). Jensen Ackles doesn't voice Jason Todd this time (perhaps because he was lined up as the new DC Universe movies Batman), but Vincent Martella, (who played younger Jason in Under the Red Hood) does return and voices Jason/Red Hood throughout. We also get prominent appearances by Talia al Ghul, Two-Face, and Jim Gordon, plus many cameos. Animation is good to very good (the material reproduced from Under the Red Hood looking the best). I've played all seven (apparently) scenarios through at least twice and can still see myself coming back to it.
This also includes four Showcase shorts; Death, The Phantom Stranger, Sgt. Rock, and Adam Strange. I found Adam Strange the weakest, whilst Sgt. Rock and The Phantom Stranger are enjoyable horror yarns. But Death is hands down the greatest animation, from any company, I have ever seen. Heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, it's worth the cost of the Blu-ray on its own. See it if you can.
Overall, Batman: Death in the Family gets 9/10
*Interactive version is Blu-ray only.