Acclaim AOL videos rediscovered thanks to Daily Batman Anthology

For while I kept seeing this CD on eBay for an AOL* CD (*America On-Line - for those of you who don't remember this old internet provider from the 90s) that claimed it also had a making of the Acclaim video game included.

I didn't end up buying it because 1) it's an old CD from the 90s and those things are difficult to get playing on modern computers, 2) the making of video was probably the one I already owned on video tape (see this video). So I gave it a miss.

Thankfully the Daily Batman Anthology X/Twitter channel did purchase a copy and has made a video showing all the content (see below).

Along with the making of video there is also some extra content:-

• Sound clips - which sound re-recorded specially for this (and possibly the now defunct batmanforever.com website)
• Posters - the standard characters ones
• Sound clips - which sound like re-recorded versions of lines from the film (again, these were possibly ported from the batmanforever.com website)
• An animated version of the Gotham skyline with moving Bat signal (this was definitely taken from the old website).
• Two versions of the theatrical trailer - these are kind of interesting curios as they don't have the Danny Elfman music but instead have Elliot Goldenthal's score.

As with most computer stuff from the 90s, the quality is quite pixelated and heavily compressed but they have these cute surrounds to make it look like you're looking at one of the batcave monitors.

Thanks so much to Daily Batman Anthology for posting these so they can be preserved. If you want to check out the individual pieces those are also posted on the same channel.

Riddle Me This - What is the Woolworths Giftset (and why is it so expensive)?

Taking a brief break from the Batman Forever Merchandise Reviews to introduce Riddle Me This - a series covering a variety of Batman Forever topics. 

First up I'm looking at the Woolworths Giftset for the Acclaim Batman Forever game - a bizarrely expensive box containing the game and other merchandise that goes for £500 - £900 on eBay! 

As a bonus I've included a capture of the Making of the Video Game VHS that was included in the set.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review – Pinball Back Glass from Sega

Well this is something a bit unusual. It's probably the jewel in my Batman Forever collecting crown. A back glass from the Batman Forever pinball game.

I picked this up on eBay a year or so ago from a guy who said he was "breaking" a Batman Forever table to sell the individual parts. He couldn't seem to shift it so I gave him a pretty cheeky offer and begged him to send it via courier. Anyway, he agreed and thankfully it turned up 2 weeks later in perfect nick. It's a really stunning painting on a piece of clear plastic that is attached to a large piece of glass. I've since had it mounted in the hallway in my house and put some LEDs behind it.

As much as I'd love the whole pinball machine, they go for thousands of pounds, and I don't have the space, and I suck at pinball. So owning the unique artwork is perfect for me.

The detail in it is phenomenal. I really love the way the artist has capture Val and Chris' faces - it's likely been traced from photos but it looks amazing. It's currently at the top of the stairs and every time I go up or down I can't help but smile.

Magazine Article: Mean Machines issue 35

Another gaming magazine from 1995 that took a look at the lacklustre Genesis (Mega Drive) and SNES video game and a little bit at the end about the movie too.

Magazine Article: GamePro December 1995

Hoping to do some kind of review for the Genesis (Mega Drive) and SNES Batman Forever game at some point. I literally completely the other day using an emulator and save states. Anyway here's an old issue of GamePro covering the somewhat frustrating game.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Double Dose of Doom handheld game by Tiger

Hey remember those terrible handheld games by Tiger? I sure do, because I recently picked this up. Here's my review.

Video Advertisements: Video Games

Batman Forever had a video game for just about every console available at the time.

While the Sega Saturn and PlayStation got a port of the hectic arcade game, the Sega Genesis, Game Gear, SNES and Gameboy got a really sluggish scrolling beat-em-up from Probe Entertainment/Acclaim.

It was a chore to play and had very fiddly unresponsive controls. That said, it had an awesome trailer for the game that was on the VHS release of the film in the forthcoming attractions.

One thing to note is that at lot of people think the shot of Batman and Robin on a pillar at the end is taken from the deleted ending of the film.

It's not, I'm afraid - it's just a shot they did with two stuntmen on a set specially for the game trailer. Neither Joel Schumacher nor any of the movie cast and crew were involved.

And here is a promo showing a little more of the gameplay.

Urgh, remember those terrible, noisy, cheap handheld games from Tiger? The ones with really repetitive gameplay and headache inducing music.

Well, in the 1995 they tried to make them more interesting by turning them into a wearable headset where you'd view the game on a little screen over your right eye! Yeah, they didn't last very long.

I remember these being on the toy shelves in 1995 and desperately trying to save up to buy one. I thought they looked amazing! Thankfully, they took them away before I got enough money. I'd have been furious if I wasted it on this.

Here's a sample of how the Batman Forever R-Zone game plays in case you're curious.

And finally, here's some posters for the Acclaim game.