Hoo boy, what a weird year for DC. The good news for video games is that all of its tv and movie efforts made me starved for some likable Batman. I'll admit that I'm kind of an easy mark at this point, but when Telltale announced its Batman series I kind of assumed I'd just get a retelling of a familiar Batman story. Batman: The Tellale Series was the freshest take on Gotham that I've experienced in a decade. I wouldn't call it revolutionary, but it sure as hell was entertaining and made me think about Gotham's citizens in a different way than I ever had before.

Aside from its fresh takes on characters and the specifics of Batman's predicament (which I don't want to understate because they are excellent), this is the most that I've enjoyed and empathized with Bruce Wayne, ever. That's why this story will stand out amongst the best that Batman has to offer. Telltale's gameplay formula is unobtrusive at best at this point, but as someone who doesn't take time to track down comics these days I certainly wouldn't mind digesting more Batman content this way. Which is good because the satisfying conclusion definitely left room for additional seasons. Thanks for the Bruce, Batman: The Telltale Series.

Throughout January, the Games of 2016 will lead the way towards The 2016 Grimmys - Horrible Night's Games of the Year Awards.

While The Walking Dead has basically fallen completely off of my radar in all media forms, it was the first “A Telltale Series” game I played and gosh do I like the format in story-rich games. While Rocksteady’s Arkham games focused on making you feel like you were The Bat (okay, the first two, the third one made you feel like you were Tim Burton’s Batmobile), this Telltale series focused on the fact that Batman is actually Bruce Wayne in a costume. Bruce Wayne who runs a multi-billion dollar corporation, can’t get over the murder of his parents, and has a really hard time finding anyone he can trust and confide in due to his predilection for nocturnal manhunting.

Telltale told a unique Batman story that was stand-alone from the film, console, and comic stories, managed to avoid getting stuck in the slump of telling Batman: Year One for the umpteenth time, and offered up some facets of the Rogue’s Gallery that were rooted in the mythos while still feeling fresh. In addition, Telltale’s animation style is a cousin to the animated Batman series and movies which have been the most consistently-good media output on small or large screen.

As long as you go into Batman: The Telltale Series remembering that these games have more in common with reading the comic than playing Batman: Arkham Asylum, you’re in for a good time. Telltale’s storytelling is at its height here and the voice acting has been good enough I felt completely justified in creating Two Face because holy crap is Harvey Dent a sniveling weasel of a politician. Thanks for reminding me that it’s the Bat, not the prosecutor, who keeps Gotham safe, Batman: The Telltale Series.

Throughout January, the Games of 2016 will lead the way towards The 2016 Grimmys - Horrible Night's Games of the Year Awards.