Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker PlayStation

Years of crime fighting have taken their toll on Bruce Wayne, so much so that by the mid 21st century, he must retire. The last known appearance of Batman was over twenty years ago, but evil still runs strong throughout ~Gotham City. The Jokerz, a menacing street gang, terrorizes innocent citizens citywide. But a simple street gang they are not, which soon becomes apparent when the Jokerz start burglarizing computer systems for their high tech components.

Meanwhile, Wayne's new teenage apprentice, Terry McGinnis, is sent to investigate the madness. Almost as soon as McGinnis starts his investigation, The Joker attacks Wayne at a shareholder meeting for Wayne Enterprises. It's a mystery as to how The Joker could survive all this time and yet still be as strong as ever.

Now Terry must work with Bruce in an attempt to solve the mystery of The Joker and foil his plans. You are the new Batman in this single-player side-scrolling action game. Batman Beyond is split into two modes of play: Story and Time Attack.

Story mode takes you through the traditional level-to-level format in which the story of The Joker will unfold before your eyes. In this mode you take on several different types of enemies by yourself, such as five different types of thugs, three types of robots, three mutant types, various security robots, Bonk and Crane. Of course, your ultimate battle will include The Joker himself.

In the Time Attack mode, you can simultaneously take on three bad guys of your choosing. Before you play, choose a bat suit that will be most effective based on the enemies you're fighting. Now all that remains is to see how fast you can defeat the enemies. The top scores will be recorded below the Select Enemy screen.

At any time, you can switch between four different bat suits that each offers specific advantages. With the standard suit, you can switch between three different weapons: Magnetic Nunchaku, Dark Knight Discus, and the Dark Knight Staff. This suit also offers equal balance of offensive and defensive power. The only weapons the defensive suit has are two Dark Knight shields that you wear at all times. With this suit, you can take the most damage without dying, but the offensive power is lessened.

The offensive suit lets you do kicks that are more complicated and combo attacks result in more damage, but the defensive power is lessened. Lastly, the nimble suit allows Batman to glide in the air, double jump, roll forward and backward for attacks, and perform a double kick. Like the offensive suit, it offers less protection than either the defensive or standard suits.

During your fight you'll find several gadgets and power-ups that include the following: Radio, Neuromuscular Amplification, Shotgun, Armament, Jet Boots, 1-Ups, HP Recovery, Discus Supply, keys and boxes that hold special items. The real Batman may not be able to fight like he used to, but you (as Terry McGinnis) have been fully trained to fill his shoes. With Bruce's knowledge and your strength, The Joker will be in for a fight. You are the city's only hope ~ Nick Woods, All Game Guide