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Stumbling Towards Greatness: A Batman Retrospective

by Xav de Matos { Aug 26th 2009 at 2:45PM }

The intro to Batman: The Animated Series ... reimagined with game footage

Batman has had a long and (mostly) horrendous career as a video game crime fighter. While his big screen adventures have evolved into masterpieces, most of Batman's video game outings have made players want to poke out their eyes with a Batarang. To celebrate the arrival of Batman's latest and (we assure you) greatest adventure – Batman: Arkham Asylum – Joystiq looks back at the rest of the Caped Crusader's games.

Don the cape and cowl and bring a flashlight. We're going to have to crawl through a lot of darkness to get to the light at the end of this licensing tunnel.

Continue to the Batman Retrospective

A violent look at Resident Evil's survival horror past

by Dustin Burg { Feb 7th 2009 at 7:00PM }

Using a laser sight we point you in the direction of GameTrailers' educational retrospective series that pulls back the eyelids of the Resident Evil franchise. Part one of the (alleged) six part zombie-retrospective, "Horror Stories", takes a stroll through Resident Evil's history, how it pioneered the survival horror genre and how laughably bad the voice acting was.

Putting aside all discussion regarding the direction Resident Evil 5 has taken with its control mechanics, the video will evoke deep rooted nostalgic feelings and renew your phobia of human-sized arachnids. It did for us. Once comfortable -- and with an ample supply of herbs by your side -- find the 17+ minute video after the break.

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Video: Resident Evil 'Survivor' Retrospective

by Xav de Matos { Dec 24th 2008 at 7:20PM }

On March 13, 2009, Resident Evil 5 runs into stores with modern zombie swiftness. Being that the latest installment is the first time the franchise has ever hit the Xbox platform, X-heads are more than a little excited. Need a primer for some of the Resident Evil story? GameTrailers has released the Survivor Retrospective, a spoiler-rich look back at the adventures of fan-favorite characters Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield.

Warcraft Retrospective: Part II

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 30th 2008 at 2:15PM }

Gametrailers' Warcraft Retrospective continues with episode two focusing on the events and gameplay mechanics of Warcraft III. The piece covers WC III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion, The Frozen Throne, but also delves into the Defense of the Ancients mod and its infamous Euro pop music video.

The next installment in the series will delve into the 11 million player strong phenomenon that is World of Warcraft. We're expecting that episode to be 90+ minutes -- not really, but it could be.

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Video: Prepare for Fallout 3

by Xav de Matos { Oct 27th 2008 at 1:15PM }

Console gamers may not realize that Fallout 3 isn't the first jump into the post-apocalyptic universe -- you know, if the 3 in the title wasn't a glaring indicator. Looking to catch up before Fallout 3 lands on the Xbox 360 tomorrow? GameTrailers has developed a 15-minute retrospective on the famed series that will showcase how Bethesda has decided to evolve the series into an Oblivion style game -- much to the chagrin of some of the original fans. Excited for Fallout 3? Tell us in the comments below but if you've been lucky enough to play it early, do not spoil anything ... a swift banhammer will be in your future if you do!

Get caught up with the 15-minute Fallout Retrospective

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 26th 2008 at 9:30PM }

Do you find yourself with a good quarter-hour to kill this Sunday evening? Do you have a relatively fast internet connection? Are you curious about the mythos of the Fallout universe -- curiosity spawned from excitement over Bethesda's upcoming entry into the franchise, Fallout 3? Do you have absolutely no plans to go back and play the earlier installments in said franchise, and therefore have no hangups over having the plots of said games spoiled for you?

If the answer to all of the above questions is an exuberant "yes", you really have no reason not to check out Gametrailers' Fallout Retrospective, which we've posted after the break. Unless, of course, you were lying earlier -- in which case, this conversation is over.

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Warcraft Retrospective: Part I up now, Fallout Retrospective this Saturday

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 23rd 2008 at 6:59PM }

GameTrailers' excellent retrospective series is back this week with two new installments for different game franchises. The first new series its premiering is the Warcraft Retrospective, which has its debut episode (in the four-part series) covering the original two installments in the Warcraft RTS series. It's hard to recall Warcraft ever being a humble RTS series considering the behemoth World of Warcraft has become.

GT will also premiere a one-part Fallout retrospective this Saturday, Oct. 25. The episode will cover the evolution of the series from its days at Interplay to the current, Bethesda-helmed Fallout 3. The first episode in the Warcraft Retrospective can be found after the break.

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Star Wars Retrospective: Episode VII visits the Empire's shadows, the old republic

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 22nd 2008 at 2:30AM }

GameTrailers starts with the galaxy far, far away's near past, and then goes deep into the history books in its latest Star Wars Retrospective episode. This time around the excellent series starts by taking a look at Shadows of the Empire, an action game which fills in a piece of the story between the movies Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

The rest of the episode delves deep into the past and covers the Knights of the Old Republic RPG games, which take place millennia before Luke and Leia were even a dirty thought in Darth Vader's mind. And if anybody complains that we should have put a spoiler alert there, we hope the cave you've been living in for the last 25 years has central heat and air. Check out the 24-minute retrospective episode after the break.

[Thanks Andy]

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You can take it with you: Nintendo handheld retrospective

by Alisha Karabinus { Jul 14th 2008 at 11:00AM }

Tomorrow is the big day -- Nintendo's E3 2008 media briefing. Will there be a new DS? A new handheld altogether? A new array of DS Lite colors instead? Nearly anything is possible, and while we wait, bouncing up and down on our toes and struggling to remember to breathe through the excitement, it's a good time to look back at the history of Nintendo's handhelds. From the extensive Game & Watch collection to a few portables you may have forgotten, Nintendo has a rich and storied handheld history, and it's one we celebrate every day -- just not like this.


		Step forward into the past

Star Wars Retrospective: Episode VI siths through the FPS titles

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 9th 2008 at 11:00PM }

GameTrailers continues its Star Wars Retrospective by covering the first person shooter games in the galaxy far, far away's oeuvre. This means that there's going to be a lot of Kyle Katarn in this episode, one of the best-known characters outside of the movie sextilogy -- especially to gamers. So get comfortable for this 20-minute episode, or don't, nobody's forcing you to sit down and watch it. *waves hand* Sit down and watch it. This is the retrospective you're looking for.

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A Dark Past: An Alone in the Dark Retrospective

by Randy Nelson { Jun 24th 2008 at 12:30PM }

Before the "survival horror" of Resident Evil and the foggy streets of Silent Hill, there was the original Alone in the Dark – the granddaddy of the game that hits Xbox 360, Wii, and PC today. It set the course for horror games to come and spawned three sequels that have all led up to Atari's latest stab at creating a next-gen blockbuster.

Summon up your courage and join us for a terrifying look back at the series' evolution from perilously pointy polygons to an ominous Old West set and beyond. Don't be afraid – let's get started!

Star Wars Retrospective: Episode V marches off to war

by Griffin McElroy { Jun 22nd 2008 at 11:30AM }

It's been nearly two months since the last installment in GameTrailers' look back at the catalog of games based off of George Lucas' magnum opus. The series returns today with the crackle of blaster fire, the hum of a recently activated AT-AT, the whistle of an armed thermal detonator -- you see, all the games featured in this episode focus on those titles that let you relive the film's major battles. From RTS classics like Galactic Battlegrounds and Empire at War, to the best-selling Star Wars game of all time, Star Wars: Battlefront 2, we can't help but get misty-eyed recalling some of our great galactic campaigns. We just... we lost so many good men on Kashyyyk...

Metal Gear Retrospective: Part Six tries to explain it all

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 12th 2008 at 5:55PM }

So, we just finished watching the above 20-minute video, which concludes GameTrailers' Metal Gear Retrospective and sets out to methodically explain the Metal Gear story arc. For those who are just joining Metal Gear with the latest installment, it certainly helps to watch. Those afraid of audio/visual presentations can take solace in knowing we've created our own pictorial explanation of what players need to know before starting Metal Gear Solid 4.

Now, a group of us are going to go get a drink and relax before we take a three hour quiz Ludwig has set up for us on Metal Gear lore this evening. Lowest scorer actually has to deliver Ludwig's copy to South Africa.

Metal Gear Retrospective: Part Five is all in your hands

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 11th 2008 at 6:00AM }

GameTrailers sneaks in a fifth installment of its Metal Gear Retrospective, with the latest episode focusing on the portable versions of Snake's adventures. The episode covers the GameBoy's Ghost Babel, along with the PSP's AC!D and the only handheld title part of the MGS canon, Portable Ops.

As we all prepare for Metal Gear Solid 4's launch tomorrow, don't forget to check out the other four retrospective episodes. The upcoming final installment in GameTrailers' Metal Gear review will attempt to weave together the whole MGS saga. As incredible as that feat will be, it still doesn't beat the time GameTrailers attempted to explain the Legend of Zelda timelines.

Metal Gear Retrospective: Part Four slithers back to the '60s

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 4th 2008 at 9:30AM }

GameTrailers continues its Metal Gear Retrospective by going over the events of Metal Gear Solid 3 and what went down in the jungle with Naked Snake back in the '60s. The back end of the retrospective episode covers the events of MGS: Portable Ops., which occurred six years after MGS3. For those who didn't play, it's a good chance to fill in the back story of ~~Naked Solid Liquid~~ Geriatric Snake before Metal Gear Solid 4 releases next week.

If you're looking for more, don't forget to check out the other three episodes in the retrospective. You can also learn more about what it's actually like to replay the MGS series by checking out our dear Mr. Kietzmann's b[ack]log.