Adam West Will Help You Save Las Vegas From Chaos Theory on PlayStation
I've always been of the mindset that the easiest way to improve anything is to add Batman, and now, I have proof from one of the most unlikely sources I could possibly imagine: A 1997 PlayStation Game based on the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas. See, once you take away human interaction and the possibility of actually winning anything, gambling tends to be boring, so the programmers at Virgin Interactive decided to do what every boring game should do. They added a 34-minute "Adventure Mode" movie where you save Las Vegas from a stolen chaos theory computer with the help of TV's Batman, Adam West.
And now, thanks to Danny Cowan of Dream and Friends, we can all watch the entire amazing story. Clear out the next half hour and check out Adam West's greatest video game performance ever!
Seriously, this entire thing is a masterpiece -- especially considering Cowan's notes about how downplayed it was in the finished game -- but let's go through a few highlights:
8:26: After a lengthy setup that even the makers of a Final Fantasy game would think was a little too long that included a bizarre real-time trip to CGI Las Vegas, Adam West finally shows up as the suave Hugh Swain. I imagine this name was picked because "My name's Swain" sounds a lot like "My name's Wayne," but it unfortunately takes second prize in the character name rankings to the player's character, Steven Killsbourg. Either way, West's immediate launch into World's Greatest Detective mode is the best thing that has ever happened.
10:59: The woman in the vaguely Zatanna-esque Casino waitress outfit isn't wearing shoes. Who directed this thing, Quentin Tarantino?
12:15: In case there was any doubt that West was definitely playing a Batman by another name in this story, the fact that he has a secret crime lab in which to decipher "dastardly rib-ticklers" that are "encrypted in Pig Latin" should pretty much settle that.
16:18: "Keep your ears open and your mouth shut. I'll be in touch depending on my... state of peril" is how I will end every single phone call I make from now on.
17:43: Please enjoy a shot of Adam West eating a hamburger.
25:25: Getting a breakdown of the stakes from TV's Batman and having him seem more concerned with "the world's entire gaming industry will be rocked to its foundation" than, say, complete worldwide economic collapse and/or weather domination seems a bit weird. Not as weird as seeing him completely intoxicated and referring to Superman as "a friend of mine, Soup," but still. It's up there.
29:45: Seriously, did not see that twist ending coming.
Truly, this is the single greatest celebrity-based video game story ever made. Finally, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, you may lay down your burden.
(via Dave Lartigue)