First open-world superhero videogame

Released in July 1998, Acclaim's PlayStation adventure Batman & Robin is often considered to be the first superhero videogame to feature "full" sandbox mechanics. Players drove around an open-world Gotham City in 3D, solving puzzles and jumping out to beat up criminals. The game's key events occurred in real-time, meaning that they would happen irrespective of whether the player had arrived on the scene or not.

The game was based on the 1997 film of the same name. A separate game of the same name was released for the relatively short-lived handheld console Game.com in 1997.