Batman Arkham Asylum - Our Review

2009-08-26T03:11:00.000-07:00

Super hero games range from god awful to pretty damn fun, but those in the second category are very much in the minority. Good old Superman, for example, has been reeling from one poorly thought out title after the other for years, and so has the Batman games scene. Even the best of the Batman games over the years haven't captured the feeling of being under the cowl, facing down maniacs with his fists and wits.

Batman Arkham Asylum is out on sale today, and is breaking the mould and all reviews we have seen seem to be unanimous in their praise. Certainly, to us, it seems like a brilliantly polished and wholly engrossing prospect.

From what we have seen so far, few licensed titles have captured so authentically and completely the ethos of its inspiration as Arkham Asylum. It’s something of a patchwork of influences, but respectfully moulds them into its own unique take on The Dark Knight. It’s no wonder that Warner Bros. has labelled the game as this year’s big Batman event. And with Rocksteady crafting such a thrilling, atmospheric experience, Arkham Asylum is destined to be one of the biggest, and best, video games of 2009.

Batman can be perched on a high ledge in a wide open room as he watches some of the Joker’s thugs rifle through drawers, and the graphics detail is amazing. Batman switches to investigation mode using a blue tinted visor that among other things lets Batman see his enemies through walls and identifies things like guns and knives.

Moving the left stick in the direction of the enemy causes Batman to direct his attacks, whilst the context sensitive combat system picks from a variety of attacks to perform. The animation in and out of combat is visually stunning and Batman's cape is practically jaw-dropping in terms of how the material flows and moves when he runs or fights.

Combat is easy with single-button-press punches, stuns and redirects and is context-sensitive, depending on which way the thumbstick is leaning. Take-downs are performed by pressing RT + Y or B+Y when close to an enemy and are cinematically highlighted by a random slow-mo payoff cam.

Combat is also a fluid, simple process. Batman is obviously more powerful than the majority of enemies he'll see, and can chain together up to ten attacks at once.

Game Informer has really positive things to say about it. Not only game informer but gamespot.com and IGN.com are giving this game good face time. Gameplay elements, like brawling six guys at once, or silently taking on enemies with guns, are introduced slowly and individually. Then, as the story progresses, variables are introduced.

Gameplay footage of Batman: Arkham Asylum, explaining some of the mechanics behind the Joker, and his style in the game looks truly great. Move in the shadows, instigate fear amongst your enemies and confront The Joker and Gotham City's most notorious villains who have taken over the asylum.

Gameplay won't just be about combat, either. Batman's a detective, see, so there'll be investigative work (puzzles, etc) to be done as well, including extensive use of what sounds a lot like Metroid Prime's scanning system.

Gamers move in the shadows, instigate fear amongst their enemies and confront the Joker using a wide range of Batman's gadgets and abilities, players will rally imagine that they have become the Invisible Predator.

Stealth and smarts are what will win the day when Batman comes across a room full of armed bad guys. There’s also a detective mode, which is basically a special vision mode to help Batman spot things he might miss with regular vision mode. Stealth, platforming and exploration. The battle system in Arkham Asylum reminds me of two different battle systems, the first battle system is in Fable 2 and the second is in Assasin Creed.

Stealth sections normally involve methodically picking off enemies one by one, and can usually be identified upon entering a room where gargoyles flank the walls. Batman uses these gargoyles to support his weight, using his grapnel gun to zip up out of sight and safely survey the area.

Looking around the web it is been hard to find anyone criticising Arkham Asylum. The worst around seems to be from the Telegraph Newspaper (UK) which I qote as follows:

“With this level of invention and attention to detail it’s disappointing that Arkham Asylum’s biggest failing is with some of its boss battles. While the build-up and design is often exquisite, the fights themselves often rely far too heavily on tedious, rinse-and-repeat video game tropes. The final encounter in particular, comes about rather abruptly, and is so vapid as a gameplay experience it can leave a slightly bitter taste after the terrific ride that came before it.”

However, even that reviewer clearly thought his criticism to be minor ending with:

“But that ride is what matters most, and is undoubtedly what’ll you remember after the end credits have rolled. With a series of combat and stealth challenge rooms with online leader boards rounding off the package, Arkham Asylum is a brilliantly polished and wholly engrossing prospect. Few licensed titles have captured so authentically and completely the ethos of its inspiration as Arkham Asylum.”

Our verdict: Moving Batman around is always a treat when you think of yourself as a badass. The combat is free flowing allowing for dynamic fighting sequences and skill. Great absorbing fun to loose yourself in! Get it!

Batman Arkham Asylum Review

Batman Arkham Asylum - Our Review