Batman: Arkham Asylum

Developed by: Rocksteady Studios
Published by: Warner Brothers/DC Comics
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Microsoft Windows
Players: 1

Rated T for Teen by the ESRB

The Breakdown

Joker has taken over Arkham Asylum and it’s up to you to become the “World’s Greatest Detective” to thwart his plans!

The Important Stuff

Disney has finally released their much anticipated re-envisioning with Zac Efron starring as a singing Batman in the biggest blockbuster movie of all time! Of course there’s going to be merchandising and also a video game tie-in for the movie and it’s guaranteed to be….. horrible. Ok, so there is no movie being released but this is the best thing to happen to a comic book video game in a long time. Rocksteady Studios brings us Batman: Arkham Asylum, a critically acclaimed title that recently was awarded a Guiness Record for the love it’s currently receiving, and with no movie to be attached to allows them to stick to what’s most important to nerds and comic book aficionados everywhere, the source material.

Graphically the game is amazing. The Unreal Engine 3 yet again shows gamers how truly far we’ve come over the years. The environments are appropriately moody, very “dark” which is quite fitting for an insane asylum, and the character models are absolutely gorgeous to look at. The level of detail truly is stunning! The developers settled on using an over the shoulder third person camera which works well for the most part, with only minor camera issues that can occasionally block the onscreen action.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is a blend of action and stealth gameplay that also features elements of character progression. Taking place at Arkham Asylum, a mental institution housing most of Gotham’s most dangerous criminals, players are given a sense of free roaming as they can freely travel from one building to another while attempting to stop the Joker’s nefarious plans after his most recent escape allowed him to take control of the island. Joker isn’t alone though and in addition to the obviously necessary (but as usual completely ineffective) Henchmen, he is joined by a supporting cast of classic Batman villians such as Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Bane and Scarecrow. The Riddler also makes an appearance of sorts, having scattered 240 challenges and Riddler trophies around the Asylum. Completing these challenges and finding these trophies will award Batman extra experience which can be used to upgrade your abilities. To complete all of these 240 challenges will require players to search every area looking not only for trophies but also hidden items which can be “scanned” with Batman’s “Detective Vision”. Pressing the LB will activate this vision mode which highlights secret areas, trophies and even allows you to partially see x-ray outlines of enemies through walls. This is helpful for rooms featuring armed henchmen to allow you to plan out routes of movement.

The combat in this newest Batman game can be described in one word. Smooth! Batman’s physical prowess is in full effect as players are able to deliver a serious beatdown to his enemies. Even though the controls are quite simple and revolve around a simple Attack/Counter/Stun setup, the execution of it all melds into a combat experience that is reminiscent of the flowing combat featured in Assassin’s Creed. As you hit your enemies you will build up a combo chain which allows you to obtain larger experience bonuses. To supplement your combat moves Batman can also use a variety of his gadgets, such as the Batarangs and BatClaw, to continue his attacks even from a distance and chain even higher combo bonuses. Although Batman can take a beating, but he can’t take a bullet! Coming across enemies who are equipped with guns will force the player to take a more stealthy approach to combat. By hiding in the ceilings on top of gargoyles, crawling underneath vent grates and even sneaking around behind destructible walls, players can approach enemies to take them down silently. Unlockable abilities, such as the inverted takedown, also allow Batman to add to his repetoire of silent techniques.

What truly ties this game together however is the attention to detail in regards to the voiceovers, music and sound effects. Life is breathed into this game by featuring the familiar voices of Kevin Conroy (who voices Batman so well I wish they’d let him do voiceover for Christian Bale in the movies), Mark Hamill as the Joker and Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn. Taking down a room full of henchmen one by one also provides some humorous ear candy as they slowly freak out while being picked off from the shadows. The highlight of the whole game though however is that, as usual, Mark Hamill steals the show. He voices the Joker so well that you can’t help but smile while he rants and raves over the loudspeakers, berating his henchmen for being morons.

Lastly the game features a number of unlockable bonuses. Most of these are in the form of character bios, viewable models of various characters and enemies, actual Arkham Asylum patient interviews (which are VERY good!) as well as a number of Challenge Levels. These extra levels are essentially little combat arenas that pit you against either a set of unarmed henchmen to hone your combat skills on, or a set of armed henchmen to work on your silent takedowns. These Challenge Levels offer Xbox Live enabled leaderboards so you can view how you stack up to the Live community as well as your friends.

Tips & Tricks

Don’t forget to use your gadgets while fighting! A quick batarang or batclaw to disable a few surrounding enemies can give you extra time to chain up your combo meter

Always keep an eye out to pick up the Riddler’s Challenge trophies! Finding these can mean upgrading Batman with cooler moves and even more health!

If you come across an area that you can’t get to, or a trophy you can’t reach, come back later. There are areas you can’t access until later in the game.

Detective Vision is great to find hidden areas, but try not to overuse it!

Reaction

Oh, comic book character games. How you manage to usually suck so bad is beyond me!!! In my opinion it’s because the developers weren’t constrained to a shabby movie with a horrible plot and script which therefore thankfully makes this game a HUUUGE exception to the usual crap that is thrown at us! I can’t remember a comic book game that stuck so close to the source material that it felt like it was a continuation of the comics.

I really felt that the combat in this game couldn’t get any better. It’s a sweet combination of simplicity and style that comes together like peanut butter and jelly. Watching Batman pound a henchman’s head into the ground, grab and break the arm of the goon behind him and then deliver a slow motion roundhouse kick to the bad guy across the room is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Once I obtained access to the BatClaw I could not resist saying “GET OVER HERE!!!!” in my best Scorpion voice as I pulled an enemy across the room towards me. The combat really is that fun and because it’s so satisfying it leads me to one of my complaints about the game.

If I had to make complaints about the game, which I really don’t have many, I’d have to say it would have been nice if some of the enemies would respawn. After you’ve completed an area there is really no incentive to return there other than to search for missing Riddler Challenges. Of course, if you want to just beat up henchmen you can always load up one of the Challenge Levels, but I would have still liked to see the henchmen occasionally return to various areas. I would also have liked to see a greater number of Batman villians, especially considering the amount of love that went into all the character bios. I’m certain that there will be a sequel (hinted at the end of the game), so I have hopes to see other Gotham villians in the future. It’s also too easy to stay in Detective Vision through the whole game. Sure it allows you to see hidden items and areas and enemies through walls but it just makes the game too easy. Unfortunately I frequently found myself walking around in this mode and had to remind myself to turn it off. If you keep it on the whole game (which is easy to do) you’ll miss just how great the game truly looks. The only other minor gripe I have is that the game is almost TOO forgiving. Batman cannot die from falling off a cliff or missing a jump. If you miss a jump or fall, players can save themselves by quickly tapping the RB to grapple up from certain death.

This game is the total Batman package. It has everything. Amazing combat, excellent storyline, outstanding voiceovers, humor, and a replay value thanks to the inclusion of the Challenge Levels. If you were to play one superhero game this year, make it Batman: Arkham Asylum. You won’t regret it!

CoyAndChris gives this title a bat-tastic 9 out of 10!

—Author’s Note— PLEASE DEAR GOD MAKE A GOOD SUPERMAN GAME! After so many failures in the Superman series of games it would be nice to see a quality product be released similar to Batman. In my opinion they should revisit the Death of Superman saga and have a next-gen series of games based off that storyline!