Genre: Action
Publisher: Eidos, Warner Bros
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Players: 1
Retail Price: $60 Xbox, PS3 ($50 PC)
Availability: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Over the years, a ton of Batman games have been released on just about every console you could possibly think of, but none of them have really done a great job of capturing the atmosphere of the Batman Universe. Arkham Asylum turns that all around as it not only does an incredible job of finally demonstrating what it’s like to play as Batman, but it also paints an amazing portrait of the environment and the world that surrounds the characters.
To say that Arkham Asylum looks amazing would be an understatement. The character models and the environments are some of the most impressive you’ll find in a video game. The developers did a great job of building a world that looks and feels imposing as soon as you step foot into the asylum. Damage that occurs to the prison during the course of the game stays apparent throughout, and even Batman’s suit will begin to show damage and tears as you play through the game. In addition to its amazing looks, the game sounds great as well. The voice acting in the game is top notch and many of your favorite actors from the Batman Animated Series make their return to voice the likes of Batman, the Joker and Harley Quinn.
The environments look absolutely amazing
The story gives you exactly what you’d want to see in a Batman adventure. The game begins with you taking the Joker back to Arkham Asylum, and shortly after being escorted through the gates he breaks free… didn’t see that coming. You’ll spend the rest of the game trying to help restore order to the now out of control asylum, and at the same time try to uncover Jokers plan. The pacing to the game is great and it always feels like you’re working towards your next goal with a real purpose. Since the game features a unique story and isn’t tied to a specific movie license, the writers were able to present a great story full of some of great Batman villains. Even though the main focus of the game is on the Joker, you’ll still need to make your way through the likes of Bane, Poison Ivy and others, in addition to the massive supply of generic thugs that call Arkham home.
What really makes the game so much fun to play is the action. For the first time in a Batman game you are given the ability to truly play as the Dark Knight. Gameplay consists of standard combat, stealth missions and puzzle solving, all of which are blended together in such a way that the gameplay never feels stale. Combat is broken up into two distinct parts, Freeflow combat and Predator stealth missions. Freeflow is the combat system used in Batman that allows you to move from enemy to enemy in a continuous combination of maneuvers. Once you become well versed in the way the combat flows you’ll be able to string together massive combo moves that feel incredibly brutal and look amazing.
Even though Batman has a wide variety of tool and maneuvers at his disposal, he is still just a man and as such is susceptible to gun fire. This is where the Predator missions come into play, and where you’ll get to explore Batman’s stealth maneuvers. In these missions your goal is to eliminate your enemies without being seen by sneaking up on them and taking them out one by one. If you want to make it through you’ll need to use your environment to stay hidden by grappling up to statues or sneaking under the floor. In later portions of the game, to make things more challenging, some enemies will wear special collars that make noise when they are taken out to alert the others of what’s happened. These additional challenges do a great job of keeping things fresh as well as keeping you on your toes.
Many of your enemies are incredibly large...
Since he is the World’s Greatest Detective, would a Batman game be without some riddles to solve? In addition to your standard assortment of enemies, a substantial series of obstacles attempt to hinder your progress as you work through the game. Lucky for you Batman has come equipped with all of the high tech gadgets you’d expect including Batarangs, Explosive Gel and the ever useful grapple gun. You’ll also be given the ability to go into a special detective mode that gives you x-ray vision and allows you to see points of interest you might otherwise miss such as loose vents or weak walls. You’ll additionally use this mode when you are trying to track down certain characters by following a specific type of trail such as blood.
Once you’ve run through the main campaign there is still plenty to do with numerous challenge levels you can take on. Challenge levels are split into two different categories, combat and stealth. Each level has three levels of awards that can be obtained based on how you perform. In combat missions you are scored based on how high your freeflow combos are and how much damage you take. Predator missions have more specific goals such as pulling an enemy over a railing with a stealth maneuver or not being seen. Unfortunately you won’t be able to access all of the missions right away as you’ll need to unlock them first by solving certain riddles left by the Riddler throughout Arkham.
If you’re a Batman fan you have absolutely no reason not to go out and buy this game. Obviously people who are familiar with the content are going to appreciate more of what this game has to offer, but with such an incredible story and solid gameplay everyone should at least give it a try. Even after the main story is over you’ll be left with plenty to do, be it taking on the many challenge levels, or attempting to collect and solve the two hundred plus puzzles left by the Riddler all across Arkham. If you haven’t done so already, go check this game out.
