Batman: Arkham Asylum

By: Pepsi

Arkham Asylum was released for the 360, PS3, and Windows this year in August. Keep in mind I only own the Xbox 360 version, so I'm reviewing this having played it with a 360 controller. A stealth action-adventure game set entirely in the fictional psychiatric hospital named the Arkham Asylum. Now whether a fan of Batman movies, video games, comics, toys or whatever, or not even a fan of Batman or superheroes, you definitely need to game this game. Why you ask? Well first off Batman kicks major ass, who can deny that. Second because I told you to. And third because Arkham Aslyum isn't a typical superhero game. No it has way more depth to be in that pool of boring same old superhero games. The use of stealth and combo fighting truly requires tactic rather than balls-out kill everything. Also a variety of weapons are at your dispense. Also as you progress through the game, the story opens up more and more as you learn what the Joker truly has planned. Not only does the gameplay have a smooth transition, but the story slowly but surely progresses rather than shoving you into different objectives like most superhero games. Even though there's not much flaws in the game play, I'm still going to attempt to come up with something to pick at just because it wouldn't be much of a review if I didn't. PAR 4-Usually voice acting in a game isn't something to point out as being entertaining, or 'good.' Mostly because voice acting sucks in a lot of games, but in Arkham Asylum not only is the voice acting great, the cut scenes add a lot to the experience. It definitely feels like you're interacting with a Batman movie rather than just playing an awesome video game (of course until you start dying every second!). Lets get committed to this asylum already.

At first glance I thought the fight mechanics were a bit slow and difficult to deal with. Then the game introduced upgrades you could level up, and that confused me even more. When fighting face-to-face with about 8 to 10 unarmed thugs, it's pretty easy to mash the punch button and also the counter button to beat down those that actually get close enough to strike you. Sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming with so much thugs around you, but using your weapons to stun a few thugs can make the process a whole lot easier than just taking them all on. Now even though Batman is a bit slow during combat, the controls are very smooth when fighting thug after thug. Even when armed thugs discover Batman it's still pretty easy to get your ass up and hook away, which of course you need to do in a matter of seconds because Batman's health is scarce. The use of stealth to either attack from gargoyle statues or by sneaking up behind the thugs is amazing. For those that like games that instead of all out fighting want some tactic and planning in a game this is definitely for you. At some points you'll be faced with 7 or 8 armed thugs in a room walking all over. You'll definitely need to master the stealth tactics pretty soon. Whether it be attacking from high, low, or from behind, you'll use it all. As the thugs start getting a little smarter and use weapons like tasers and knives, you'll need to adjust your face-to-face combat tactics.

I was on the edge of my seat pretty much the entire game. Not only is the game play amazing, but I got addicted and played hours at a time just to find out what happens next. It seems like an easy concept, Joker escapes from custody and transforms the Arkham Asylum into his asylum. I won't spoil anything for those that actually care about the story, but like I said before there's a lot more plot twists and change of direction than just the Joker releasing homicidal maniacs. There's a wide variety of well known old school Batman villains to beat down. Villains like: Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Scarecrow, Bane, and even Zsasz. The entire game is very dark with few humor coming from either Joker himself or the Riddler (yes he makes a semi appearance!) This is not a Batman game for the kiddies, but then again, Batman as a whole has changed within the past 15 years or so, taking a darker route than other superheroes.

What needs to be noted again is how well the story unfolds, and how smooth of a transition it is to go from one objective to another. Going to one area of the island to another. Unlike a lot of superhero games which don't seem to be thought out and place you in different objectives right after each other without entertaining cut scenes or make you fight well known superhero enemies one after the other. It gets a little tiresome walking across the whole island to get to your objectives. There's a lot of hooking going on just to get around barriers blocking your way. Yeah it's not much of a con, but the game is pretty flawless, it's hard finding something wrong with it. It's pretty slow getting in and out of the many vents you travel through. Slight annoyance especially when: A) you're tired of the damn vents. B) you're trying to get away from armed thugs and opening the vents slow you down and you get shot, and lose half your damn health. The controls are nice and comfortable, except when trying to access weapons on your d-pad that are placed diagonally. The d pad is pretty difficult to use quickly anyway, but using the diagonal weapons make it even more difficult to use whether in or out of combat. But like I said it's pretty damn difficult to find anything so wrong with the game that you shouldn't go out right now and buy it.

Also something I'll quickly mention is the Riddler's semi appearance in the game. You hear him throughout the game, but you never see him or fight him. There's all sorts of collectables in the game, but none are as fun as solving the Riddler's riddles. See, in just about every room there's all sorts of difficult riddles you have the option of solving. You'll need to use your detective mode (I won't explain detective mode too much but it's basically a mode that lets Batman find clues and see thugs through the walls) to travel throughout the asylum and using the one clue he gives you for each riddle. Might sound kind of lame to some, but it was a fun aspect of the game for me, and I have yet to solve them all. They range from obvious to extremely difficult, especially in some of the larger rooms.

Something I haven't stressed enough yet is how entertaining the game is to watch, not only play. Like I said, it feels like you're interacting with a Batman movie. Not the overrated Heath Ledger Joker, but the classic joker. Not the new voice of Batman you've heard from the new movies, but a classic Batman voiced excellently. Everyone's voice is well acted and suits the characters perfectly, with Batman probably being my personal favorite. Again another one of those games that puts graphics and realism on another level. The graphics were so intense and real I sometimes forgot I was playing a video game and not watching a movie. The entire island has a dark creepy feeling to it, you definitely get that feeling of alone when running back and forth.

Also I'll note, the game doesn't have a real online feature other than maybe future content downloads. There's the whole challenge system which you unlock as you play through the game, which you're able to play and try to get on the leader boards if you really care about that kind of shit. I didn't but it's fun to play the challenges over again. There's also the ability to play the game as the Joker for PS3 owners only, which I believe can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store. Sorry I can't honestly comment on that, I don't own a PS3 and have only played the 360 version of the game. But seeing pictures and videos of it, looks pretty hilarious as he has different combat moves than Batman, and taking down the Joker as the Joker?! How the fuck does that work?! Oh well, check into that PS3 owners.

So if you want my personal opinion, every one of you should get this game. You have either a 360, PS3, or Windows, so get on it. Buy it, rent it, enjoy it. Don't think of this as your usual boring ass superhero game. It isn't. The use of stealth and combat fighting will exhilarate you as you beat down 7 or 8 thugs whether it be face-to-face combat, or hiding in the shadows, plotting your next attack. Those of you who enjoy games with a tasteful story line that progresses so smoothly you can easily get addicted and end up spending hours a time going through it. Seriously there are no rough stops or slow downs to the story, it doesn't bounce back and fort, in moves from one objective to the next. From one villain to the next. The story is very dark and adult themed, so don't expect some Cartoon Network Batman kiddie shit. I also can't stress this enough how pretty much flawless the game is. Whether it be the controls, the fighting mechanics, or the cut scenes it's all amazing. I would give the game a 9.5 overall (out of 10 of course). Nothing can be completely perfect, and its a shame that the few cons that arise comes mostly from the 360 controller itself (hmm maybe the PS3 controller is a lot easier to play with). And it's also a shame that the developers couldn't make Batman ram the damn vents open instead of having to jam the A button to open them up. But oh well, vents and difficult d-pad controls should not stop you from either renting this game or buying it. I've never felt so strongly about a game since Gears of War 2. Final thoughts, good game, go get it, and I hope anyone that listens enjoys it.