Batman Arkham Asylum
First off, I don’t know who got this game down to $39.99. But thanks for the wicked deal. A lot of shops have been offering this competitive price for the game, instead of the suggested retail of $59.99, and with the crowded upcoming holiday season it was a great bonus. If I hadn’t played the demo previously I would have been really skeptical of the game at that price, but there’s no need for that.
Batman is a straight up great game, which is funny to say because despite it being a huge comic franchise, there have been very few games for it, and even fewer good games (The best being the Batman and Robin games for SNES/Genesis).
Batman Arkham Asylum offers a fun and fresh game, featuring several different play styles and design elements that work really well together.
The game features Batman bringing in Joker to the Arkham Asylum, only to discover that he’s walked right into a trap where the Joker has taken control and all of the inmates (you can bet 100% of them put there by Batman himself) are free and looking for a fight. As Batman you’ll have to investigate, climb, sneak, and fight you way through the asylum on Arkham island to stop the Joker’s evil plan.
The story is fun, the voices are great, and there’s tons of fan service thrown in. It’s clear that the developers here really care about the Batman franchise and wanted to make a worthy game.
The game has a 3rd person view like Gears of War or Resident Evil 5. Which works well for the game, but can be a little annoying because Batman takes up so much of the screen when there’s no action going on. Movement is typical for a 3rd person game, and you can sprint and roll dodge.
As I mentioned previously there’s a ton of gameplay elements thrown in here. The combat is mostly combo based. Using the attack button and pressing towards different types of enemies Batman can unleash so wicked combos and take on large groups on enemies with little problems. The game has a nice effect of slowing down for the finishing blow which leads to some pretty epic take downs. Enemies that are on the ground you can leap to and finish them off if you need to take out a group quickly, and if an enemy is about to attack you, you’ll be prompted to press the counter button and Batman will block the attack and deliver one of his own.
The higher combo you get when defeating enemies the more XP Batman will earn. You can use this XP to unlock more skills, gadgets, and upgrades.
The stealth gameplay sections work really well, they aren’t as complex as something like Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell which is nice for this type of game. Basically you can sneak up behind enemies and perform a silent takedown, or drop behind them from above and do the same. There are some areas you can hide in and wait for them to pass by. For large groups of enemies with guns you need to isolate them and take them down one at a time. It’s a really fun change up from the standard beating people down combat.
Batman will also have to use his acrobatic skills to get around the facility, he can jump and duck to get over or under obstacles, as well as grab ledges and shimmy around them. You can use your bat grapple hook to get to higher ledges and hold X will allow you to automatically jump across small ledges in a very Assassins Creed like fashion.
The final major gameplay type in the game is the detective mode. Batman can switch to this mode to investigate the area, scan items, and look for clues on how to proceed. It’s also really helpful in the stealth sections as you can see where enemies are more easily. There’s also puzzles to be solved using your gadgets, stuff like using your batarang to hit a switch nearby.
The detective mode is also used in one on-going side quest which is to solve all of the Riddler’s riddles. Every so often you’ll get a riddle and will have to scan the nearby item that it relates to. It’s an interesting way to add something interesting to the game.
The game has several other side quests which involve unlocking all the characters bios, and finding recordings around that shed light on more of the story. There’s also a TON of Riddler trophies around to find which unlock more secrets.
As for bonuses and unlockables this game is full of them. Aside from all the story mode stuff, there’s several challenge rooms to extend your gameplay. If you get the PS3 version of this game you can download a free additional set of rooms where you get to play as the Joker. Some stores also have bonus challenge rooms which I’m sure will be up for DLC later.
Also on the blu-ray itself (accessible through the video tab on the XMB) is a series of making of videos and trailers.
Installing the game data and creating a profile will also allow you to unlock the free Bat Cave personal space in playstation home.
With all these bonuses and nice touches thrown in, Batman Arkham Asylum is a must play. If you’re not really a Batman or 3rd person action game fan, you should still give it a rent, but if you like either I highly recommend this game. It’s fun, polished and well worth the asking price.
