REVIEW: Batman: Arkham Asylum

Finally, a retail game to review. Here is my review of Batman: Arkham Asylum...

Batman: Arkham Asylum is a multiplatform title developed by newcomers Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive. It is a full retail title with 1000 gamerscore for Xbox 360 and trophies for PS3. In addition, the PS3 version contains exclusive "Joker" levels. Batman: Arkham Asylum is based upon the long existing Batman franchise, taking inspiration from comics, movies, and every other Batman medium. It can be considered a third-person action adventure with beat-em-up and free-roam elements.

STORY: Batman: Arkham Asylum takes place in the Batman comic book continuity. It begins with Batman escorting the Joker back to Arkham Asylum after the Joker takes the major hostage at his office. As soon as Batman and the Joker reach the asylum however, things only go downhill. It is discovered that the Joker staged the entire event to get back into the asylum and take control of the asylum. Batman is stuck in the asylum, and his entire rogue's gallery is there too. You can assume what happens next. The story of Arkham Asylum is amazing. Paul Dini, the writer of the animated series and recent comic book stories within the Batman universe, writes the perfect story. The setup of Batman trapped in the asylum is simple enough, but the story is anything but simple. Various plots twists and surprises are abound in the game. It feels like a real Batman story, full of drama, action, mystery, and overall badass-ness. This isn't a light story either. Players will find the mature and realistic Batman in this game. The themes and overall atmosphere are mature, and not for the light-hearted. A big part of the immersiveness of the story is the voice acting. Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin reprise their roles from the animated series as Batman, the Joker, and Harley Quinn, respectively. Their voices fit extremely well, and the story truly sounds and feels like something from the comic books or the animated series. In particular, Mark Hamill's spectacular performance as the Joker is worth noting. He has not lost touch since the original series, and the Joker is more menacing than ever. Overall, the story is perfect. No one should be worried that the story is watered down for the game. If anything, it is more complicated than other games. Boys and girls, this story is comparible to powerhouse stories like BioShock. The story will make all the players do a double take, as the twists in this game are crazy. I won't spoil it, but don't be surprised if you find yourself wondering what happened to your game console for a bit. The boss battles in this game are great, but as many other game do, the last boss battle is a bit weird. Not Gears of War 2 weird, but a little out there. Without going into extreme detail, the actual gameplay of the fight is great, but the context can be a turnoff. No big deal however, as it definetely doesn't ruin things or create problems. The story of Batman:AA is a 5 star adventure.

GAMEPLAY: Batman: Arkham Asylum creates a much different experience gameplay wise. The true value of this game comes in one simple premise: you are Batman. Rocksteady kept this in their heads during the entire development process, and their attention should be rewarded. At any and every time, at any and every place, and at any and every moment, you feel like Batman. The gameplay mechanics are tailored strictly to make the player become the Dark Knight. There is not one moment where you feel like you are playing a video game. This is an immersive experience. No game has every accomplished the level of becoming Batman like this does. Combat is free-flowing and super easy to pick up, yet difficult to master, much like Batman himself. Each punch and kick feel like the prowess and power of Batman. You feel the ease of fighting yet the mastery and skill of Batman at the same time. The greatest of these examples of immersion is when you become an invisible predator. There is nothing better than walking into the room with 5 armed thugs and taking them all down without ever being noticed. This feet is completed through several key gameplay mechanics. First, the game employs detective mode. This changes the look of the environment to locate all enemies (whether they are armed or not, too!), all environmental changes, fingerprints, and a bunch of other stuff. Secondly, Batman's incredible repetoir of gadgets comes into use, with things such as the classic batarang to the batclaw which can grapple to not only the environment but people, too. The gadgets themselves are key to the immersion, as each has its own unique use and makes you feel really awesome. To go more into actual campaign gameplay, the free-roam is great. Arkham Asylum is varied in gameplay. You may encounter a group of thugs that need taking care of, or you might need to investigate a crime seen for clues. You might find yourself following fingerprints to locate a person, or quitely roaming the sewer system without alerting Killer Croc. Gameplay is varied and never boring.

GRAPHICS AND DESIGN: The game looks awesome running with the Unreal Engine. Environments are varied in every way, and in particular, the shadows and dark textures look amazing. This, once again, brings Batman and the "hiding in the shadows" M.O. into the game nicely. One thing of note is that the game never looks unrealistic. This can be hard in a superhero game, but Batman:AA pulls it off. A nice little touch also is the surrounding Gotham City you can see on the horizon. Even though some may find the setting of Arkham Island a cop-out for the cooler Gotham City, the brilliant vista and gigantic moon lit with the Bat-signal never make you feel like you are somewhere else. You are in Gotham, believe me. Unfortunately, some may find the detective mode a bit annoying. The gameplay is extremely reliant on this, and due to the blueing of the screen, some of the more awesome vistas can be missed. Not a big deal though if you just remember to turn it off when you aren't fighting. A highpoint of this game is the character design. The Joker looks like his menacing self, with the big grin and purple suit. Batman looks like Batman but much more grounded in reality. Batman isn't in tights nor is he in a rubber nipple suit. The game balances the more realistic interpretations of Batman with the comic versions, and comes up with a suit that looks great. This is one of my favorite interpretations of Batman's look. All the villains look great, and it is nice that Rocksteady considered that these inmates probably wouldn't have access to their "costumes" after a long incarceration, so they redesigned everyone to make them fit. Harley Quinn seems to have stolen some nurse's uniforms and put her spin on it. Scarecrow has gained access to a burlap sac and has constructed a crude fear toxin injector in the form of five seringes attached to his right hand. Poison Ivy has stolen a guard's coat. These design decisions make the villains look realistic, applicable to the story, unique to the game, and still look like themselves. Props to the design team at Rocksteady.

REPLAYABILITY: There are so many things to do in this game. The story itself has 3 difficulties, so that is a good 24+ hours there. Arkham is full of secrets too. The Riddler has placed several trophies among the island along with several riddles to be solved, a good 240 combined. Through my initial playthrough, I only found 50 some, so good hunting. Arkham itself includes mysteries alluding to its dark history, with strange symbols to be found. A deep secret is revealed after these are all found, so be sure to look for those. In addition to these in game goodies, Batman: AA has an entirely seperate challenge mode, with maps made for fighting arenas or invisible predator. Here you can earn medals either for lasting long enough, scoring high, or doing specific things, like inverted takedowns. These can get extremely difficult and challenging, so these won't take a short time. Overall, replayability is high.

PROS: Amazing gameplay and immersiveness. You feel like Batman all the time and in every way. Everything in this game from the vistas to the laughable quotes from the Joker are flawless.
CONS: Detective mode can cause one to forget the beauty of the environments, last boss battle is a little flatter than the others.

I am a lifelong Batman fan. I have played other Batman games and some of them have been good, while other have been really, really BAD. The first ten minutes of this game made me conclude that this is the best Batman game ever. Think about this: gameplay doesn't start till 15 minutes in. The first ten minutes drew me to this conclusion. After I began playing and being the Dark Knight, I concluded this was the best superhero game ever created. I couldn't believe how they captured Batman so well. I lost all feeling of playing a game. I was Batman. After I finished the game, however, I made a bigger conclusion: this is one of the best games ever. I want to really point this out. This game has story that takes serious turns. I haven't felt twists like this since BioShock. That is saying something. Some can be turned off by a superhero game. This may be either by the past reputation of superhero games or that they just can't believe that a superhero game could amount to the greatness of classic stories like BioShock or Mass Effect. This game does that. Please, PLEASE don't be turned off. This game has it all. Good games make the player play through a good story and experience. Great games make it an effort to immerse the player. Excellent games immerse the player completely, and make them feel emotion in a game. Batman: Arkham Asylum is without a doubt in my mind an excellent game.

VERDICT: You are missing out by not at least trying this game. It is a unique and unrepeatable experience that can keep your excitement and emotions like BioShock can. If you don't like great story, immersive gameplay, extreme twists, amazing design, and awesomeness, avoid this game. On the other hand, if you like any of these things, buy the game. It is worth every damn cent.