Batman Arkham Asylum – Game Review
Let’s face it: no one is reading this article because they’re already playing Batman: Arkham Asylum. If you’re not, you should be – like Batman Begins made Batman films good again, so too has Rocksteady’s masterpiece set Batman video games back on track. I mean, this game is so good Guinness has already bestowed the World Record for “Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever” on it.
So fair enough, this game is good – but why? Read on to find out!
The good: Batman, one of DC Comics’ big three iconic characters, is a brilliant detective and crime-fighter, but has had a rather lacklustre video game career (still, he’s done much better than poor Wonder Woman or Superman). 8- and 16-bit Batman games basically had you running around using a batarang to take out enemies. Next-generation outings didn’t change much either; the best Batman game before Arkham Asylum was Lego Batman, which probably tells you something straight away. Arkham Asylum does a brilliant job to showcase the full arsenal of Batman’s skills; there’s just as much stealth and detective work as there is combat.
Batman: so cool he looks THROUGH walls.
It’s neat to track down a fingerprint, or a specific chemical, and configure your cowl to pick up instances of that clue in the environment via detective mode. That same mode also allows for unobtrusive fan-service – fans can go and track down references to Catwoman, Penguin, and others; those who aren’t as interested can just move along with the story. As for stealth — seriously, you will find yourself screaming “I’M BATMAN!” as you hang upside-down from a gargoyle, silently zipping down to take out an enemy.
The character design is inspired – the Scarecrow and Poison Ivy stand out as the best examples of this. The Scarecrow is terrifying, and his portions of the game certainly make for tense gameplay. Poison Ivy is the best evidence that this game isn’t just for the kiddies – I’ve never seen a Bat-character so sexualised…and I like it!
Hamill and Conroy back together again. AWESOME.
As someone who grew up watching the Batman animated series on TV, I was excited that the original voice cast was reunited for the game. You might scream it in-play, but Kevin Conroy really IS Batman; Christian Bale eat your heart out. Arleen Sorkin has made Harley Quinn such a success that DC actually introduced her quirky character into the Batman comic books (did you know that she first appeared in the cartoon?), and it goes without saying that Mark Hamill’s Joker truly makes the game. The nostalgia alone would make this game great if it had nothing else to fall back on.
There’s far too much to mention about this game’s good bits, so let’s round it off and give bonus points for a lack of multiplayer. Game developers take note: games do not have to multiplayer modes tacked on simply for the sake of it.
The meh: As much as it’s amazing to be a fully-rounded crimefighter, the actual fighting is a bit hard to master. Rocksteady calls it freeflow, and it’s frustrating as all hell until you master it (read: upgrade first, then practice for about ten hours). There are nine unique moves you can integrate into your fighting via simple button presses; the finesse comes into play as XP points are maximised by chaining those moves together in one freeflow combo string. When it works, it really works, and you can feel the power behind Batman’s punches, flips, and takedowns. When you’re going for a 40 hit combo (because it’s all about the achievements) and Batman randomly punches to the left when you’re CLEARLY holding your control-stick to the right, you will get frustrated. That feeling will become repetitious. You’ve been warned.
Poor old henchman, did he sign up for this? really? Batman you bully!
To the game’s credit, you can use the excellent Challenge Rooms in an attempt to refine your skills. Doing so helps two-fold: you get achievements in the Challenge Rooms, and the skills you need to build to get those successes can be used in the main game to help out in some of the tougher boss sections.
The shite: The last boss fight, hands down. Whether this is because of the overall quality of the last boss, or because the bosses preceding it are excruciatingly harder is anyone’s guess.
Overall, this game is deserving of its accolades and receives a Cool Plus from this reviewer. The gameplay is addictive, there’s room for DLC packs with new Challenge Rooms alone, and the possibility of a sequel (maybe actually in Gotham this time?) seems high. Bring it on, I say! I can handle anything – I’m Batman.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Systems: PC, PS3, Xbox 360 (this review)
Developed by: Rocksteady Studios
Distributed by: Eidos Entertainment
Starring: Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Arleen Sorkin, Tom Kane
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Trailer
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