When I first heard about Batman: Arkham Asylum a year or so ago, I was actually a little worried. I’m a rather huge comic nerd, and Batman has always been one of my top favorites. The world of Batman is rather unique with an inherent darkness not found in many other mainstream comics. On top of that, the game is set in Arkham, a place filled with some of the worst villains ever pondered. Seriously, the Joker beat one of the previous Robins to death. So needless to say, I was rather concerned that the game would not live up to standards set by the comics. However, I have one main point to make about Arkham Asylum: boy, did it ever deliver.
WHAT YOU’LL LIKE:
Excellent Story
The plot of Arkham Asylum is written by Paul Dini, longtime writer of titles including Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Detective Comics, Countdown and many, many others. Unlike other previous Batman games, it is based solely on lore established in the comic books, not something new dreamed up just for the game. So basically, you know the story is good. The story begins with the Joker attempting to attack the Mayor’s office, which of course Batman foils. The Joker is personally escorted to Arkham by Batman, and to make things worse, Arkham is additionally full after a mysterious fire at Blackgate Prison. However, in typical style, the Joker has a plan, and it’s a doozie. Within minutes, Harley Quinn has taken control of Arkham security and the Joker has been released by a traitor security guard, and all Hell breaks loose. The Joker has set up all kinds of fun and games in Arkham for Batman. To ensure that Batman stays alone, the Joker has set up bombs scattered through Gotham, and he will blow them up if anyone comes close to Arkham. And so, our Dark Knight is isolated in Arkham, with only Commissioner Gordon, Oracle and the faithful guards to rely on. Most of the best-known Batman villains are present, like Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Bane and Scarecrow, but also a couple more obscure bad guys like Mr. Zsasz. I could keep going, but basically, the plot of this game is fantastically written. It will keep your interest from start to finish, and be thoroughly satisfying for Batman comic fans.
The Joker really pulls out all the stops for Batman this time.
The Gang’s All Back….
For any fans of Batman: The Animated Series, most of the voices for this game will sound awfully familiar. Kevin Conroy has been the voice of Batman from the beginning of The Animated Series all the way back in 1992, continuing through Batman Beyond, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited which ended in 2006. Also back is Mark Hamill as the Joker. Yep, for those of you who didn’t know, Luke Skywalker is the Joker, and he has been for more than ten years. Also for those of you who didn’t know, he’s freaking great at it. Seriously, Mark Hamill IS the Joker. Arleen Sorkin, longtime voice of Harley Quinn also makes a return. The always reliable Steve Blum also lends his voice talents to Killer Croc, among others. The voice acting leaves very very little to be desired. The voices of almost every character, especially the villains, really serves to enhance the game experience. My only nitpick is the overuse of the line, “You’re safe now,” by Batman, which he says to EVERY person that he saves.
Kevin Conroy's voice really adds to the dark atmosphere.
Fantastic Gameplay
The style of Arkham Asylum is a nice mix of stealth, problem solving and fighting. The hand-to-hand combat is a free-flow system based on four actions: jump, strike, reverse and stun. One need only point the left stick at the target and select the desired action to fight off hordes of thugs. A combo counter will keep track of the attacks that are strung together without Batman being hit. The higher the counter goes, the more experience you will gain at the conclusion of the fight. The use of Batman’s gadgets, including the Batarang and explosive gel gun, is definitely encouraged during fights. The combat setup is such that just mashing the strike button doesn’t really get you anywhere, so executing a 20-hit combo is even more satisfying. However, when open combat is not necessarily the intelligent path, most will find that stealth attacks are ever so satisfying. You can make excellent use of the grapple gun and move around in the rafters, the swoop from above in an unseen attack, among many other methods. Stealth is enhanced greatly by Detective Mode, which allows you to see in the dark, follow clue trails and illuminate your enemies.
The world seen through Detective Mode
In typical Batman style, the Detective Mode tech is built into his cowl, giving him an even more ominous appearance when activated. Ultimately, it really adds another aspect to the gameplay and shows you Arkham in a whole other light. There are also several visual puzzles that cannot be solved without the aid of Detective Mode. The Riddler, in true style, has scattered 240 challenges throughout Arkham, which is all open world. Several are collectibles that will unlock character bios, interview tapes and other things. The challenges really make exploring worth it. I could go on and on about how awesome the gameplay is, but just eventually it might get a little ridiculous, so please just take my word for it that it’s totally awesome.
Great Audio/Visual Effects
Everything about the environment of Arkham works cohesively to make the asylum a dark, ominous, frightening place. Each room is impeccably designed from the furniture to the scribbles on the walls to the trash all over the floor. The ambient environment is filled with the yells and screams of enraged prisoners and the dead bodies of unfortunate guards are scattered across the floor. The place really just looks like it’s been ravaged by ruffians, which it has. You would definitely be terribly uncomfortable visiting Arkham in real life. The graphics are very sharp and clear and every sound effect sounds authentic and fits the situation. The music is also absolutely perfect for the atmosphere. Everything about the audio/visual effects in this game just makes everything even that much more dark and disturbing.
WHAT YOU WON’T LIKE
You know, I really thought hard about this, and for once I don’t actually have any major complaints with this game, or at least anything serious enough to merit a category. Oh sure, I have my nitpicks, but there aren’t any serious deficiencies. One thing that consistently bothered me was how Batman would cavalierly refer to Oracle as Barbara (that’s Barbara Gordon, for those who don’t know) in clear earshot of other people. In the comics, everyone in the Bat family is very protective of Oracle and keeping her identity secret, and it’s just kind of out of character to just walk around calling her Barbara. I understand that they wrote the script that way because Oracle is not one of the most well-known characters and they want players to know who she is, but it still bothered me as a comic fan. Also, sometimes the AI is a little lacking, and some of the boss fights are very slightly repetitive. All of my complaints are basically things along those lines, little nitpicks that probably won’t bother most players, but I notice them. So yeah, I really don’t have much bad to say about this game at all.
Um....well, this is an interesting problem.
RECOMMENDATION:
Buy this! Arkham Asylum is definitely one of the most entertaining games I have ever played, and is, in my opinion, the best comic book game ever made. The gameplay and graphics are excellent and the story is interesting enough to keep your interest throughout the game. The replay value is actually pretty high for a one-player game with all of the collectibles and challenge modes to complete after the main story is done. I think that, of the games I have played so far this year, this is my best $60 spent. This is really what a Batman game should be.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Systems: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Publisher: Eidos/Warner Bros
Find: Amazon, Gamefly, Goozex
All reviews are based on final retail code unless otherwise noted.
Want to know more about the game? Just ask! We love to hear ourselves type, and might even say something vaguely resembling an answer to your question(s)…
September 7th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
By far the best game I’ve played all year, and one of my all-time favorites. Definitely the best comic book game ever made. Once again Batman shows everyone else how to do it right. Hope Marvel was watching…
September 8th, 2009 at 6:28 am
Awesome review. It makes me wanna buy the game!
September 8th, 2009 at 8:21 am
YEAH BATMAN!
Do it, man!
September 8th, 2009 at 9:23 am
I still haven’t beat the game but I’m having so much fun with it it’s ridiculous. It’s so satisfying to take down bad guys as Batman! I hope the eventual sequel takes us into the city. It’ll be challenging but oh so much fun.
September 14th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Ok I finally beat it and now I’ve got my review up: http://www.thenerdybird.com/2009/09/i-fooled-around-with-batman.html