Batman: Arkham Asylum (Sony Playstation 3, 2009)

You've heard of Batman no doubt, but if you don't read comics, it's conceivable that you might be unfamiliar with Arkham Asylum. The iconic psychiatric hospital is essentially Gotham City's Alcatraz, and it has housed just about every villain Batman has ever tangled with at one time or another. Now, thanks to Eidos and developer Rocksteady, Arkham is also the setting for a great third-person action game in which the lunatics take over the asylum and only you can stop them. As Batman, you not only get to go toe-to-toe with thugs in fast-paced punch-ups, but you also employ satisfying stealth tactics, play with great gadgets, solve some remarkable riddles, and do a decent amount of detective work. In short, you get to do all of the things that you want to when you don a Batman costume in a game, provided you weren't hoping to get behind the wheel of the batmobile. Because just about everything else needs to be unlocked, the first time you boot up Batman: Arkham Asylum, your first port of call will inevitably be the Story mode. Here, you learn that Batman has captured Joker, and as the lengthy intro sequence plays out, you see him being returned to the asylum under Batman's watchful eye. Joker doesn't seem at all perturbed by his predicament, and it quickly becomes apparent that he has deliberately allowed himself to be captured as part of a grand plan that involves taking control of Arkham Island and throwing a party there with Batman as the guest of honor. Clearly it's a trap, but as Batman (and as someone who demands more than two minutes of gameplay before the credits roll), you just can't walk away from it.

As you take the controls, Arkham Asylum wastes no time throwing you into the thick of the action. Almost immediately, you're rushed by a few of Joker's goons and encouraged to knock them out using both basic attacks and counters. Using just two buttons, you can perform a huge number of moves from Batman's superbly animated repertoire, and it isn't at all difficult to string together combos worthy of Hollywood's finest fight coordinators. That's because for the most part, at least early in the game, combat requires you to do little more than mash the attack button and then hit the counter button anytime you notice an enemy with an "I'm about to attack you" icon above his head. None of the thugs that you encounter pose much of a threat individually, but you rarely encounter fewer than three or four of them at once, and often, you'll be up against six or more. Furthermore, the vanilla thugs are joined by enemies with knives, cattle prods, and guns later on, who force you to raise your game and incorporate stun attacks and evasive rolls into your deadly dance routine. Boss battles against supervillains like Scarecrow and Harley Quinn are definitely among the game's highlights, though it's a little disappointing that there aren't more of them. One supervillain in particular makes a number of appearances, but you never actually get to fight him. The combat in Arkham Asylum never gets overly complicated, though the number of moves and attacks at your disposal increases quite dramatically as you progress through the Story mode, earn experience points, and subsequently spend those points on acquiring new combo moves and gadgets. Throws, takedowns, and even batarang attacks can be incorporated into your combos this way, but you never need to press more than two buttons simultaneously

Introduction

I decided to buy this game after reading some reviews in the internet. A few days after it arrived, I put the disc in the console and started enjoying the experience of playing like the Batman.

Batman: Arkhan Asylum puts you in the role of the "greatest detective on Earth" like no other video game did before. All the former attempts to turn this superhero into a playable character on the screen lacked some important features of Gotham's vigilante.

The Plot

The story begins with Batman arresting his nemesis, The Joker, and taking him to Arkham Asylum, the sanitarium where the criminally insane are treated. But very soon you discover that Joker is up to some tricky plot, and you, as the Batman, fall into a trap that has the size of an island (the island where the Arkham Complex is set - there is a Mansion, an Intensive Treatment Center, a Penitentiary, a Botanical Garden and a Medical Facility, all explorable). Your main mission is to find the Joker, who is in control of the Asylum, and free the island from the mad criminals. Throughout the game, you will have to go through several minor missions that reveal details of Joker's plans.

Gameplay

Many aspects of the protagonist are present here. His skills to fight martial arts allow you to beat the thugs you find on your way and the gadgets in his utility belt are useful in many missions. These two features were present in almost all former Batman video games, but his detective skills were almost entirely absent.

Now, in Batman: Arkham Asylum, you may experience his stealth abilities that help you avoid the bullets of armed brutes and defeat them from the shadows. Also, Batman is able to track the environment just like a detective. This Will also help solve the Riddler's puzzles along the game.

Characterization

You will find many characters of Batman's stories and they are all very well depicted in this medium, from James Gordon and his daughter (who helps Batman all the way by means of a communicator) to all major Gotham City's villains (The Joker, The Scarecrow, Killer Croc, the Riddler, Bane and many others). The story of Arkham Asylum is also explored and explained.

Bruce Wayne's story is remembered in visions caused by the Scarecrow's gas. There are several refereneces to characters that do not appear in the game, but they are crucial to solve somre of the Riddler's puzzles. That is why a Batman's fan will enjoy much more of the game than ther people.
The environment is just like a Batman's mission night, with shadows to hide and gargoyles to climb. Batman's cape can spread wide like bat's wings as he glides from high towers and he can hang himself upside down just like a flying mammal would do.

Conclusion

If you want a challenge and the chance to feel like the Dark Knight in a mission that will take several hours of searching, thinking and sneaking, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a very good choice.

Also, the PS3 version of the game has a special feature: you can play as the Joker in special challenge stages, which is very fun.

Graphics: Excellent 9.5/10

Sound: Excellent 9.5/10
Controls: Great 8.5/10
Gameplay: Excellent 9.5/10

Replay: Very Good 8.0/10
Overall: Excellent 9.0/10


Note to the reader: This game has been played through and completed in its entirety.



Graphics: Excellent 9.5/10

The graphics are excellent, the cut-scenes and in-game graphics are seamless, and this is a great addition to the Fall 2009 line-up. It looks, feels, and has undertones of being "Bioshock-esque". This title pushes this generations graphics and leaves the purchaser wanting more. The shadows, lighting effects, colors, but more importantly the motions and combat animations are great, and really immerse you into the game. The bad guys, though repetitive, are detailed along with the backgrounds, and environments. This is a rich, and engrossing, environment.



Sound: Excellent – 9.5/10

The thing that sets this game apart is the voice acting. Games have had problems with cheesy actors, but this title gets Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil to do the voices of Batman and the Joker (from the Animated series). This game has the sound, from the sounds of the punches, groans, the heightening tension of the music when an attack is coming, and the sounds of The Asylum. The ambiance is set in the different areas by the increasing tones of heightening sense of importance through the use of music in this game.

Controls: Great - 8.5/10
Very well done and responsive control set. During combat, the controls can be pinpoint accurate, and makes it fun when playing the challenges. The downside is the use of Batman's arsenal, which the controls are lack accuracy.

Gameplay: Excellent – 9.5/10

Let me start by saying that when playing this game, there is nothing better than having an excellent Batman Game. With or without Batman, this game would be fun regardless, but just having this license makes it that much better. However, that being said, this game is a single player experience, and that is not a bad thing. Having a multi-player may have actually hurt this title. The computer A.I. will shoot you in the back, hunt you down, and will be aware of where you have been.

Replay Value: Very Good - 8.0/10

Once the game is over, you will most likely be wanting more. Luckily, there are many unlockables, multiple difficulty levels, and a challenge mode, with more maps to come, to keep you going. You will want to find all the upgrades for every weapon, and compare your times to your friends. After all that is said and done, you will have got your money's worth.

Overall – Excellent 9.0/10

This is an excellent game, and is almost a 10/10, but it is not perfect. This game is a nice addition to the end of the Summer 2009 release schedule and is worth every penny. This game is a great mix of pure action and stealth.



This game is a mix of Gears of War, Bioshock, and Assassin's Creed. Where this game does many things right, it is flawed and glitch in just as many areas. If this were another title name, I would still have enjoyed it still as much.

Verdict: BUY IT

Graphics: Excellent 9.5/10

Sound: Excellent 9.5/10
Controls: Great 8.5/10
Gameplay: Excellent 9.5/10

Replay: Very Good 8.0/10
Overall: Excellent 9.0/10


Note to the reader: This game has been played through and completed in its entirety.



Graphics: Excellent 9.5/10

The graphics are excellent, the cut-scenes and in-game graphics are seamless, and this is a great addition to the Fall 2009 line-up. It looks, feels, and has undertones of being "Bioshock-esque". This title pushes this generations graphics and leaves the purchaser wanting more. The shadows, lighting effects, colors, but more importantly the motions and combat animations are great, and really immerse you into the game. The bad guys, though repetitive, are detailed along with the backgrounds, and environments. This is a rich, and engrossing, environment.



Sound: Excellent – 9.5/10

The thing that sets this game apart is the voice acting. Games have had problems with cheesy actors, but this title gets Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil to do the voices of Batman and the Joker (from the Animated series). This game has the sound, from the sounds of the punches, groans, the heightening tension of the music when an attack is coming, and the sounds of The Asylum. The ambiance is set in the different areas by the increasing tones of heightening sense of importance through the use of music in this game.

Controls: Great - 8.5/10
Very well done and responsive control set. During combat, the controls can be pinpoint accurate, and makes it fun when playing the challenges. The downside is the use of Batman's arsenal, which the controls are lack accuracy.

Gameplay: Excellent – 9.5/10

Let me start by saying that when playing this game, there is nothing better than having an excellent Batman Game. With or without Batman, this game would be fun regardless, but just having this license makes it that much better. However, that being said, this game is a single player experience, and that is not a bad thing. Having a multi-player may have actually hurt this title. The computer A.I. will shoot you in the back, hunt you down, and will be aware of where you have been.

Replay Value: Very Good - 8.0/10

Once the game is over, you will most likely be wanting more. Luckily, there are many unlockables, multiple difficulty levels, and a challenge mode, with more maps to come, to keep you going. You will want to find all the upgrades for every weapon, and compare your times to your friends. After all that is said and done, you will have got your money's worth.

Overall – Excellent 9.0/10

This is an excellent game, and is almost a 10/10, but it is not perfect. This game is a nice addition to the end of the Summer 2009 release schedule and is worth every penny. This game is a great mix of pure action and stealth.



This game is a mix of Gears of War, Bioshock, and Assassin's Creed. Where this game does many things right, it is flawed and glitch in just as many areas. If this were another title name, I would still have enjoyed it still as much.

Verdict: BUY IT

The game, Batman: Arkham Asylum, as the title implies, takes place in Arkham Asylum where all of the Batman villains are locked away. Batman captures the Joker once again and takes him back to the Asylum; however, the Joker breaks free and takes over the entire place and Batman has to fight through Arkham inmates, as well as the past villains, to stop the Joker with his diabolical plan.

The graphics of the game is amazing! I really like how the creators take a darker approach on the Batman franchise and gave it a gothic and realistic feel to it. They have done a great job making Arkham look run-down and made it reflect the insanity of the inmates. You can sense there was a lot of history in Arkham when you play through the game. Especially the character designs; they are just simply amazing and brings out much of there personality. Really, it is very amazing.

The game mechanics is relatively simple, most of the time you just one button to hit and another to counter an attack, but it is still fun to watch Batman take down the inmates and have him perform these sick takedown moves. It never gets old when you see batman fight as you play. In Predator mode, where you have to take down your opponents through stealth, gives you a chance to plan your moves and gives you an experience where you feel like Batman stalking on his prey and taking them out without being noticed. The controls are simple, you feel as if you are Batman himself, and it is really fun to watch.

A great games must also have great voice acting. The voice acting in this game was amazing. Much of the cast from the animated series reprise their role especially Mark Hamil and Kevin Conroy reprising their roles as the Joker and Batman respectively. They bring much depth, dynamic, and character to their character and there is no way anyone can skip through the cutscene and enjoy their performance. I don't know any other game that has such a talented cast as this game.

Overall, this is a great game to play. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a great story, action, and gameplay. You'll have a lot of fun going mowing down minions and fighting villains that makes you want to play it again. Those who aren't fans or not familiar with Batman, it still a game for everyone to play and you can catch to it quickly. I give this game a 10/10. SO GO BUY IT OR BATMAN WILL KICK YOUR ASS!!!