Batman Arkham Asylum – game review (PS3) also on Xbox 360 & PC

Movie licensed games usually flop & bring nothing new to the world of games so I was a little worried about arkham asylum but then its not really based on any particular batman movie, if anything its more influenced by the darker more moodier graphic novels. The story is simple batman apprehends the joker & transports him to the island prison, during jokers processing he escapes & gains control of arkham leaving batman stuck on the island to deal with the joker & the inmates. For anyone not in the know arkham is not a normal prison it houses the cities most dangerous criminals & super villains. So the idea is simple & straight forward enough but does it actually work?.. It absolutely does so keep reading to find out why.

There was an awful lot of hype over this game so naturally I was very skeptical & didn’t even play the demo incase it spoiled the actual finished product. For the first 10 or 15mins I really wasn’t that impressed, I liked the video sequences but felt it dragged on.. soon after my opinion changed drastically. Controlling batman was awkward & even clumsy at times, he felt dull & bland even the controls felt slightly non responsive. Then a wonderful thing happened.. I was starting to really enjoy myself! The key of course was gaining experience points then using them to upgrade batman & his gadgets. The story too took hold of me & from then on I was hooked, the more I played & progressed the more I loved the game until soon every drop of doubt had disappeared completely leaving me with a big smile on my face.

The game play is sluggish at first but when it does take off it turns into a thrill a minute ride giving you a hands on idea of what it must really be like to be the dark knight. The character controls are great once you get used to them but batman mainly relies on hand to hand combat & so you quickly learn to approach dangerous situations with stealth. One of my favorite tricks was to perch on top of a gargoyle then swoop down grabbing a passing thug leaving him to hanging upside down.. then when someone came to investigate I’d sever the wire bringing him crashing down on his friend. You can also make your way passed enemies by taking cover in the shadows or sneaking under floors or by grappling high above them. The combat is mainly centered on one button but it allows you to string together multi button combo’s that become more effective as you keep them going. In short batman is not too much a complex character to maneuver & soon you will find yourself pulling off all kinds of takedowns, even gliding through the air to knock out a guard below.

Because its batman you get to use nearly everything in his arsenal of gadgets, which include.. the batarang which is thrown to stun an enemy however once its upgraded it becomes more deadly letting you take down multiple targets even using it by remote which I really liked. The explosive gadget is used to spray a liquid like substance onto walls/floors which then can be detonated by remote; this becomes very useful when you need to blow through a secret wall or passage.. but how do you see a secret passage. Included in the gadgets is what I like to call predator vision, the idea is simple enough it’s a type of viewing mode that lets you see enemies through walls/monitor their condition/locate weak walls & even investigate the environment forensically. This is extremely useful when you need to follow clues in order to locate key characters & to make your way through to another part of the island.

Arkham may not sound big but it is an actual island so really it’s a vast sprawling complex filled with modern security measures & old gothic styled buildings. There are cellblocks full of random thugs & villains just waiting to be taken out, there are medical areas & even a hospital. Under arkham island is a network of caves which can be used to get to other parts of the island. Arkham mansion was easily one of my favorite locations in the game & it looked/felt realistic. One of the most enjoying parts were discovering cells then trying to figure out who they had housed, of course using a little simple detective work would give you the answer but it was not always so straight forward. Included in the game are challenges set by the riddler & these involve either picking up hidden trophies or solving mind boggling riddles.. some of them were easy enough but there were many tricky ones that kept me guessing. As you complete these riddles/trophies you unlock little extras like character bio’s & challenges that you can play outside of the main game, challenge mode is great fun but it’s even better on the ps3 because you get to play as the joker in a whole host of new challenges.

The joker is the main villain of the piece & he plays it flawlessly with great voice acting & clever little quips however he is not the only super villain left on the island. Many familiar villains pop up to do battle with batman including.. the venom enhanced bane/the plant loving poison ivy/the scarecrow who floods the place with his fear gas forcing you to fight with him in the terrifying world of nightmares.. these fear sequences are done so brilliant that they will have you on the edge of your seat./killer croc & jokers main sidekick/lover harley quin. The boss fights were all fun to play & very well thought out but even at that there is a generous supply of thugs that keep popping up.. their intelligence is not that great but then they are really only goons.

The graphics are impressive indeed better than I expected, the lighting is fantastic & the visuals are sharp & sometimes stunning. Each area of arkham feels a little different & as a game location its definitely unique. The character animations look great & the story is intriguing & overly exciting. I don’t know if it was me but the music seemed to come & go but it definitely wasn’t intrusive & when it was there it was perfectly suited to the situation. Its not often that a game like this comes along with so much going for it & indeed it’s a contender for game of the year if not one of the best games ever so it was extremely hard for me to find anything negative to say. I’m giving it a 9 out of 10 the only reason I’m not giving it a 10 is because at times it was frustrating getting through the labyrinth of arkham & though the game is great fun there is not much incentive to play through it again once you have finished it. I’d highly recommend this game to anyone & not only bat fans, you will really enjoy it so if you have been thinking about getting it then do, its available now & you wont be disappointed. Apparently there will be downloadable content released for it some time next week so I will most likely try it out & blog about the contents ..and yes I do have my fingers crossed for a sequel!