Batman Arkham Asylum: Review (xbox 360)

by Victor ‘r0gue’ Vieira

Introduction

With this game soaring through the skies with the international reviewers , getting a Guinness World record and scoring the highest rating for a comic-based game, we could not wait to get our hands on it. So with the long local delay we decided to import a copy to see what all the fuss is about.

Batman Arkham Asylum was developed by Rocksteady and published by Eidos. It uses the familiar Unreal Engine 3, which is never a bad thing. So as we know it is based on DC Comics favorite detective, the masked and mysterious Batman. Comic and movie based games usually range from bad to good’ish, never outstanding. The developers follow storylines and are limited in where they can go with the game. They also many times feel ‘rushed’ or ‘slapped’ together to tie-in with movie releases. Arkham Asylum does not follow a storyline and therefore Rocksteady were able to go where they wanted to with this one. The game is based on the Batman world and features characters from the Batman series, but the game was taken in a unique and brilliant direction. Rocksteady went with the ‘darker’ sort of Batman world and this is evident in the graphics as well as the colour pallet used. Batman doesn’t even look ‘squeaky clean’, more ‘buff’ and bad-ass while Joker was done in a brilliantly sinister way.

The austere Asylum is filled with Gotham’s biggest thugs, all of who are being controlled by the Joker, with a riddled and elaborate master-plan to bring down Batman. You have the entire Asylum in a sand-box type setting to solve riddles; fight thugs off, collect items and more. This game’s best feature is the fact that it is not confined to one genre. It is an action-adventure that uses platforming, stealth and combating along with clever gadgets and technology to keep you constantly discovering new features and does not get tied down to any particular style of gameplay.

Gameplay and Features

What’s amazing about this game is the diverse gameplay which is ever-changing and never repetitive or boring. You have three game difficulties and I can guarantee you will want to play it more than once, so I wouldn’t jump straight to the most difficult setting. The normal difficulty is not that difficult but that does not mean it wont challenge you at all.

One of the game’s big selling features has to be the ‘free form combat system’ which consists of Melee, Stun and Takedown. All that is required to switch between these three attacks is the use of a different button, and while it looked to be a ‘button-basher’ in previews, it is actually not. It is smooth, seamless and makes for great fight scenes. The ease in which this game is played is phenomenal and once again makes for smooth and seamless playing ultimately making the controls overall a huge pleasure. The free-form combat evolves with you via a loose experience system. The melee attacks can be combined by a throw of a ‘batarang’ or a pull from the ‘batclaw’ for extensive combos that just adds to the visual build-up as you go along.

All aspects of Batman’s movement are great which once again allows for effortless and smooth movement and really makes you feel like you are Batman. You can use his nifty ‘grapple-gun’ and shoot lines to get to higher ground or levels’, providing it is not too far. This aspect works well when you are required to use stealth. I loved dropping in to a scene, silently taking an enemy down and then zipping my way back to higher levels, leaving the remaining enemy’s confused and nervous to where ‘The Bat’ is. Getting to lower levels is just as fun where you spread Bat’s cape and glide to lower levels, silently soaring to an unsuspecting enemy. You can also sneak around in air vents or perch on gargoyles to strike out at your foes from the darkness.

Then there is Bat’s technologically aided detective skills. By using LB the screen becomes tinted blue and certain areas in the room are illuminated orange which kinda looks like a ‘heat-sensing screen’. You use detective mode to see more than what meets the eye and may illuminate clues to help you on your way. You will need to find trails or week structures to get through.Then with Bat’s ‘explosive gel’ you can blow up the structures to make for a passage-way. The detective mode and all the cool bat gadgets you unlock are similar to bits from other games but in my opinion stands head and shoulders above the rest, creating a really authentic gaming experience second to none.

The graphics are absolutely flawless. The colour palette used just adds to the ‘dark atmosphere’ of the game as does the visceral characters with stunning detail and animations. Joker is so well done and really shines as the supporting act in the game. Joker has a very sinister look and is more like the Joker in some of the darker Batman comics.

The sound is flawless to and the voice-artists really deserve a mention as they did a stunning job. With typical Batman scoring and the brilliant speech you really get caught up in the Asylum, totally submerged in this dark and sinister world. Every aspect of this game is interwoven seamlessly and makes for a title that is hard to put down.

Favorite Bits

The controls……oh the glorious controls.
Stunning gfx and sfx that create the authentic Batman atmosphere.
Bat’s gadgets.
Huge combos.
Soaring attacks
Gliding and Zipping in and out of stealthy situations.
Joker’s evil genius.
Diverse gameplay.

Worst Bits

I tried to find fault, but alas I failed.

Conclusion

A game this good only comes around once in awhile. Batman Arkham Asylum is an outstanding achievement and easily my favorite game this year so far. It is dripping with quality, the attention to detail is very apparent and it is obvious that Rocksteady pulled all the stops on this one, developing the hell out of it and fine-tuning every aspect to perfection, creating a truly stellar game.

It will keep you hugely entertained and the gameplay keeps you excited to play on and on. Rocksteady deserve all the acclaim they receive for this game… This game is not to be missed. It must appeal to all gamers and I am sure that it will have gamers talking about it for some time to come. You can put me on the ‘fanboy list’…….

Take a bow Rocksteady.

Batman Arkham Asylum is also available on PS3 and PC.

Batman Official site