Batman: Arkham Asylum

In fact, this game is probably the first game I have rated a ten and it not be a role playing game. It also saddens me a bit as Spider-man is my favorite comic book character of all time, however Batman has now claimed my favorite movie based on a comic character in "The Dark Knight" and now my favorite video game. Spider-man has made some good games, but nothing as complete. They usually end up missing an element that detracts from game play such as the fact the web slinging kind of sucks as it is just him swinging from nothing and he might as well be flying or the web slinging is great, but the fighting and Spidey's strength is a non factor. This game though combines all of Batman's abilities to perfection as the fighting is fun and satisfying as you clobber wave after wave of Joker henchmen. His gadgets are done nicely as you throw batarangs, set explosive gel, and use grapples to perfection. Then if you are up to it you can hide in the shadows, perch on a gargoyle statue, or hide in the air vents to sneak up and silently take down Joker's men. The story too, is top notch. I enjoyed the opening as Batman once again escorts the Joker to Arkham asylum for the umpteenth time, only this time something seems strange as Joker seemingly wanted to get captured. Well you soon find out that Joker with some assistance from his crazy little gal sidekick Harley Quinn had a plan for escape and soon after the entire island of Arkham is under the Joker's control. Throw in a mad Killer Croc, the insane Scarecrow, Poison Ivy and the Riddler and you have yourself a challenge. Though the game was never really annoying at any point and the game play was quite smooth transitioning from story point and area with ease. You can solve riddles from the Riddler and it is done a lot better than the collecting in most games of this type as the interview tapes and the spirit of Arkham things do not have to be found in any particular order. That and the riddles may be well hidden, but not nearly impossible to find like in a Tomb Raider game. Granted, there could have been a few more villains added to the mix, but I can understand why they did not try to add everyone as that may have detracted from the story a bit. Mark Hammill does the voice of the Joker just as he did on the cartoon and he does it so well that it is scary. Nice to see he found a niche doing voice over work. Kurt Conroy does Batman's voice as he did in the cartoon too. Great game, I would like to see a sequel, but one of even grander scope as I would love to see one in the streets of Gotham, however they could really bungle that so I am also dubious if they did one like that too.

Pros:

• Great story and characters
• Great gameplay
• Amazing voice acting
• Great graphics and animation
• Great boss fights
• Unique horror elements

Cons:

• Lacklustre final boss

Verdict: Thou improved by City, the original is a great game and is a pioneer of the progression of the making of good superhero video games.

9/10

A lot of people rolled their eyes when Arkham Asylum got 9s and 10s across the board from reviewers, myself included. Although it's a dirty little secret of the video game industry that big companies often buy high scores from media outlets, I am happy to say this time, they didn't have to. The game sells itself, and several hours into it, the jaded cynic within me was brutally beaten and tossed from the establishment.

They have done nearly everything right with this game; the only flaw I could find was that it has a final boss and an ending, and thus does not, as I had hoped, continue into perpetuity.

Let me list a few of the game's good points:

1. You don't die nearly as often as in other games. That might sound like another case of the dumbing down of games for casuals, but it does away with cheap deaths like slipping and falling off a ledge (anytime you miss a dangerous jump, you have a brief chance to press the grapple button to escape death). It's good design, in my opinion, something you'll find a lot in this game.

2. The gameplay has been unfairly skewed to be the most fun thing you've ever experienced. Fights against multiple opponents border on poetic at times, as Batman smoothly segues between attacks, counters, and throws. The secrets riddled (no pun intended) throughout the game that can be accessed with specific gadgets require frequent backtracking, but none of it feels repetitive, which is a credit to the devs.

3. The voice-acting is straight up flawless. Repeat: it is without flaw. Every actor is perfectly cast for his or her role, and they deliver their lines very much in character. The long-time voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, reprises his role as the Caped Crusader, and Mark Hamill sounds appropriately sociopathic as the Joker, one of the best voice-over jobs in the game, and that's saying a lot.

The bad? The game can seem a tad easy at times, as too many obvious hints are dropped when the game senses you're stuck, however briefly. Also, at 12-15 hours, it's a short game, made even shorter by the fact that you can't stop playing. That's nitpicking, though, and if you see these drawbacks as a reason not to buy the game, you've taken one too many batarangs to the head.

TL;DR version: 10/10. MUST-BUY.

Having played many Batman games throughout the years, FINALLY a game that really gives you the feeling of being Batman with his arsenal of gadgets and fighting styles that is innovative in execution. Batman: AA is simply THE best Batman game ever created. You got all of Batman's rogues gallery that includes The Joker, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Bane, Scarecrow, and Harley Quinn; some of which are voiced by fellow "Animated Series" veterans such as Kevin Conroy and of course, Mark Hamill, whose chilling portrayal of the Joker is simply the highlight of the games overall narrative.

In visuals, Arkham Asylum is a beautiful game, with a level of detail that's very impressive with stunning animation and lighting effects. On playing the game, I barely noticed any pop-up and polygonal tearing evident on some games, but not hear. Everything is rendered in crisp and clear clarity and if you have a Hi-Def setup, it's all batty.

Historically, Batman has been relegated to mostly side-scrolling fare with limited set of moves and gadgets. The games were good, but never gave you the feeling of being the Caped Crusader. Now with today's technology, gamers and comic-book fans alike can truly experience the Dark Knight in a way never before seen in gaming. Batman: Vengeance, which I admit is the first game to feature Batman in a 3d environment with aforementioned talent on board and it was an impressive game no doubt. But Arkham Asylum is so much more. It delivers the true experience of being Batman to a T. With stunning visuals, superb voice acting, and an innovative combat system that has you beating thugs like a pro, Arkham Asylum is simply the GREATEST Batman video game ever made. Having just beaten the game, I'm ready for Arkham City.

WOW! After months and months of anticipation for this game, it has finally been released and I must say that it not only lived up to my expectations, but has far surpassed them.

The game begins with Batman (Kevin Conroy from the 1992 Batman Animated Series) returning The Joker (Mark Hamill) to Arkham Asylum after an attempt is made on the Mayor of Gotham City's life. Once inside Arkham, Batman, along with Comissioner Gordon, deduce that Joker planned to be caught and returned to Arkham because of how simple it was to catch Joker in the fist place. Not to soon after this, Joker does escape custody and (with help from Harley Quinn) sets all of the asylum inmates free. Batman now must save any innocent doctors and cops as well as beat all of the Joker's henchman to a pulp. Some of Batman's greatest enemies make appearances in the game as bosses (Joker, Poison Ivy, Harley, Scarecrow, etc...) and other great villains are not in the game at all, presumably running rampant in Gotham, but files and trivia on these villains can still be found around the game. Story: 10/10

The graphics are truly a marvel to behold with Batman looking especially excellent, you can see each cut on his suit and even his 5 o'clock shadow, Arkham is enormous and is almost fully accessible, and Harley Quinn has never looked better! Visuals: 10/10

The audio is also brilliant, the game has fantastic music and sound effects that are great and totally unique. Each of Batman's cool gadgets give off sounds that almost make them sound as if they are real. Audio: 10/10

The best part of this game is how you actually FEEL like Batman, solving the mysteries of Arkham Asylum as if you were the real Dark Knight. Batman has such a vast array of gadgets from batarangs to his trademark grappling launcher. The combat in the game is very responsive, the stealth elements fit Batman's character well, and the "Detective Mode" becomes more essential to the game the further you go. The only negative point I can think of is that the game is a bit short, but it is totally satisfying. This is the best comic book game of all time, finally breaking the DC Comics video game curse (though Lego Batman was a pretty good DC Comics game, too). Gameplay: 10/10

Just like how The Dark Knight was my favourite film of 2008, Batman: Arkham Asylum is my favourite game of 2009. Get this game, it ROCKS! My overall score: 10/10

Also, is it just me or does Batman look an awful lot like Michael Keaton?