Batman: Arkham Asylum
Format played: PS3 (also available on xbox 360)
Players: 1
Difficulty: Medium
Gametime needed: Not too many - probably less than 10 hours though challenges can keep you going a bit longer
What on earth?! A licensed game that is actually GOOD? And not just good, more like absolutely outstanding. How many times have we seen film tie-ins and the like fall way short of expectations? Lord of the Rings games, Transformers, Bond (well, Goldeneye excepted of course) - all have seen huge success in the Box Office, but all the games play like a damp squib. But tag an 'official' label on it, and it'll still sell. It's clever marketing - spend less time and effort on a game because it'll sell regardless of how good it is.
I've kept a close eye on Arkham Asylum over the last few months. I love Batman - so iconic, so cartoony, so much fun. The Michael Keaton films did their job and pleased me, and after two poor follow-ons, Christian Bale has brought the character and Gotham City back into the limelight.
However, Arkham Asylum isn't based on the film universe - instead, they've gone to the best source for true Batman fans - the DC comics. And boy have they got it spot on!
Batman looks on over Arkham AsylumAs the title suggests, the whole game is set on Arkham island - home of the infamous Arkham Asylum, where the most notorious and demented of Gotham City's criminals are housed and monitored 24 hours a day. The story sees Batman return Gotham's most dangerous villain - The Joker - to Arkham. However, Joker has a plan, and as soon as he's through to the holding cells, all hell breaks loose, and it's up to you as Batman to thwart Joker's evil plan. Joker isn't working alone though - his devoted sidekick - Harley Quinn - also plays a large part in the well crafted plot.
The Joker is brilliantly voiced by Mark Hamill (of Star Wars fame)The controls are extremely easy to pick up, and you're soon thrust into close hand-to-hand combat with the first bunch of goons Joker sends after you. The combat is extremely satisfying - it's not too difficult to chain a decent combo attack together. Although the combat sections are arguably a bit of a button masher, you will need practise and skill to get the BIG combos (20 +) to unlock those more taxing trophies/achievements.
One of the best features of the game for me was without doubt the 'stealth' sections. Again, you have to take out the goons sent after you. Except these guys are armed with guns. Batman is handy when charged at with a metal pole, but ranged weapons require a different approach. Tapping the L2 button brings up what's called 'detective mode' in which clues as to which secret passage/shortcut to take to the required destination. But it also shows you exactly where your enemies are, and if they're armed or not. A blue shape indicates an unarmed enemy, red indicates an armed enemy. Using the environment is essential to take out these armed goons. You could use the batarang to knock them out, but that might alert other goons. You could sneak up behind them and press triangle for a silent take down. Or you could hoist yourself up onto a vantage point, wait for the unsuspecting goon to walk underneath you and truss him up like a chicken onto the ledge you've just been occupying. Or, if you want a bit more carnage, you could attach exploding gel to a fragile looking wall, jump to a safe point and detonate it remotely, knocking the poor fellah out through the debris. Put simply, there are MANY different and fun ways to get your kill count up, and all of them have different consequences on the rest of the enemies around you. It's fantastic stuff - you really are in charge.
Detective mode - Batman hides from 3 armed goons - marked out as red
Several goons charge Batman - they'll wish they hadn't.....
This game is quite superb - as I keep saying, it has variety and the high quality is evident from start to finish. It looks amazing, the voice acting of the highest standard, the sound effects perfect. Any faults? If I was being picky, I could say the length could have been longer. Otherwise, the only thing that springs to mind is a poor save system. All you have is an autosave, and as the save points are so seamless, it's hard to know when it's safe to turn the machine off after a few hours' play. But it doesn't hamper the quite exceptional experience that is Batman: Arkham Asylum. A quite brilliant game, and one that finally makes use of a license brimming with potential. No jokes, no riddles, this is a must-buy game.
Ian's Score: 9.1
One of the best features of the game for me was without doubt the 'stealth' sections. Again, you have to take out the goons sent after you. Except these guys are armed with guns. Batman is handy when charged at with a metal pole, but ranged weapons require a different approach. Tapping the L2 button brings up what's called 'detective mode' in which clues as to which secret passage/shortcut to take to the required destination. But it also shows you exactly where your enemies are, and if they're armed or not. A blue shape indicates an unarmed enemy, red indicates an armed enemy. Using the environment is essential to take out these armed goons. You could use the batarang to knock them out, but that might alert other goons. You could sneak up behind them and press triangle for a silent take down. Or you could hoist yourself up onto a vantage point, wait for the unsuspecting goon to walk underneath you and truss him up like a chicken onto the ledge you've just been occupying. Or, if you want a bit more carnage, you could attach exploding gel to a fragile looking wall, jump to a safe point and detonate it remotely, knocking the poor fellah out through the debris. Put simply, there are MANY different and fun ways to get your kill count up, and all of them have different consequences on the rest of the enemies around you. It's fantastic stuff - you really are in charge.
Detective mode - Batman hides from 3 armed goons - marked out as redAs you travel around Arkham island (which is a pretty big place by the way) you will come across new tasks. It might be that Joker has blocked off your route (he's always around you via the TV links on the security monitors spread all around the island - Mark Hamill's superb voice acting means you're never annoyed by his presence - on the contrary - it's great wondering what he'll say next!), or you might meet some other deranged inmate or even some of the guards who need your help. Whatever your current task, it's not just the same sort of task every time you encounter someone. It's varied, yet all challenges feel fun and don't detract too much from the main story. Because rest assured that a boss fight will always be just around the corner.
No Batman game would be complete without a vast array of gadgets. Luckily, Arkham Asylum hits the spot. As you progress, you'll unlock more and more clever gadgets, and even upgrade existing ones. By the end of the game, Bats will be pretty formidable. From the batarang to the batclaw, from exploding gel to the security codebreaker, the variety is commendable. They're great fun to use - especially when your batclaw is strong enough to pull unsuspecting goons over a ledge.
Batman's batarang primed and ready
Another great little touch to the game is the countless bonuses you can pick up as you go along, presented in the form of riddles set by The Riddler himself. Although you never actually see The Riddler, he has left around 250 things for you to find, from small trophies (with a question mark on top), to interview tapes of various famous inhabitants of the asylum to actual riddles where you have to find a certain object in a certain room using only the cryptic poser The Riddler gives you. Some are quite obvious, some devious. But it's a nice touch and one that you can go back to if you've completed the main quest. After all, riddles = trophies/achievements that boost your gamerscore.
No Batman game would be complete without a vast array of gadgets. Luckily, Arkham Asylum hits the spot. As you progress, you'll unlock more and more clever gadgets, and even upgrade existing ones. By the end of the game, Bats will be pretty formidable. From the batarang to the batclaw, from exploding gel to the security codebreaker, the variety is commendable. They're great fun to use - especially when your batclaw is strong enough to pull unsuspecting goons over a ledge.
Batman's batarang primed and readyAnother great little touch to the game is the countless bonuses you can pick up as you go along, presented in the form of riddles set by The Riddler himself. Although you never actually see The Riddler, he has left around 250 things for you to find, from small trophies (with a question mark on top), to interview tapes of various famous inhabitants of the asylum to actual riddles where you have to find a certain object in a certain room using only the cryptic poser The Riddler gives you. Some are quite obvious, some devious. But it's a nice touch and one that you can go back to if you've completed the main quest. After all, riddles = trophies/achievements that boost your gamerscore.
Several goons charge Batman - they'll wish they hadn't.....Speaking of featured characters, I think Eidos have got it spot on with the number of featured enemies. The Batman universe is so big now that it would be impossible to include ALL his better-known foes and do them justice. Joker is absolutely superb as I've said, but also keep a look out for Killer Croc, Bane, Poison Ivy and the quite magnificently spooky Scarecrow. Scarecrows' levels are set in Batman's mind, as Scarecrow's hallucinagenic dust affects his deepest, darkest fears. It's brilliantly done, both graphically and atmospherically. The Scarecrow reminded me of Freddy Krueger by the way.... Just don't expect to see The Penguin, Catwoman, Two-Face et al. Maybe there's a sequel. We can hope, eh?
The story mode is a pretty decent length. It's not a huge, scrolling GTA/Oblivion type world, but there are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you hooked. If you're someone who looks for quality rather than quantity, Batman: Arkham Asylum is just the game you're looking for. You should get through the story in under 10 hours, admittedly not the longest but the quality never recedes.
Then you have the challenge modes - as you move through the story and collect some of The Riddler's goodies, you'll unlock special levels selectable at the main menu. These are either hand-to-hand combat battles in 3 bouts. The aim is to achieve a certain number of points by beating your opponents to a pulp using the longest combos possible. PS3 owners can even play as The Joker on these levels via an exclusive download on PSN. The other challenge is a stealth challenge, as I described earlier. Take out your opponents using whatever apparatus you have in as quick a time as possible.
The story mode is a pretty decent length. It's not a huge, scrolling GTA/Oblivion type world, but there are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you hooked. If you're someone who looks for quality rather than quantity, Batman: Arkham Asylum is just the game you're looking for. You should get through the story in under 10 hours, admittedly not the longest but the quality never recedes.
Then you have the challenge modes - as you move through the story and collect some of The Riddler's goodies, you'll unlock special levels selectable at the main menu. These are either hand-to-hand combat battles in 3 bouts. The aim is to achieve a certain number of points by beating your opponents to a pulp using the longest combos possible. PS3 owners can even play as The Joker on these levels via an exclusive download on PSN. The other challenge is a stealth challenge, as I described earlier. Take out your opponents using whatever apparatus you have in as quick a time as possible.
This game is quite superb - as I keep saying, it has variety and the high quality is evident from start to finish. It looks amazing, the voice acting of the highest standard, the sound effects perfect. Any faults? If I was being picky, I could say the length could have been longer. Otherwise, the only thing that springs to mind is a poor save system. All you have is an autosave, and as the save points are so seamless, it's hard to know when it's safe to turn the machine off after a few hours' play. But it doesn't hamper the quite exceptional experience that is Batman: Arkham Asylum. A quite brilliant game, and one that finally makes use of a license brimming with potential. No jokes, no riddles, this is a must-buy game.
Ian's Score: 9.1
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