Review - Batman: Arkham Asylum

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Platform: PS3/360/PC
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Players: 1
Release: Out Now

It can be hard to make a great comic book game, history proves that. The Spider-man games managed to capture the feel of web-slinging around New York, but other elements weren’t as polished, and Superman’s history with the medium has been pretty rocky. Forget all that though, because here comes everybody’s favourite caped crusader with his latest title. Last year Batman rocked the cinema with The Dark Knight, can he do the same to the video game world?

You get a classic comic setup; upon returning the Joker to Arkham Asylum, the madman breaks free. Before you know it, he’s in charge of the entire facility with a whole host of villains on his side. Batman’s job is clear, take the Joker down and put everyone back where they belong, in their cells. The best part about this extremely well presented story is just how faithful it is to the Batman legacy, right down to the voice actors. Both Michael Keaton and Mark Hamil reprise their roles from the classic 90’s animated series as Batman and Joker respectively. Even if you never did watch the show, they do an excellent job of bringing their characters to life and really make you feel involved in the plot.

The game play is a brilliant mix of 3rd person action and stealth. When enemies are unarmed, you can go all out, with a combat system that doesn’t let you simply button bash your way to victory. Instead you have to time hits, making sure you counter the enemies attacks at the same time. It can take some getting used to, but when you get the hang of it, it can become 2nd nature and truly addictive. This is a system you really can master, and actually requires skill and patience to learn.

Of course, Batman isn’t just about kicking butt, and the game realises this brilliantly. When enemies are armed, you have to take the stealth option, scrambling around the ceiling and picking your targets off one by one. These parts become more like puzzles, choosing the best way to take down a certain guard, or how to separate 2 standing next to each other. There’s a real mix up in variety here, meaning the game moves along with new situations to grab your attention with constantly. A range of gadgets, from the trusty batarang to the handy bat-claw also open up new paths and make you feel like the man himself a little bit more.

Plus, running on the same engine that games like Gears of War use, Arkham Asylum looks very sharp. Batman is a bit too muscley perhaps, but this is a great looking game, with crisp textures, and insanely detailed characters. It does the title proud.

It’s clear that all the separate parts of Batman’s latest add up to make an amazing game. If you settled in with the gritty realism of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight prepare for a few changes here, with some of the more out there villains like Killer Croc and Poison Ivy making an appearance. The ending leaves a lot to be desired, and some certain boss battles are pretty weak, but overall this is a title not to be missed, and worthy of the title of the greatest comic book videogame of all time.