Batman Arkham Asylum has garnered quite a bit of hype since it was first revealed. For many reasons, it looked interesting, it didn't seem like just another 'comic book game', and of course, it's frigging' Batman.Going into the game, having played the demo, I knew to expect a very good game but I still underestimated it a bit.
First thing you see when you launch up this game is good ol' Batman and Joker. That is pretty great in itself but if you want more, Bane? He's there. Killer Croc? Yep. Harley Quinn? Sure. Poison Ivy? Bet your ass she is. That's only some of them. Now everyone has some good writing and voice work but Joker's writing is some of,if not the best, I've ever heard in a game this generation. He is constantly picking on everyone, using snaky yet hilarious lines. The only character I disliked was Scarecrow. Not exactly the character in general, the gamely that happens during those segments. It pretty much turns the game into a AD view and Batman is constantly just doing platforms. Yep, about as fun as it sounds.
The look in Batman is... Unreal Engine. If you know me then you know I'm not much of a fan of games with that look. I actually can't think of a single bright color in the game besides when you're in Detective mode and Jokers outfit. The characters all look good, Batman looks like Batman, Joker looks like Joker, etc. Harley Quinn though has changed her outfit up a bit, I really love her new outfit. That is either cause I'm not a fan of the Batman comic and don't really know too much about it or cause I'm a horny 14 year old boy.
Arkham is one of tachometers games that promised quick, fun, exciting combat and actually delivers fully. All you really do is fight with X and whenever peoples spidey senses tingle, you press Y and a reversal happens. By the end of the game, the reversals get a little repetitive but that doesn't change the fact that damn, them things look crazy brutal. The boss fights (the very quick, limited boss fights) do throw in things you have to do to avoid dying and win, such as evading and using the Batarang to blind a guy and let him run into the wall.
The story is a very Batman story. Joker takes over the Asylum, Batman slaps bitches. Nothing really too special about it. Some things happen hear and there that changes the story a bit and I liked that they actually let you go to the Batcave. The Scarecrow parts are what really stand out to me though.There is a scene later on in the game where Scarecrow completely reverses the beginning of the game and it is simply fantastic.
Like I said at the start of the review, Batman has had a lot of hype and the big question is "Does it live up to it all?" And yes, it does..A lot. You can really tell they put hard work onto this game and at the end, it's definitely left open for a sequel. That is not a bad thing what-so-ever. So hey, go buy Batman: Arkham Asylum.
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