Batman as you'd want him.
8.9/10
The controls are sharp, the visuals crisp, and the voice work top notch. In essence this game should appeal to anyone who loves their gritty action games. Even Batman fanboys won’t be left out in the cold, as the world of Arkham Asylum is populated villains, heroes, and gadgets that will be instantly recognisable to faithful fans of the cartoon and comic iterations, although many have received an artfully tasteful facelift.
The gameplay itself feels very reminiscent of previous Riddick games, and even flashbacks of Manhunt came to mind as I stalked patiently in the shadows, and jumped from gargoyle to gargoyle, picking off crooks that strayed too far from the herd.
My one gripe with an otherwise superb gameplay mechanics was that the stealth parts of the game could have done with more attention and emphasis. 9 times out of 10 I would found myself simply charging headfirst into a group of thugs rather than taking thme stealthy approach, simply because the combat system is so fun easy and intuitive. This means that you can feel a bit of an idiot as you spend minutes carefully stalking your prey, waiting for the perfect moment to strike when you know full well that you can easily decimate just about any group with a few well placed Batarangs, followed by some good old fashioned hand-to-hand combat. The combat system feels like a hybrid of Enter the Matrix and Too Human, but is undoubtedly fun for a spell, and defiantly achieves it obvious aim of making the player feel like a badass.
The story is strikingly simple, but decent dialogue, convincing voice acting, and gritty style make for a truly appealing package. I completed the game in just shy of 7 hours on normal difficulty, but ignored the countless trophies, interview tapes, and riddle solving that you can easily busy yourself with to no end.
In short, this game is a treat to play, and although it isn’t set in an open-ended world I think most of us would have preferred, it’s a high pedigree action game that deserves your attention.
