The World's Greatest Detective Returns Yet Again!!
Batman: Arkham Asylum for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC is a true masterpiece of gaming. Again and again it has dazzled me with its ability to standout among all of the other gritty current titles that have come out since the release of the now-current gen systems (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360). I have not found anything outstandingly wrong with the game since I started playing it about a week ago.
In Batman: Arkham Asylum, you play as Batman, superhero, detective, and generally all around badass as you make your way through Arkham Asylum on Arkham island, trying to stop the nefarious Joker from succeeding in a plot to destroy Gotham. There are several locales and environments that you, as Batman, are exposed to. All of the areas in Batman: AA are very Gothic and asthetically intimidating. High walls, spiked fences and dark, claustrophobic caves are just some of the places on the list. All of the areas in Batman are populated with escaped inmates that are just dying to get their hands on "the Bat".
Combat in Batman: AA is channeled through the freeflow combat system. A group fighting system that makes fighting a group of 2 to 20 an easy task. Batman is a trained martial artist that is versed in many forms of combat. and with the freefllow system, he is able to smoothly jump from one enemy to another while taking them out of commision with ease. There is also a single button counter system in effect during every fight (besides some bosses) that allows Batman to take an enemy's attack and turn it into a complete disaster for them.
You will also find many of the villains of the Batman franchise mentioned in the game, and you get to fight some of the bigger names. Bane and Poison Ivy are just to name two.
There is also a sort of "Silent Predator" stealth element to the game, which really puts you into the mindset that it is not you who is locked up with a bunch of murderers and crazies, but rather that it is they who are locked up with you.
There is a set of unique "Riddler Challenges" that are set all around Arkham Island that will create a more in depth experience for the plot and knowledge of the Batman Universe if one so chooses to pursue them. These range from finding "Riddler Trophies" hidden around the island, to scanning rooms in obscure places to get profiles of different criminals that Batman has defeated or run across in the past.
The artwork in Batman: AA is beautiful. For a game that is to take place in an island full of crazies on a dark scary night on a dark scary island, there is a lot of color both in the enemies and in the environment itself. The architecture of the island is really a beautiful thing. It is dark, scary, intimidating and often cramped and claustrophobic. Which brings me to detective vision. Detective vision is something that Batman has incorporated into his cowl to allow him to easily find evidence in the various problems and crimes he comes across. However, it also grants him a limited sight through walls, to see his enemies in order to think out his next move.
The graphics really fill out Batman: AA's repertoire of good things to say about it. They're wonderful. The physics engine is rather realistic for being such a stylized plot, and a gamer can really get the feel that that is how the physics work in the game, rather than a kind of hokey, hastily put together drawn cape graphic. Batman himself shows wear and tear through the whole of the game, just to show that he really is not having the best of days being trapped on Arkham Isle.
All in all, Batman: Arkham Asylum is an easily recommendable game to anyone, not just fans of Batman. It's a solid action game with plenty to offer for even gamers that are not such big fans of the Superhero genre of games.
In Batman: Arkham Asylum, you play as Batman, superhero, detective, and generally all around badass as you make your way through Arkham Asylum on Arkham island, trying to stop the nefarious Joker from succeeding in a plot to destroy Gotham. There are several locales and environments that you, as Batman, are exposed to. All of the areas in Batman: AA are very Gothic and asthetically intimidating. High walls, spiked fences and dark, claustrophobic caves are just some of the places on the list. All of the areas in Batman are populated with escaped inmates that are just dying to get their hands on "the Bat".
Combat in Batman: AA is channeled through the freeflow combat system. A group fighting system that makes fighting a group of 2 to 20 an easy task. Batman is a trained martial artist that is versed in many forms of combat. and with the freefllow system, he is able to smoothly jump from one enemy to another while taking them out of commision with ease. There is also a single button counter system in effect during every fight (besides some bosses) that allows Batman to take an enemy's attack and turn it into a complete disaster for them.
You will also find many of the villains of the Batman franchise mentioned in the game, and you get to fight some of the bigger names. Bane and Poison Ivy are just to name two.
There is also a sort of "Silent Predator" stealth element to the game, which really puts you into the mindset that it is not you who is locked up with a bunch of murderers and crazies, but rather that it is they who are locked up with you.
There is a set of unique "Riddler Challenges" that are set all around Arkham Island that will create a more in depth experience for the plot and knowledge of the Batman Universe if one so chooses to pursue them. These range from finding "Riddler Trophies" hidden around the island, to scanning rooms in obscure places to get profiles of different criminals that Batman has defeated or run across in the past.
The artwork in Batman: AA is beautiful. For a game that is to take place in an island full of crazies on a dark scary night on a dark scary island, there is a lot of color both in the enemies and in the environment itself. The architecture of the island is really a beautiful thing. It is dark, scary, intimidating and often cramped and claustrophobic. Which brings me to detective vision. Detective vision is something that Batman has incorporated into his cowl to allow him to easily find evidence in the various problems and crimes he comes across. However, it also grants him a limited sight through walls, to see his enemies in order to think out his next move.
The graphics really fill out Batman: AA's repertoire of good things to say about it. They're wonderful. The physics engine is rather realistic for being such a stylized plot, and a gamer can really get the feel that that is how the physics work in the game, rather than a kind of hokey, hastily put together drawn cape graphic. Batman himself shows wear and tear through the whole of the game, just to show that he really is not having the best of days being trapped on Arkham Isle.
All in all, Batman: Arkham Asylum is an easily recommendable game to anyone, not just fans of Batman. It's a solid action game with plenty to offer for even gamers that are not such big fans of the Superhero genre of games.
