Front runner for 2009 Game of the Year
I can't tell you much that you haven't seen or heard already so I'll jump straight to the highlights...
Positives:
- Brilliant story
- Excellent voice acting
- Large open world that changes as the story progresses.
- Map exploration that reminded me of Metroid
- Well balanced combat system that encouraged timing over button mashing
- Great use of classic Batman gadgets
- Collectible system with special in game maps to help keep track of the ones that haven't been found
- Fan service in the way of bios, interviews and character trophies which flesh out the Batman universe
Negatives:
- Playing in detective mode for too long
- Final battle didn't quite fit the story and was a bit of a let down.
- Unreal engine makes character models look too shiny and rubberized. (particularly lesser characters like guards and thugs)
- Lack of a dedicated jump button felt annoying for a while, but after getting used to some of the gadgets, I didn't notice it any longer.
If you like games, you need to play this. It's just that simple.
**This review is based on play time consisting of:
Game Time: ~12 Hours
Single Player mode on Normal - completed
Single Player mode on Hard - about an hour in