Play. This. Game.
Joker the clown prince of crime is once again on the loose, but was quickly stopped by Batman and escorted back to the Arkham Asylum; where the most dangerous criminals and lunatics are kept. This is where all hell break loose as Joker has long been planning for this... and so, the 'party' begins.
The game starts by pitting you (batman) against thugs to get you acquainted with the combat system. It's a very simple yet fun concept. Left mouse click for attack and the right mouse click for counter. Counters can be done when you see enemies with 'spider sense' which tells you that they are going to attack. Timing it right will get batman to counter enemy attacks in a fashionable way. While it's fun to counter enemies, it's smarter to chain combos for as long as possible because this nails you more exp for healing yourself and more importantly, for buying upgrades. As you progress further, you unlock more gadgets and moves to add to your arsenals. While you level up, so do your enemies. Thugs will eventually carry weapons such as guns, knives, pipes and electric batons making head on confrontation a bad idea. Thankfully, you have an ally to help you out with: the environment. Batman can hide in cover like a predator waiting for his prey, when the enemy is in range you can perform a cool corner takedown. Another is using your grapnel gun on gargoyles mounted high on the walls. When the enemy is directly beneath you, batman can perform an awesome inverted takedown and leave him hanging for his comrades to see. There are also hidden paths under the floor, walls that can easily be destroyed with a small amount of explosives both which you can use to your advantage. No matter which way you choose, all are satisfying when they work.
Moving on, the amount of details in this game is massive. The graphics is superb, giving the asylum an eerie feeling. Audio is awesome, every character in this game is well voiced, especially the Joker. Boss fights are well thought out although there could've been more. Story is rich and immersive. And plenty of unlockables such as character trophies, challenges and character bios which can be obtained by solving not less than 240 riddles scattered all over Arkham Island.
Although this game looks perfect there are still flaws. The audio disappears when you turn the camera. Sometimes, you float on thin air when you land on rocks. Not that this hinders the game but it's worth mentioning here.
Overall, this game is satisfying to its core. There's never a dull moment. This is the best batman game ever released, and probably the best action adventure game released this year. Go buy it, play it, you won't regret it.
