Batman: Arkham Asylum

 Finished this a little while ago. Lets get the negatives out of the way first. The boss fights are, in a word, shit. Killer Croc and Ivy stand out as the worst but they were all bad. Having to fight Scarecrow three times was extremely irritating and the final boss fight was a poor way to wrap up an otherwise outstanding game. That was the only big problem I had with it, any other criticisms would be nitpicking. Stuff like lip-syncing (which is quite bad throughout) or the one or two occasions the controls let you down. They are minor irritations that all games have. 

So, the good. It is a ton of fun to play (boss fight aside). The combat and stealth works so well and it really feels tailored to Batman. It's not as if this could be any action game and they've just stuck a Batman skin on it. Rocksteady have thought hard about what it is that makes Batman unique, they've focussed on some very specific things and the results really are spectacular. As well as being streamlined and easy to control, it looks amazing. It felt fresh from beginning to end. As do the 'Predator' sections. Aptly names as while other stealth games make you feel weak, AA does a great job of making you feel like you're the one with the power. It was a shame that for most of the game these sections relied on the gargoyles. The more intricate rooms with lots of vent, grates, weak walls etc were far more fun and interesting that just doing the inverted takedowns. I haven't done any of the challenge rooms yet but I intend to give them a go once I've finished the Riddle challenges. The gadgets also do a good job of putting you in Batman's boots. All the signature ones are here and they're used in some obvious other more thoughtful ways as well.

I also really enjoyed the story. Batman leads a hard life, he's as much a prisoner to his desire to being justice to Gotham as the inmates are to the Asylum. The fact that the events of the game are just another night for him are an insight into not just how difficult it is to be him, but also how accustomed he is to it. The story is helped along by some of the best voice acting of the year. I was really excited when I heard a lot of the cast of The Animated series would be reprising their roles for the game. Harley is brilliant, I thought Kevin Conroy's delivery was a bit flat at times but otherwise very well done. For me he is the only person who give Batman a believable sense of authority and intimidation. The standout is Mark Hammil's phenomenal Joker. I actually thought he surpassed his work on The Animated Series.

The aesthetic design is another highlight for me. I'm so glad they went with a proper grey/blue suit for Batman. One thing I've always hated about the Batman films is the all black suit. Apart from Harley (I would have preferred a more traditional harlequin style outfit) all the villains looks excellent as well. And Arkham itself looks great. It could have easily been quite dull but even though you never leave the island, there's enough variety in the different buildings to keep things from getting stale.

The other thing I've really enjoyed about the game are the Riddler challengers. I'm definitely going to keep searching for them until I've found them all.

Overall one of the top games of the year. The best Batman game ever by a country mile, an absolute must have for Batman fans. It's just a great game though, I'd recommend it to anyone.