Where does he get those wonderful toys?
By now, everyone pretty much knows Batman: Arkham Asylum was not only a big surprise but that it became a serious contender for GOTY of 2009. A comic book character who's never really been in an actually good game, an unknown developer and they somehow managed to make not only a great comic book game but a game anyone can enjoy even if they didn't know Batman's comic book roots. Graphically gorgeous, well-told story and some downright genius pacing, even the minor blemishes I can throw at it aren't enough for me to really criticize the game, it's just that good.
While bringing the Joker in during an oddly easy capture, Batman finds himself trapped inside Arkham Asylum when Joker springs his trap, lets loose the inmates of Arkham, including some well-known baddies. Since he's not as invulnerable as Superman, Batman has to sneak around the island and put a stop to Joker's plan but when you have ones like Poison Ivy and Bane in the way, that's easier said than done. Sometimes in games I notice that "spot" where I like to save my game and pick up where I left off later that day but in Arkham Asylum, it wasn't as easy since whenever I felt it was the perfect time, some cool new twist was added or encounters with familiar people from the rogue's gallery made me keep playing the game. The only knock I can really ding it for is there's a section involving Killer Croc, plants and being very, very quiet. It's slow, somewhat boring and thanks to the method of subduing him, it just becomes monotonous. The Scarecrow levels are similar in that the more psychological effects of his fear gas such as a re-imagined intro or a creepy visit to the morgue make these moments stand out but the actual "battle" against Scarecrow barely changes and it isn't as interesting the 3rd time through when it plays nearly exactly the same way. Again these are minor quibbles but quibbles nonetheless.
But Batman also has to be slow which makes for the game's fun stealth moments where you have to clear out a room without being spotted. You've got some interesting gadgets at your disposal such as the sonic boomerang which acts like a beacon for enemies to figure out what it is (which is right underneath my explosive trap no less), grab them from above and hang them from gargoyles, or get behind them and quietly take them out. Not only does it require strategy - bullets do hurt after all - but it's fun coming up with tactics on the fly. Forgiving the enemy AI for not knowing how to look up or repeating lines too often, and occasionally I'll silent takedown a guy literally right beside his friend (you'd think muffled yells and flailing legs would clue these guys in) but the stealth parts I feel are when the game's the best.
The combat however is...decent in that it works pretty well but it frustrates when it doesn't. Basically your X is attack, Y is counter, B is stun, and A is evade so it becomes more of a rhythm game and recognizing what buttons to press where. It feels kind of automated and not really requiring much thought but then I found my combo meter draining where the higher your combo chain, more your moves hurt and you can also throw or instant takedown your enemies. Having it go from 5x to 0 when I haven't gotten hit and keeping my hits and counters constant left me baffled. Also, I recommend not fighting near a wall since the camera tends to spaz out a bit and seems to hang above you rather than go somewhere else so you can get a better field of view.
Since this game's slightly linear and open world, Batman has the opportunity to scope for collectibles or solve Riddler's puzzles. Some of them are quite tricky to figure out and in similar fashion to Metroid or Castlevania, some puzzles and trophies require other abilities and returning so you can use them. A wall you couldn't bomb before can now be pulled down and although there's quite a lot of them (over 200), they're usually very easy to access and become a nice reward to go after (though the Joker teeth get really old after awhile). The game also has stealth and combat challenges which you play for points and completion time and some of them are quite tough indeed.
Graphically the game is incredibly gorgeous and a large contributor to that is the addition of Poison Ivy. While she's undoubtedly f the hottest character model in the game, her being in the game allows some big usage of color and makes the trip to her lair a nice treat for the eyes. Elsewhere the game looks pretty good with the corridors looking fine while the sewers look well done. Character models also range from the exceptional (main characters) to just plain weird looking such as the bug-eyed guards you run into. Sound is absolutely dead-on with a great score and pitch-perfect voice acting with Mark Hamill as usual stealing the show as the Joker.
Since you can pick it up for a lot cheaper then when it first launched, Batman: Arkham Asylum is easily worth the price. I could just end the review there and leave it at that but that's how much I'm confident this game is as good as everyone says it is. Fun gameplay, stunning to look at, good replay value and excellent use of the license, playing this just gets one amped more for the sequel, Arkham City, to arrive.
