Batman: Arkham Asylum Demo Impressions
By AndrewG009 3 Comments
The days of the campy Adam West Batman series are long dead and I admit that sometimes I miss Adam West in the role. However, the precedence now set for Batman by the long standing comic book series, cartoons and now the harrowing success of The Dark Knight have set the bar for what anyone, not just gamers, would expect from a Batman title relatively high. Despite the somewhat shadowy accusations against Eidos about impeding reviews of Batman: Arkham Asylum, after playing the demo I have a feeling that the game has a significant potential to stand on it's own. Really, if you own a Playstation 3, Xbox 360 or PC, there isn't much of an excuse not to give the demo a try. That is, unless you don't like Batman, and how could you not like Batman? It's Batman!
All that aside though.
The demo opens with Batman, having captured The Joker, heading towards Arkham Asylum. For anyone who isn't up to date on their Batman mythos, Arkham Asylum is a hospital for the criminally insane. Many, if not all, villains in the Batman-verse usually end up there at least once and more than one story has been built around the Asylum. As a fixed piece of madness in the DC universe, Arkham as the primary setting of the story is an excellent locale choice. Upon entering the prison, Batman comments to Commissioner Gordon on how easily the Joker gave up after holding City Hall hostage. The reasoning for this becomes vastly apparent as Joker breaks free causing Batman to give chase. This fleshes out to reveal that the Joker and the rest of the inmates are apparently in control of Arkham, which Batman must now wrestle from their dominion.
At the point in the demo where the Joker breaks free, I noticed a something that became overwhelming satisfying. A majority of the voices are spot-on from the cartoon series. The Joker is played by Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy does the irreproachable voice of Batman that I have come to know and love over the years, but it seems almost all the voice actors from the series have recapitulated their roles in Batman: Arkham Asylum. Why is this important? What may seem like fan service transcends that simple boundaries and it becomes more than that. It actually plays into the hands of the developer to further immerse the player. When I heard the Joker's voice, to me, it was the Joker and I would stop for a moment and listen to whatever deranged dialogue he was uttering. But the real sustention of the title comes from the gameplay mechanics and those feel parlous in their solidarity.
As the first punch landed against the group of thugs released in the demo, I was impressed by not just the first punch, but the overall combat. The standard strike makes any player feel like they are playing virtually any beat'em-up title. However, the counters and expanded fluidity that shines through in the fighting is what inspired me to play the demo a few more times, just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. The combos flow together seamlessly, whether grappling down from the ceiling or landing in a group of bad guys, the combat makes the player feel like Batman. Simply said, I couldn't get enough of it. It was interesting to watch how different combos could be strung together as well as a few smaller nuances that didn't become apparent until additional playthroughs. For instance, if Batman is in amidst several thugs and stringing together strikes and combos, when finally taking down a bad guy the camera will shift and a slow-motion takedown will be visible in all of its glory, followed by bats flourishing around Batman to symbolize a 'Batman-like' takedown, I imagine.
Additionally, detective mode allows the Caped Crusader to see how scared, via mental conditions ranging from calm to terrified and heart rate, as well as if the thug is armed or not. Conversely, this also allows the player to be aware of how many of the bad guys are still active in a specific area, which helps a great deal for keeping something or someone from sneaking up on the Dark Knight. Detective mode also points out where it would be possible for Batman to grapple, utilizing his iconic Bat Claw to move from ledge to ledge. Surprisingly enough, from what I've seen of the demo this was done properly design-wise and I couldn't be happier as the detective mode nor the Bat Claw movements haven't felt intrusive or clunky so far.
Comprehensively, what impresses me most is that the demo never felt like I wasn't playing what I imagined should be a Batman game. Connecting with characters like Joker, Zsasz and Oracle as well as unlocking character bios has monopolized my interest in what the whole package is going to be like, and while I wish I could have been given a bit more I believe the demo served ample purpose. It made me want to play more, and around the fifth time I replayed the demo, I had a feeling this game had its hooks in pretty deep. Sincerely though, the source material is sturdier than most franchises out there and despite the controversy, I think the game deserves a look. After all, it isn't like Eidos doesn't need the help. Once I've collocated a playthrough, I'll post a synopsis that I can only hope won't be wrought with hatred towards one of the few comic book figures I grew up loving.
--Andrew
almost got 'im
All that aside though.
The demo opens with Batman, having captured The Joker, heading towards Arkham Asylum. For anyone who isn't up to date on their Batman mythos, Arkham Asylum is a hospital for the criminally insane. Many, if not all, villains in the Batman-verse usually end up there at least once and more than one story has been built around the Asylum. As a fixed piece of madness in the DC universe, Arkham as the primary setting of the story is an excellent locale choice. Upon entering the prison, Batman comments to Commissioner Gordon on how easily the Joker gave up after holding City Hall hostage. The reasoning for this becomes vastly apparent as Joker breaks free causing Batman to give chase. This fleshes out to reveal that the Joker and the rest of the inmates are apparently in control of Arkham, which Batman must now wrestle from their dominion.
At the point in the demo where the Joker breaks free, I noticed a something that became overwhelming satisfying. A majority of the voices are spot-on from the cartoon series. The Joker is played by Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy does the irreproachable voice of Batman that I have come to know and love over the years, but it seems almost all the voice actors from the series have recapitulated their roles in Batman: Arkham Asylum. Why is this important? What may seem like fan service transcends that simple boundaries and it becomes more than that. It actually plays into the hands of the developer to further immerse the player. When I heard the Joker's voice, to me, it was the Joker and I would stop for a moment and listen to whatever deranged dialogue he was uttering. But the real sustention of the title comes from the gameplay mechanics and those feel parlous in their solidarity.
As the first punch landed against the group of thugs released in the demo, I was impressed by not just the first punch, but the overall combat. The standard strike makes any player feel like they are playing virtually any beat'em-up title. However, the counters and expanded fluidity that shines through in the fighting is what inspired me to play the demo a few more times, just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. The combos flow together seamlessly, whether grappling down from the ceiling or landing in a group of bad guys, the combat makes the player feel like Batman. Simply said, I couldn't get enough of it. It was interesting to watch how different combos could be strung together as well as a few smaller nuances that didn't become apparent until additional playthroughs. For instance, if Batman is in amidst several thugs and stringing together strikes and combos, when finally taking down a bad guy the camera will shift and a slow-motion takedown will be visible in all of its glory, followed by bats flourishing around Batman to symbolize a 'Batman-like' takedown, I imagine.
Additionally, detective mode allows the Caped Crusader to see how scared, via mental conditions ranging from calm to terrified and heart rate, as well as if the thug is armed or not. Conversely, this also allows the player to be aware of how many of the bad guys are still active in a specific area, which helps a great deal for keeping something or someone from sneaking up on the Dark Knight. Detective mode also points out where it would be possible for Batman to grapple, utilizing his iconic Bat Claw to move from ledge to ledge. Surprisingly enough, from what I've seen of the demo this was done properly design-wise and I couldn't be happier as the detective mode nor the Bat Claw movements haven't felt intrusive or clunky so far.
Comprehensively, what impresses me most is that the demo never felt like I wasn't playing what I imagined should be a Batman game. Connecting with characters like Joker, Zsasz and Oracle as well as unlocking character bios has monopolized my interest in what the whole package is going to be like, and while I wish I could have been given a bit more I believe the demo served ample purpose. It made me want to play more, and around the fifth time I replayed the demo, I had a feeling this game had its hooks in pretty deep. Sincerely though, the source material is sturdier than most franchises out there and despite the controversy, I think the game deserves a look. After all, it isn't like Eidos doesn't need the help. Once I've collocated a playthrough, I'll post a synopsis that I can only hope won't be wrought with hatred towards one of the few comic book figures I grew up loving.
--Andrew
almost got 'im