...a batty bleh
Played Through in Fall 2009.
So…you play as this guy…who… really knows his way around a gym. And when he’s not practicing one-liner gruffs in a mirror, he’s out stopping bad guys from doing bad things. But tonight doesn’t go as planned as one of those bad guys, with a smile, gets loose on an Island made for some….REALLY bad guys, which leads to…. even MORE bad things….
It’s Batman vs Joker.
Like Mario vs Bowser, Ali vs Fraiser, or Kimbo Slice vs Dakota Fanning, it’s a timeless match-up that we never get tired of seeing. That being said, the only way to be successful with such a match-up is to apply a healthy amount of freshness to the product in which the two Titans will be playing.
Batman Arkham Asylum is successful in that area of “freshness”, but it does NOT come from its’ story (more or less just grease to ease you through the action), but instead it comes from its’ polished production.
This is a Cleanly made Game, precise and well thought out. The combat is fluid yet responsive, accessible yet thorough, and most of all, bone crunchingly satisfying. The stealth is sensible and engaging, though at times unrealistic, like when your bat ears are practically touching the inmate below you and he doesn’t notice you.(which in my head I reasoned the inmates we’re all just hopped up on massive doses of painkillers, explaining their “Nah, I don’t need to look up” mentality)
But The “Freshest of Freshness” comes from this games’ Atmosphere. Delving into a fully realized world that is Arkham Island is fascinating, whether you’ve read the comics or not. Every part of the island seemed practical and appropriate for the setting. The Score and Voice Acting is unceasingly perfect. Taking your time to marvel at the detail in this game is rewarding by itself, and made me simply want to shake the hands of the developers for doing their job.
That’s what made this game for me, the DETAIL.
The actual game itself IS NOT all that challenging, even on Hard the boss fights don’t seem to do justice to the bosses, and the plot always had me thinking, “well, it’s gotta be more than that…right?” This game doesn’t shy to remind you that…you’re playing a game, with its’ patterned mechanics and circumstantial options, which is fine, because its' action hits you like a bat out of hell.
But Despite what other’s may say, you WON’T feel like Batman: The Dark Knight, but you WILL feel like Batman: The Caped Guy in a Video Game, which is more than enough to make me smile as I glide hundreds of feet under the pale moonlight and break a dudes neck with my foot.
