Nothing stops the GODDAMN BATMAN
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Game » consists of 28 releases. Released Aug 25, 2009
- PlayStation 3
- Xbox 360
- PC
- Xbox 360 Games Store
- + 5 more
- Mac
- PlayStation Network (PS3)
- Ouya
- Xbox One
- PlayStation 4
Batman: Arkham Asylum puts you behind the cowl of the iconic Dark Knight, fighting his way through Arkham Asylum to stop the Joker from enacting a sinister plot that would have grave consequences for Gotham City.
Giant Bomb's Multiplatform Game of the Year, 2009
Amazing game, although I probably would've picked MW2 because it's the better overall package with its multiplayer - but maybe it's just because the game is fresher in my memory whereas I last played Batman in September or early October.
Plotless? I'm OK with people thinking the plot was to ridiculous, but it was definitely there. I'm not going to argue about the gameplay because it's subjective whether you like the multiplayer or not, but this isn't about which is a better game, but which game people are talking abut WAY too much. Considering MW2 was only in the top 5 of one of their lists (If I remember correctly) it wasn't really overrated." @supermike6 said:
" @Ghostiet said:" @supermike6 said:Yeah, and Uncharted 2 has no problems at all. How often did you actually get killed by knives from across the map or have you not even played it? "" @Ghostiet said:Right. You couldn't shoot down UAVs and get killed by a knife thrown from the other side of the map. ""I'd say Uncharted 2 was more overrated. "Modern Warfare 2 is probably the most overrated game of the year.
"
Actually, yes - apart from the lame boss fight I had not found any problems with that, and U2 is alongside with Assassin's Creed 2 the definition of a perfect sequel, that took everything that was cool from the first game, throw out the crap bits and put some new good stuff on top. While in the case of Modern Warfare 2 I can easily say that it's inferior to the first one. Also, I hate plotless games.
And I wasn't killed by it a single time, I just got tired with the ridiculous, unforgiving pacing and that the game basicly encourages players to use cheap tricks to fuck up the balance completely.
"
EDIT: Oh, you edited yours since I wrote this. Ending discussion, Now.
Unexpected! I really thought MW2 would be a shoe-in.
Also: not to geek too too hard but...but this is a videogame website, so where else can I do it? Batman actually DID build a cave under Arkham after No Man's Land (in which there was a massive earthquake).
" @Meowayne said:Yes, but you can not tell it good."You can still tell a good story"Storytelling, pacing, characters. "What the hell's wrong with sandbox games?
Everyone can write a good story. Storytelling is the art. And sandbox games by definition can not feature good storytelling.
" @Kajaah117 said:That's why Uncharted 2 is still my game of the year, but I'm predicting Batman for Giant Bomb's." Aha! My prediction that the Giant Bomb GOTY would be between Batman and Uncharted 2 was right. This is a tough one. My favorite was Batman, but I think the best game of the year is Uncharted 2. They both had some dumb parts though. I hated the last 2 chapters of Uncharted 2, and the boss fights in Batman were weak as hell. I choose Uncharted by a hair, but I think Giant Bomb will actually end up choosing Batman. Something about the way they talk about it, it seems to be the most universally praised game in the office. Arg, this is though! I'm just glad MW2 didn't win. It's a phenomenal game, and I actually didn't think the story was as confusing as most people though it was, but dude.... Batman... "If you're talking flaws in the gameplay, I think Batman's boss fights are weak, while in comparison to Uncharted 2 there really weren't any glaring flaws. Sure, depending on your taste you could complain about different aspects of that game but there was no glaring flaws like with Batman. Maybe that can be overridden by the rest of the game but I think it's worth mentioning when comparing the two. "
Batman had a few flaws but the only one that really got to me was the boss battles. The build-ups to them were amazing, especially the Scarecrow bits, but the main fights were so weak I didn't feel like I was playing the same game. They just don't mesh at all with the quality of the rest of it. On the other hand, I only had one problem with Uncharted 2, and that was the enemies in the last 2 chapters. Without spoiling it for anyone, I just have to say that bullet-sponges are not fun to fight. Naughty Dog made the same mistake with the first Uncharted too, in the sense that they throw a new enemy at you, not necessarily that they were bullet sponges, and that's why it frustrated me even more. I thought they would have learned not to do something like that towards the finale, but they did.
Both games were so close to perfect though, and I don't think I've ever had such difficulty choosing a game of the year before. Maybe 1998 or 2004. I give it to Uncharted for breaking some new ground with animations, pacing, and the way character's interact with environments, but Batman was still one hell of a game.
Makes me wonder if Batman is going to be the game of the year.
Multiplatform games have a problem when it comes to which version of the game the person should buy.
" @supermike6 said:Saying they CAN NOT is a pretty big statement. I think AC2 tells its story pretty well (not good) even if you can do other things in between. I don't see how that ruins it." @Meowayne said:Yes, but you can not tell it good."You can still tell a good story"Storytelling, pacing, characters. "What the hell's wrong with sandbox games?
Everyone can write a good story. Storytelling is the art. And sandbox games by definition can not feature good storytelling. "
" @Kajaah117 said:Actually, I don't know that I agree about Uncharted 2 being "without glaring flaws." The gunplay isn't exactly mind-blowing (of the shooters I've played this year, it stands out as the least satisfying gunplay outside of Halo 3: ODST) but for most of the game, it wasn't a problem at all. Shoot-outs in Uncharted 2, for the first half of the game, served to aid in pacing the platforming sections, flesh out the story and provide more meaningful conflicts. However, once you reach the infamous train sequence, the shooting takes control of the game for almost two hours straight, with very little of the excellent platforming and climbing that were the heart of Turkey and Nepal OR even the sense of exploration that filled Borneo. Hell, that section didn't even have any character development throughout most of it, excluding Nathan's hatred of helicopters and its ending. Even if the gunplay were excellent, they ignored so many of the good things about Uncharted to the point that it limits the audience of the game to people who like Uncharted's gunplay, although just about anyone would've enjoyed anything before then." Aha! My prediction that the Giant Bomb GOTY would be between Batman and Uncharted 2 was right. This is a tough one. My favorite was Batman, but I think the best game of the year is Uncharted 2. They both had some dumb parts though. I hated the last 2 chapters of Uncharted 2, and the boss fights in Batman were weak as hell. I choose Uncharted by a hair, but I think Giant Bomb will actually end up choosing Batman. Something about the way they talk about it, it seems to be the most universally praised game in the office. Arg, this is though! I'm just glad MW2 didn't win. It's a phenomenal game, and I actually didn't think the story was as confusing as most people though it was, but dude.... Batman... "If you're talking flaws in the gameplay, I think Batman's boss fights are weak, while in comparison to Uncharted 2 there really weren't any glaring flaws. Sure, depending on your taste you could complain about different aspects of that game but there was no glaring flaws like with Batman. Maybe that can be overridden by the rest of the game but I think it's worth mentioning when comparing the two. "
If the sequence had lasted a half-hour, it would've been fine. But the train sequence is so long that it wrecked Uncharted 2 for me, derailing it from my "Game of the Year" title to back below Dragon Age: Origins. I still haven't finished Uncharted 2 because the pacing suddenly went out the window, and I was satisfied with the gunplay and felt like I wasn't going to get anything different anytime soon. And according to other people I know who've played, the final area is just as focused on the gunplay, which is disconcerting to me.
Of what I played this year, there's not a game without flaws. Dragon Age: Origins is a bit too generic, Demon's Souls has a lame presentation of its story, Modern Warfare 2 is far too over-the-top and gung-ho in its approach to campaign and competitive multiplayer, Left 4 Dead 2 is simply not quite different enough from Left 4 Dead, inFamous has a complete sham of a morality system, The Beatles Rock Band is lacking some very important tracks and takes too idyllic an approach to The Beatles' history for a true Beatlemaniac to not notice and feel at least a little annoyed, Resident Evil 5 is just simply not as good as its predecessor, and apparently Batman has weak boss fights. Even my pick for Game of the Year, Assassin's Creed II, has some lame character animations and an ending that is "make-or-break" in regards to its sequel.
" @Stephen_Von_Cloud said:I never would have imagined anyone would have a problem with the train sequence, but alright." @Kajaah117 said:Actually, I don't know that I agree about Uncharted 2 being "without glaring flaws." The gunplay isn't exactly mind-blowing (of the shooters I've played this year, it stands out as the least satisfying gunplay outside of Halo 3: ODST) but for most of the game, it wasn't a problem at all. Shoot-outs in Uncharted 2, for the first half of the game, served to aid in pacing the platforming sections, flesh out the story and provide more meaningful conflicts. However, once you reach the infamous train sequence, the shooting takes control of the game for almost two hours straight, with very little of the excellent platforming and climbing that were the heart of Turkey and Nepal OR even the sense of exploration that filled Borneo. Hell, that section didn't even have any character development throughout most of it, excluding Nathan's hatred of helicopters and its ending. Even if the gunplay were excellent, they ignored so many of the good things about Uncharted to the point that it limits the audience of the game to people who like Uncharted's gunplay, although just about anyone would've enjoyed anything before then. If the sequence had lasted a half-hour, it would've been fine. But the train sequence is so long that it wrecked Uncharted 2 for me, derailing it from my "Game of the Year" title to back below Dragon Age: Origins. I still haven't finished Uncharted 2 because the pacing suddenly went out the window, and I was satisfied with the gunplay and felt like I wasn't going to get anything different anytime soon. And according to other people I know who've played, the final area is just as focused on the gunplay, which is disconcerting to me." Aha! My prediction that the Giant Bomb GOTY would be between Batman and Uncharted 2 was right. This is a tough one. My favorite was Batman, but I think the best game of the year is Uncharted 2. They both had some dumb parts though. I hated the last 2 chapters of Uncharted 2, and the boss fights in Batman were weak as hell. I choose Uncharted by a hair, but I think Giant Bomb will actually end up choosing Batman. Something about the way they talk about it, it seems to be the most universally praised game in the office. Arg, this is though! I'm just glad MW2 didn't win. It's a phenomenal game, and I actually didn't think the story was as confusing as most people though it was, but dude.... Batman... "If you're talking flaws in the gameplay, I think Batman's boss fights are weak, while in comparison to Uncharted 2 there really weren't any glaring flaws. Sure, depending on your taste you could complain about different aspects of that game but there was no glaring flaws like with Batman. Maybe that can be overridden by the rest of the game but I think it's worth mentioning when comparing the two. "
I mean, it's an action movie basically, what more character development did you need? Could there have been more? Certainly but this isn't a novel, it's a videogame form of the summer action blockbuster and too much story drags it down. I learned everything I needed to know about Nate during the game and I didn't need any more.
Sure things could have been mixed up more in that sequence but I'm fine with the game going more action for a while. And beyond that the platforming is well integrated within the combat this time. Looking at the train sequence you were often hanging off the train to avoid obstacles and climbing all over to use the train as cover. The convoy sequence had the same thing going on. Sure they're not straight up platforming sequences but I like how they blended the two elements of the gameplay in Uncharted 2.
And comparing it to the first game it only improves in its pacing and intergration of the shooting elements and the platforming within the same sequences. I think this is only a good thing and it's probably a major reason why Uncharted 2 is viewed as a superior game. I'd rather not just play a segments of platforming and just play segments of shooting, I could pop in different discs for that. Uncharted 2's blend of both works far better.
And I simply don't agree about the feel of the gunplay, I found it plenty satisfying and huge improvement over Uncharted 1.
I'm sure you won't be swayed on any of this but I think you'll find a lot of people disagree with you.
I did almost scream out "NO!" when the guys you're talking about showed up in Uncharted 2 but there was a glaring weakness to them if you used the right weapon so it was okay to me, and they didn't last very long. I kind of wonder why they were even included, pretty damn uneccessary looking at the game overall but oh well.
That's why Uncharted 2 is still my game of the year, but I'm predicting Batman for Giant Bomb's.
Batman had a few flaws but the only one that really got to me was the boss battles. The build-ups to them were amazing, especially the Scarecrow bits, but the main fights were so weak I didn't feel like I was playing the same game. They just don't mesh at all with the quality of the rest of it. On the other hand, I only had one problem with Uncharted 2, and that was the enemies in the last 2 chapters. Without spoiling it for anyone, I just have to say that bullet-sponges are not fun to fight. Naughty Dog made the same mistake with the first Uncharted too, in the sense that they throw a new enemy at you, not necessarily that they were bullet sponges, and that's why it frustrated me even more. I thought they would have learned not to do something like that towards the finale, but they did. Both games were so close to perfect though, and I don't think I've ever had such difficulty choosing a game of the year before. Maybe 1998 or 2004. I give it to Uncharted for breaking some new ground with animations, pacing, and the way character's interact with environments, but Batman was still one hell of a game. "
With Batman I completely agree. The boss fights in the game feel like boss fights in a typical bad comic book video game, like you say, which is completely different than how the rest of Batman feels. The buildup and everything about the villains (their design, characterization, use in the story) was well done but the fights just sucked.
I wanna say there was fog that swirled around you in the PC version or something like that.
Even though none of them made my list this year, out of the 3 popular GOTY contenders (Batman, Uncharted 2, MW2), I think Batman is probably the most deserving. I did play all of them, and appreciate how technically excellent they all are - they're just not the type of games that stick with me I guess. I generally like a little less hand-holding and a little more freedom.
" I really like how GB handled these awards. Batman definitely deserves credit for it's excellent performance on every platform - no bugs, no performance issues, no matter what platform. And adding the physx stuff was the icing on the cake for PC gamers. "It's 2010 for god's sake, are we STILL not over the fact that physx is mostly useless?
" @emkeighcameron said:Some of those fights are just brutal for me (again, on hard). The tiny 3-door elevator room and the final Joker fight took me forever to complete. It IS rewarding as hell to do, though." Playing B:AA on hard mode is.....insanely hard. Which makes it more awesome. "I think it's not that hard. The game on hard just forces you to make use of all of Batman's gadgets and to really learn the fighting system. And this is, yeah,... awesome! "
" Nice choice. The only thing I have to say negative against this game, and it is somewhat of a big deal, is that the boss fights in this game were just lame. They were shallow and used very basic and cliche patterns. With how well the rest of the game was crafted I was hoping for some MGS-type boss fights that are less linear and make you really think. Considering how important the villains are to Batman it was a pretty big misfire. Still an awesome game but I haven't seen many people call the game out for the boss fights. I'll be interested to see if the guys mention this on the Bombcast. "It would be intresting if they did some mind-bending stuff like MGS, especially for a boss fight against....like The Riddler
I think the fact that I beat Batman AA on the 360 and am thinking about renting it for PS3 so I can play the game again sums up my feelings towards this game. It was the Batman simulator, so much so that I started to even read the Batman comics to learn even more about this franchise.
I had more fun with it using a keyboard and mouse so pc version is my favorite.Ps3 version would be next because you can play as the joker.Altogether good pick for multiplatform game.
" I was surprised to only briefly hear the quality of the boss fights mentioned as a major knock against Batman when they were talking overall GOTY on the podcast. I think it was only Jeff saying that the final boss fight was pretty weak, which I agree with but found every boss fight to be similarly bad. Again, still a very good game but I have to think everyone was let down by the boss fights. "I thought Killer Croc was bad, along with the final boss, but I didn't have a problem with most of the others.
I was very happy to see them avoiding simply using QTE's which absolutely ruined other games. Just take a look at the Force Unleashed, considering it was a game that was supposed to make you feel like an all powerful Jedi, having every big sequence done through a QTE doesn't add to the experience, it just makes it feel like your watching a movie. So while some of the boss fights in AA weren't exactly amazing.. they could have been so much worse.
Having not played Uncharted 2 yet, this is easily my GoTY.
(I did just get Platinum on the original though)
" @Stephen_Von_Cloud said:I agree with that QTE stuff. So many other games look awesome in trailers, like Heavenly Sword, but then when you play the game you realize it's just scripted QTE. This game feels more natural and I hope that games will be even better in the future. I can't think of any other game that has pulled off looking like a movie while still being a game, either they play like a game or look like a movie but to get both is just revolutionary IMO. I'm looking forward to what games will be like when they copy this and improve upon it. This game should be the inspiration for any sort of brawler in the future. I'd be fine with it becoming sort of a standard in the genre like the Halo 1 controls became for FPS and a foundation for all brawlers to try and improve upon." I was surprised to only briefly hear the quality of the boss fights mentioned as a major knock against Batman when they were talking overall GOTY on the podcast. I think it was only Jeff saying that the final boss fight was pretty weak, which I agree with but found every boss fight to be similarly bad. Again, still a very good game but I have to think everyone was let down by the boss fights. "I thought Killer Croc was bad, along with the final boss, but I didn't have a problem with most of the others. I was very happy to see them avoiding simply using QTE's which absolutely ruined other games. Just take a look at the Force Unleashed, considering it was a game that was supposed to make you feel like an all powerful Jedi, having every big sequence done through a QTE doesn't add to the experience, it just makes it feel like your watching a movie. So while some of the boss fights in AA weren't exactly amazing.. they could have been so much worse. Having not played Uncharted 2 yet, this is easily my GoTY. (I did just get Platinum on the original though) "
There is an interesting scandal surrounding this game on the PC, which is about specific technical aspects of the port:
http://www.brightsideofnews.com/news/2009/11/4/batmangate-amd-vs-nvidia-vs-eidos-fight-analyzed.aspx
I think it's crazy that people hated the Killer Croc fight. Why? I LOVED Killer Croc. That was like my favorite boss fight.
Maybe were people getting lost or thought it went on too long? I have a really good sense of direction so I would not have noticed that, but I suppose it could have been a big problem.
Seriously, why the hate over the Killer Croc fight?
Disclaimer: I am a total geek for Arkham Asylum and REALLY wish it would have won over Uncharted 2.
Good point, I really didn't even think about the absence of quick time in the game and you'll find no bigger hater of quick time events than me. Nothing is more dissapointing than seeing a bunch of cool things in a trailer and realizing their all quick time." @WinterSnowblind said:
" @Stephen_Von_Cloud said:I agree with that QTE stuff. So many other games look awesome in trailers, like Heavenly Sword, but then when you play the game you realize it's just scripted QTE. This game feels more natural and I hope that games will be even better in the future. I can't think of any other game that has pulled off looking like a movie while still being a game, either they play like a game or look like a movie but to get both is just revolutionary IMO. I'm looking forward to what games will be like when they copy this and improve upon it. This game should be the inspiration for any sort of brawler in the future. I'd be fine with it becoming sort of a standard in the genre like the Halo 1 controls became for FPS and a foundation for all brawlers to try and improve upon. "" I was surprised to only briefly hear the quality of the boss fights mentioned as a major knock against Batman when they were talking overall GOTY on the podcast. I think it was only Jeff saying that the final boss fight was pretty weak, which I agree with but found every boss fight to be similarly bad. Again, still a very good game but I have to think everyone was let down by the boss fights. "I thought Killer Croc was bad, along with the final boss, but I didn't have a problem with most of the others. I was very happy to see them avoiding simply using QTE's which absolutely ruined other games. Just take a look at the Force Unleashed, considering it was a game that was supposed to make you feel like an all powerful Jedi, having every big sequence done through a QTE doesn't add to the experience, it just makes it feel like your watching a movie. So while some of the boss fights in AA weren't exactly amazing.. they could have been so much worse. Having not played Uncharted 2 yet, this is easily my GoTY. (I did just get Platinum on the original though) "
@Kr3lian said:
" I think it's crazy that people hated the Killer Croc fight. Why? I LOVED Killer Croc. That was like my favorite boss fight. Maybe were people getting lost or thought it went on too long? I have a really good sense of direction so I would not have noticed that, but I suppose it could have been a big problem. Seriously, why the hate over the Killer Croc fight? Disclaimer: I am a total geek for Arkham Asylum and REALLY wish it would have won over Uncharted 2. "
The Killer Croc fight was terrible. Set up very well and I liked the ending, but in between what made it fun? He pops up and you throw a batarang at him and he falls. The same music plays every time, it was almost comical playing through it. I just tapped L when I heard the music flare up and he'd just tumble off the floating wood platforms every time. For a big, monstrous dude everyone seems to be afraid of he sure went down easy.
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