Batman: Arkham Asylum Reviews

Warning: Spoilers

Batman has never been more of bad ass! Batman Arkham Asylum is one of the finest outings for the caped crusader. Not only is it a top notch game with excellent attention to detail and amazing production value it is also an absurdly fun game to play. I couldn't even begin to count the number of hours I spent with this Masterpiece. I've beaten the main story several times and I suspect that I will continue to do so in the future. It's by far one of the best video games that I have ever had the opportunity of playing. The Game begins with Batman capturing the Joker and delivering him to the Asylum. Through a sudden turn of events we discover that The Joker had been planning his abduction all along. He takes over the Asylum with the help of Harley Quinn. Now it is up to the gamer to take back the Asylum as Batman. The Best part of it all is that it contains The voices from the animated series. These are both the quintessential actors for the roles. AS much as I enjoy hearing other actors portray the characters There is simply nothing that comes close to the chemistry between Conroy and Hamill. It's so magnetic that it draws the audience into the story like few games could.

The Gameplay is addictive and deceptively easy to grasp at first hand. Right from the start of the game Joker frees the thugs from black gate prison and it's up to you to take them out. To put it mildly The Arkham fighting system is Genius! I've never played an action game with a combat system that made you feel like such a bad ass It's just so simple and yet it looks so cool. There will be moments in the game where you'll find yourself fighting against a dozen to twenty guys at a time and all you have to do is alternate between the attack and counter buttons to dispose of them. But the thing that makes the combat so addictive is that it's easy to learn but insanely difficult to master.

The Other major corner stone of the game-play of Arkham Asylum is predator mode. During these sections of the game Batman will find himself in a room with several men patrolling it armed to the teeth with guns. With all the ass you've been kicking in traditional combat it's easy to forget that you're just a man but these sections of the game do a Masterful job in humbling the gamer. Once you get the hang of this aspect of the game you will truly feel as if you are a force of nature as you find ways to split the group of enemies apart and take them down one by one before anyone of them understand what's going on. There are a number of ways to do this which makes the process overwhelming. It's easy at first but towards the end of the game you'll find yourself in a room with twenty armed guards and you not sure who to take out first. Thankfully Predator is fast paced and aggressive thanks to detective mode. Detective mode is Batman's link to the Batman computer providing by his trusted partner Oracle and is useful in practically ever section of the game. It's basically X ray vision and it allows Batman to see threw walls and buildings as well as isolated armed henchmen. With this feature you will surely see enemies coming from a mile away and will have plenty of time to prepare for your next attack. The best stealth take downs are the inverted ones that you can do from the overhead interior gargoyles. Hanging enemies upside down while they scream in terror simply never gets old. This feature becomes the most enjoyable when the enemies fear meter builds up. At a certain point they become so frightened they begin to shoot into the air randomly. So despite the challenge the predator aspect of the game truly gives you the opportunity to feel like Batman and that perhaps is the highest praise that anyone can give it.

One of the best things about the game, aside from The fun game-play, Dark atmosphere, and great graphics are the memorable clashes that Batman has with some of the super villains in the Asylum. My personal favorite are the haunting dream like sequences with Scarecrow that pop up during certain moments of the story. There are simple no words to describe How Phenomenal this part of the game really is. My favorite moment was when Scarecrow's toxin actually forced Batman to be taken throw the murder of his parents all over again. I actually cried in that moment. No other video game has made me feel that way and I've played Shadow of the Colossus. That is all.

There is little I can say about Batman Arkham Asylum that hasn't been said already. It's just an amazing game and is certainly deserves it's game of the year award. It will be forever cherished in my memory as one of the finest renditions of the character of all time! A timeless classic and one of my absolutely favorites!

Such a fantastic game in terms of its atmosphere, combo system, gadgets, and Riddler bonus quests that merge so well with its main quest. There are some pros and cons between this game and the superior Arkham City sequel, and one of the strong highlights of this game is its incredible atmosphere and story.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

To cut right to the point, I loved this game. I mean, how could I not? It's fucking Batman! :)
The plot is that, after Batman returns the Joker to Arkham Asylum, the Joker breaks free, takes control and makes a public threat that ensures Batman is left alone to stop him.
Simply setting the game in Arkham Asylum is the perfect excuse to throw in as many Batman villains as you want. And, while they do include quite a few, I'm glad they didn't let it get to the point of insanity; they're all well integrated into the story. One of my favourite boss fights is Bane – who, for my money, has never looked better.
The gameplay is also right up my street. :) It's more about stealth than full-on action, which really was the perfect approach. I am not a hardcore gamer and definitely don't consider combat my strong suit, so I'm glad they restricted it to a few basic commands during hand-to-hand combat; you just tell Batman basically what to do and watch him do his thing. :)
And do I even have to mention the casting of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill – in my opinion, still by far the best versions of their respective characters?
To sum it up, you take perfect gameplay, a variety of enemies and gadgets, and throw it all into a concoction very true to the Batman mythos, and you have one of the best Batman games you could possibly ask for.

My rating: 95%