Game: Batman

Last Updated on July 26, 2021

Published by:
Eidos Interactive
Developed by: Rocksteady Studios
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Available only on:

Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC

BUY
THIS GAME HERE

INTRO:
 It’s looking like it will be a
long, long night for Batman. After apprehending the Joker all too easily, he
has once again fallen into his trap. Now, Joker has taken over the asylum
and all of its inmates, and is determined to finish off the Dark Knight once
and for all. It’s up to you to take up the cape and cowl to see if you stop
evil from reigning once again.

GAMEPLAY:

Can you believe that they’ve made another Batman game? Of course you can!
After years and years on several different systems, Batman’s video game
legacy has been far less than stellar. With that being said, let me tell you
right off the Bat (LOLOLOL) that this game breaks the mold and is worth your
time. To the Batcave!

 As some of you likely already know, I’m quite the Batman mark and
consider the movies to be some of my favorite movies of all time. The games have
always been trouble though, for the most part. Aside from a few worthy entries,
almost every game has been rather disappointing. One thing is for sure though,
no game has really made you FEEL like Batman, no matter how hard it may try.

 I’m proud to say that Arkham Asylum’s biggest accomplishment is that it 
captures what it truly feel like to BE Batman. Most of this game’s
satisfaction comes from hiding in shadows above rooms, swinging on stone
gargoyles as you wait for the opportunity to attack your fear-stricken foes.
Then you’ll silently glide down onto the catwalk behind him and take him down,
which only inspires more fear in the thugs who discover his body.

 I don’t want to say that’s the gist of the game though, although it does
take up a big part of it. You truly are Batman, and the way you dispatch your
foes is really up to you. You can toss a Batarang (or three, or four, or a
remote controlled one) to daze them, then run over and take them down. You can
spray explosive gel and detonate it when a foe gets near. You can also shoot
your grapple gun and wrap it around a bad guy’s ankles and pull them away. 
It’s so much fun to be Batman.

 When it comes down to fisticuffs, the Freeflow combo system is easy to
pick up, but tough to master. It seems like you just jam a button and then when
an enemy attacks, you can counter it. The longer you go without getting hit, the
more devastating your combo becomes. This can pose a problem later on, as some
enemies need to be stunned and some can’t be hurt as easily with punches.

 Batman is also a detective, which makes for a huge portion of this game
as well. You spend a lot of time searching for clues, which is often done
through analysis of something which leads you down a trail (tobacco, whiskey,
etc). You’ll be crawling through a lot of grates and swinging from a lot of
ceilings, as the Joker has locked most doors. As the game progresses, you blow
up walls and eventually explode electronic locks to get where you need to be.
None of this is very tedious or challenging, and only adds to the Batman
experience.

 Now, it’s not all completely awesome. In order to find out what you’re
doing, you need to go into ‘what the hell do I do now’ mode, known in the game
as “Detective Mode”. This is very helpful and well done, as it shows the
presence of enemies, their state, and also will show you the trail where you
need to go. As I said, this is pretty helpful but it’s also disappointing
because everything seems to go into ‘blueprint’ mode. This wouldn’t be a
problem, but you spend so much time in Detective Mode that this otherwise
beautiful game becomes bathed in a washed out blue for each moment spent in this
mode.

Also, I wasn’t huge on the boss fights. Most of them are pretty easy, and if you
die it’s more of an ‘I accidentally nudged the button and got killed’ thing than
a true challenge. I thought that the final fight was a huge letdown, but that
might just be me.

As you go along, you will solve riddles from the Riddler, and pick up challenges
from him as well. This adds a lot to the game, although I will admit that I felt
as if I was trying to do TOO much on my first play through.

Gameplay: 8.5/10

GRAPHICS:

This game is undoubtedly a graphical
powerhouse. The textures are so richly detailed, and the environments look
absolutely fantastic. The lighting is also spot on and very integral to the
game’s look. The characters look unbelievable at times , and I found myself
begging that an animated show could be made using these character models.
Batman’s suit shows wear as the game goes on and it just adds to the
realism. I can’t say enough good things about the graphics, I thought they
were nearly pitch perfect.

Graphics: 9/10

AUDIO:

 

This game sports some incredible,
incredible sound. Let’s start with the voice acting, shall we? Kevin Conroy IS
Batman (Bale be damned), and Mark Hamill IS the Joker. These guys are veterans
from the animated series and they both do a fantastic job, as do the other voice
actors. You can sometimes just sit behind a wall and listen to guards talk about
what’s going on for a few minutes, because the game is that detailed. The
orchestral score sounds like it’s right out of the movies and is simply
beautiful.

Audio: 10/10

FINAL VERDICT:

This game is amazing. If you’re a
Batman fan, you own this already. If you’re just a gamer, you still need to
play it. Sure, there are small gripes- Batman has huge forearms, the control
can be a little touchy and some of the boss fights are too easy, but that
just doesn’t matter. This game is the complete package and is a true labor
of love that puts many other games to shame. 
The menu art, the voice acting, the little in-jokes, everything adds
up to make sure you love every second of it. Everything will have you saying
‘Wow, what a cool touch’.  Batman fans, rejoice- you finally have a
game with Batman in it that’s good on its OWN merits and does proper justice
to the franchise.

Final Score:

9/10

BUY
THIS GAME HERE