Ashwin Hary
Edward 1
Glancing back: Batman Arkham Asylum
September 29th 2009 10:46
Not so insane review of the latest Batman game.
The Collectors Edition (CE) of Batman: Arkham Asylum comes with a large Batarang, a thick booklet with biographies of several villains, a code to unlock exclusive maps online, a mini comic accounting the behind-the-scenes while Batman takes Joker to Arkham, and the game with the obligatory ‘making of’ DVD (sadly not on blu ray for the PS3 version), which rivals the goodies found in Grand Theft Auto 4’s CE. Does this epic CE talk the talk as well? Or is it compensating for something much like Batman’s armour?
Ok that sounded like a low blow to Batman. But he wouldn’t be Batman without his uber armoured suit and gadgets. He is rivalled against characters from the darker sides of their comic book counterparts. Thanks to the developers at Rocksteady, the character designs fit perfectly within the world it is created for. Special mention goes to Harley Quinn. Her costume design is never worn in the comics, but it complements her figure and character so well, I personally, find it better than any of her previous costumes.
Set on an island housing the most dangerous criminals in all of Gotham, how can Batman instil fear into thugs within their own fun house? Well Batman can take out one of their buddies by grabbing them like a slinky as they walk underneath a gargoyle he is perched on. You can stun them by chucking a flying bat-shaped projectile at their heads from a distance or/then fly in, cape out, drop kicking another. Or sneak behind, choke em out, and use your ever-reliable grappling gun to make a quick escape. Or you can use a sticky bomb spray on any surface to blow in their faces, or/then blow a wall with the bricks hitting them into their faces. There are many more creative gadgets and uber moves I haven’t addressed and it is what makes Batman such a satisfying character to play as and make encounters constantly fresh.
Batman’s hand-to-hand combat is equal to none. If Kratos, from God of War, is a brawler, Bruce Wayne is a technician; methodical as well as bad ass. What made the battles so much fun are the extremely responsive controls; there aren’t any delays from button to screen or having to worry about Batman’s animation to finish. You can counter a punch with a devastating takedown, and continue another counter with a single button as much as you like.
One of the most satisfying sounds in the game is Batman’s fist, in slow-motion, connecting into the ugly mug of the last thug in a room. The back stories of the main bad guys are explained in the form of recordings scattered all over the island, the voice acting is so well rehearsed, it makes listening to them a treat, yet can be totally avoided if you prefer to continue running through the story.
Speaking of story, it is built in such a way, that even people new to the Batman franchise can understand who the person under the mask is as they progress through the game. Each comic book villain is fought in unique ways and circumstances, the world changes constantly, which keep back tracking from becoming a bore, and enemies would change vantage points in familiar territories as well.
The only gripe I have is the anti-climatic ending. And the highlight of the game is a certain villain despatched in such a cool way, you couldn’t help but shout PWN! Like many other reviews on the web; Batman: Arkham Asylum is a great game, where every gamer and comic book fan will find there is nothing wrong with having fun playing a guy wearing a bat suit.
GamerVerdict: 5/5
| 52 |
| Vote |
Add Comments
