I came to this game after finishing the excellent Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and if I'm honest I did struggle to make the jump. Partly this is my age meaning I'm not as good at switching between controls as I was, but also a reflection on how much I enjoyed AC:B. Once I got over this hump though and got the feel for how Batman: AA plays and works, I got into it very quickly and found a very well designed game that features plenty of colour, plenty of variety and was a good solid challenge without ever being frustratingly difficult (in normal setting anyway).
The game play is impressive; in terms of the straight story you'll be called on to work out how to get to places by using your eyes and the gadgets available to you; you'll have combat where your timing and skills are pushed in terms of pulling of combos, blocking and countering attacks but you'll also have stealth sections against armed foes where you get to be the shadowy Batman - taking them out one at a time and disappearing back into the shadows as your increasingly panicked enemies try and find where you are. These were my favourite sections and I do enjoy the additional challenge mini-games you can do in the same format. Since it is a computer game the story is episodic but it still manages to flow pretty well and be quite cinematic in nature. The cut-scenes are well used and do not come too frequently.
Although not a huge free-roam world like Red Dead etc, Arkham Asylum still has lots to explore and find. The secrets maps help a lot but it still is a challenge and it does add material to the game rather than just charging through the main story. Some of these collectables also add detail and colour to the game - I won't say I listened to all the interview tapes, but the bio files (complete with comic-book pictures) were a nice touch and again added a sense of depth to the game beyond just the story.
I am a fan of Batman but not to the point where I know all the characters, but it was enjoyable to see so many main ones have a large role in the game. The Joker is particularly effective and is well voiced by Hamill but everyone does a good job - Poison Ivy was perhaps the exception for me but that is more down to me not really liking her character rather than a problem with the game. The Scarecrow sections were all great - easy enough to "beat" but the design of them and the flashes into Wayne's tortured psyche were really enjoyable. Speaking of the Bat himself, the game achieves the central goal, which is making it fun to play as the Goddamn Batman! The gadgets are cool, the voice acting is good and there is little more pleasing that pulling off those stealth moves without ever being detected and hearing the fear of the Bat enter the voices and behaviour of the remaining henchmen.
The graphics are excellent. Personally it took me a minute to get used to how much of the screen Batman took up (the view just seemed a bit too close for me) but otherwise it looked great. The Gothic atmosphere is tangible and the detective mode is very useful - the only downside of it was that the detective mode is so useful that you end up running around with it on most of the game - which does rather rob you of the atmosphere and the beauty of the "normal view" graphics; not a massive problem, but a shame for sure.
Overall Arkham Asylum is a really great game. Well designed, looks great, plays great and has a story that engages. The characters are full of colour and are well brought to the screen in terms of looks and voice work while the variety in the game-play means I was using my head, my eyes, a stealthy approach and also having button hammering combat - all of which worked very well together and individually.
