Batman: Arkham Asylum

What a wonderful world! A wonderful game that represent very well the world of batman. I enjoyed very much the gameplay: the fight scenes, the gameplay, the gadgets. The story between joker and batman. I also love the riddles and some iconic characters of Batman. A very good experience of video game. If you are a fan of batman, go take i!

Pros:

• Great story and characters
• Great gameplay
• Amazing voice acting
• Great graphics and animation
• Great boss fights
• Unique horror elements

Cons:

• Lacklustre final boss

Verdict: Thou improved by City, the original is a great game and is a pioneer of the progression of the making of good superhero video games.

9/10

A lot of people rolled their eyes when Arkham Asylum got 9s and 10s across the board from reviewers, myself included. Although it's a dirty little secret of the video game industry that big companies often buy high scores from media outlets, I am happy to say this time, they didn't have to. The game sells itself, and several hours into it, the jaded cynic within me was brutally beaten and tossed from the establishment.

They have done nearly everything right with this game; the only flaw I could find was that it has a final boss and an ending, and thus does not, as I had hoped, continue into perpetuity.

Let me list a few of the game's good points:

1. You don't die nearly as often as in other games. That might sound like another case of the dumbing down of games for casuals, but it does away with cheap deaths like slipping and falling off a ledge (anytime you miss a dangerous jump, you have a brief chance to press the grapple button to escape death). It's good design, in my opinion, something you'll find a lot in this game.

2. The gameplay has been unfairly skewed to be the most fun thing you've ever experienced. Fights against multiple opponents border on poetic at times, as Batman smoothly segues between attacks, counters, and throws. The secrets riddled (no pun intended) throughout the game that can be accessed with specific gadgets require frequent backtracking, but none of it feels repetitive, which is a credit to the devs.

3. The voice-acting is straight up flawless. Repeat: it is without flaw. Every actor is perfectly cast for his or her role, and they deliver their lines very much in character. The long-time voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, reprises his role as the Caped Crusader, and Mark Hamill sounds appropriately sociopathic as the Joker, one of the best voice-over jobs in the game, and that's saying a lot.

The bad? The game can seem a tad easy at times, as too many obvious hints are dropped when the game senses you're stuck, however briefly. Also, at 12-15 hours, it's a short game, made even shorter by the fact that you can't stop playing. That's nitpicking, though, and if you see these drawbacks as a reason not to buy the game, you've taken one too many batarangs to the head.

TL;DR version: 10/10. MUST-BUY.

The best, yes the absolute best superhero game ever. Well maybe until the sequel at least but this game here makes me wish every superhero adaptation was this good. This game truly captures what it is like to be the worlds greatest detective. The game comes from the Arkham Asylum comics but it is still it's own original thing as well.

Gameplay- This game is flawless you get everything you need to make you feel like you are Batman, you fight like him, get cool gadgets, do a little sneaking around. The AI isn't incredibly smart but when were the henchmen ever smart. The fact they will get terrified as you pick them off one by one that is a truly satisfying feeling. The boss fights aren't that hard except the infamous Poison Ivy fight that is just down right annoying. The game is also great when you set a trap for a henchman and they fall right in it.

Sound- This game sounds amazing the music score is pretty good nothing too notable. But the voice acting is every fan of the animated series cream in there pants. So yes Batman is voiced by Kevin Conroy and the Joker is voiced by the Mark Hamill himself.

Graphics- These look fantastic granted the game is so much easier if you stay in detective mode, but I high recommend just getting out of that and admiring Arkham Asylum and all its glory. What I love is the fact Batman will take damage as the story progresses that is just something story heavy games should have because it adds so much to the game. Plus I personally thing it gives a sense of danger if the hero is getting beaten down.

Story- So the Joker turns Arkham Asylum into his own personal playground but of course he has a more dastardly plan in mind. The player or Batman has to use every tool in his arsenal to stop the crazy clown. In the story you fight The Joker, Harley Quinn, Bane, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, and there are appearances by other Batman villains as well. This is such a Batman fans wet dream I had a hard time putting the controller down wondering whats going to happen next it is really addictive. The ending sets it up for a major sequel but with how great this game is who would ever complain.

Overall this is in my top 10 games ever. I loved the hell out of this game, if you haven't already played go out and buy, buy , buy it. My rating for this game is Jizz In Your Pants good.

Arkham Asylum's map is designed so well that even it's 2009 graphics didn't ruin the intended creepy and mysterious vibe the game was giving. Playing this at nights makes the experience even more magical. The map is also elaborative with puzzles that have a wide range of variety in solving them, I was amazed by how interactive the Asylum's world was given the game's age.

The story is unfortunately a bit too short and sometimes gives very little background to the cast characters. However, because of its short playtime you don't feel fatigued with the repetitive enemies and bosses.

The combat mechanics was fun and addictive, no wonder why the upcoming titles have been using the same combat gameplay with minimal changes.