Batman: Arkham Asylum Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Overall, this game is great fun and is definitely the best Batman game released on any console so far, but there are a few issues that keep it from being perfect.

First the negatives:

I didn't have any problem installing the game, and since I had already set up a Windows live account for a previous game, that wasn't a problem (I was somehow automatically logged in whenever this game started).But I use a Logitech Cordless Rumblepad 2 instead of a 360 controller, and the game wouldn't work properly with it at first.The y-axis on the left analog stick was reversed, so that pushing the stick forward caused Batman to turn around and walk toward the camera instead of walking forward, and the A and X buttons were swapped with the B and Y buttons.I could have remapped the buttons within the game, but there was no way to invert the y-axis of the left analog stick!The game was unplayable in this state, but by downloading and configuring an xbox 360 controller emulator, I was able to remap all controls to the way it should have been.If you don't use an xbox 360 controller as your PC gamepad, be aware that you may have this issue, but you can find a work-around.

The second problem I had with the game was that the camera follows Batman too closely.When running or fighting, the camera zooms out to give an adequate view, but otherwise, it's so close that Batman takes up about 3/4 of the vertical screen space.I was constantly having to maneuver the camera around Batman whenever I wanted to see what was right in front of me without switching to first person view.This isn't a game-killer, but it is an annoyance that together with the controller issue takes away a star from the review.

But the positive aspects of the game outweigh the negative parts by a large margin.

The graphics are fantastic.I don't know if I've ever seen better, and the game runs smoothly on hardware that isn't state of the art.If your computer meets or exceeds the recommended specs, you are in for some sweet eye candy.The character models are just fantastically good, and the animation is top notch.No complaints whatsoever as far as the visuals go.

The gameplay is also really good.The fighting system is one of the most simple and effective that I've ever played.But despite the simplicity, it is still challenging to rack up large combos, and when done right, the fights look and feel spectacular.They are really reminiscent of the fighting scenes in the two most recent Batman movies, 'Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight.'

This isn't a pure action game, however.When facing armed opponents, Batman must keep out of sight, and pick them off one by one without alerting the others.This part of the game requires more patience and strategy, but I found it to be fun, and a good balance is struck between the two parts, so that the game neither becomes too tedious nor degenerates into a button-masher.

The game's atmosphere also perfectly matches the subject material.The plot is engaging, and the cast of characters is amazing.There's the Joker, of course, with Harley Quinn (yay!), Bane, the Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, and others.

Also, the voice talent deserves special mention.My first real introduction to the Batman universe was through the excellent 'Batman: The Animated Series' of the early '90s, and many of the great voice actors for the series reprise their roles here, including Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as the Joker, Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn, and Diane Pershing as Poison Ivy.Their performance is awesome.The game's plot was also written by Paul Dini, a writer and producer on Batman: TAS, so maybe it's no surprise that I enjoyed the game so much.

As for replay value, I'll probably play through the full game again, but since the plot is linear, I doubt I'll get anything new from it.The Riddler has hidden over a hundred trophies throughout Arkham for you to find if you want, and finding them unlocks new challenges.The challenges themselves are fights for you to engage in to try to maximize your score or stealth sequences where you try to minimize your time to pick off all the enemies.These are a fun diversion, but probably not worth spending too much time on.There may be some downloadable content worth checking out, but I haven't looked at it yet, so I can't say.

Overall, I thought this was a really fun game that respects the Batman source material.It was well worth the money, and comes highly recommended.

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Product Description:
Batman: Arkham Asylum is a single player, third-person action/adventure in which the Dark Knight is forced to take on his greatest challenge yet when he is trapped by arch rival, the Joker, within Gotham City's facility for the criminally insane, Arkham Asylum. A blend of exciting arcade style combat and stealth mechanics packed with amazing graphics in a moody, immersive setting, Batman: Arkham Asylum offers diverse gameplay options that push the envelope for all action, adventure and superhero games.

Kick it in combat gameplay.
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And stealth action.
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Match wits with The Joker.
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Utilize utility belt gadgets.
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Take on dangerous bosses.
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Explore moody settings.
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Batman: Arkham Asylum features an original story penned exclusively for the game by famous Batman author and five-time Emmy award winner, Paul Dini, whose credits include "Lost" season one and "Batman: The Animated Series." As the game begins Batman is personally delivering his nemesis, The Joker, to the asylum at Arkham Island, but he is uneasy. Although the Arkham asylum is well fortified, he has a nagging feeling that all is not well, which proves to be the case when seconds after turning The Joker over to the guards, the master criminal breaks free of his captors. Even more surprising than this quick turn of events is the revelation that it was never The Joker's intent to escape the vault-like facility, but instead to trap Batman there. Surrounded by an asylum full of dangerous criminals, many of which he put there and all at the beck and call of the Joker, can Batman survive and discover what is behind the Joker's intricate plot?

Gameplay
In Batman: Arkham Asylum players strap on the gadget-heavy utility belt of the Caped Crusader. Gameplay here is a combination of both the knuckle crunching rush of hand to hand combat as you take on the hordes of thugs that infest Arkham Asylum, and stealth gameplay in which you must dispatch individuals from the shadows. Players can expect an engrossing single player campaign in which Batman continually moves forward to face the henchmen, bosses and traps that The Joker has set for him. With regards to opponents, in addition to The Joker who you will hear more than you see, the dark walls of Arkham also hold familiar villains from the the Batman criminal universe including Harley Quinn, Victor Zsasz and Killer Croc, that you will have to deal with, but don't expect a one-dimensional experience. As players progress from environment to environment within Arkham they will have to use varying combinations of muscle, detective skills, gadgetry and a certain degree of light RPG-like leveling of Batman's skills, arsenal and physical characteristics to survive and discover what The Joker's underlying scheme is.

In addition to the story-driven single player campaign Arkham Asylumalso contains various additional play modes. These include an arcade styledcombat mode where players accumulate points by engaging hordes of thugsin a hand to hand slugfest across a series of maps, in which Batman'sphysical strength and agility play a major role. The key here is to chaintogether as many attacks as possible due to the fact that with each successfulcombo players increase the point multiplier associated with their actions.The game also features a time-based stealth mode where players must honetheir ability to strike silently from the shadows. This gameplay, referredto as 'Invisible Predator' utilizes the Dark Knight's skill with gadgetslike the grapple tool, batarang and explosives. These allow for vertical/horizontalmobility, the ability to quickly strike from above and at a distance andto take out enemies and create distractions, even through walls. But rememberthat Batman works solo and is not superhuman. Your enemies will congregatearound trouble areas and work as a team against you, so you must besilent, plan your attacks wisely, strike quickly and discover the valueof encouraging fear within enemies.

Key Features

Utilize the unique FreeFlow combat system to chain together unlimited combos seamlessly and battle with huge groups of The Joker's henchmen in brutal melee brawls.
Investigate as Batman, the world's greatest detective, by solving intricate puzzles with the help of cutting edge forensic tools including x-ray scanning, fingerprint scans, 'Amido Black' spray and a pheromone tracker.
Face off against Gotham's greatest villains including The Joker, Harley Quinn, Victor Zsasz and Killer Croc.
Become the Invisible Predator with Batman's fear takedowns and unique vantage point system to move without being seen and hunt enemies.
Choose multiple takedown methods, including swooping from the sky and smashing through walls, and use the predator camera get a closer look at the action.
Explore every inch of Arkham Asylum and roam freely on the infamous island, presented for the first time ever in its gritty and realistic entirety.
Experience what it's like to be Batman using batarangs, explosive gel aerosol, the Batclaw, sonar resonator and the line launcher.
Unlock more secrets by completing hidden challenges in the world and develop and customize equipment by earning experience points.
Enjoy complete superhero freedom in the environment with the use of Batman's grapple to get to any place you can see, jump from any height and glide in any direction.

System Requirements:

Minimum Specifications: Recommended Specifications: OS: Windows XP SP2/Vista SP1 Processor: P4 2.8GHz (3.2GHz Vista)/Athlon 64 3000+ (3200+ Vista) Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz processor family/Athlon 64 X2 4400+ (required for MP host) RAM: 1GB (1.5GB Vista) 2GB RAM Video Card: Graphics card with 256MB (SM 2.0b). NVidia 6800 or ATIX700 Graphics card with 512MB (SM 3.0). NVidia 8600 GTS or ATI HD 2900 XT Sound Card: DX9.0c compliant DVD-ROM: Quad-speed (4x) DVD-ROM drive Hard Drive Space: 12GB of free space or more Other: DirectX 9.0C; keyboard & mouse

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