Batman: Arkham Asylum–Worth the Wait!

September 8, 2009

Wondering what the Caped Crusader has been up to? Read on for IMPACT intern (and game-playin aficionado) Megan Groves’ review of his latest game, Batman: Arkham Asylum.

There are enough Batman incarnations in existence to make heads spin. From comics to newspaper dailies and Tim Burton to Joel Schumacher, audiences never know quite what to expect from the Caped Crusader’s latest installment.

Fans collectively moaned when Eidos announced the delayed release earlier this year, but it seems developer Rocksteady Studios has put the extra time to good use; it’s rare to see a game hit the market so polished.

Batman: Arkham Asylum lets you witness the graphical power that happens when mixing talented programmers with one of the most beloved heroes of all time. It perfectly borders the fine line between realism and comic-animation style. Even Batman’s cape is alluring enough to command players to stare at it perpetually as it billows behind him. If the fight had been more difficult, the Scarecrow scene could have given the Resident Evil series a scare. Reminiscent of the scene from Batman Begins, I can’t imagine getting any closer to actually experiencing Dr. Crane’s potent fear gas.

Gameplay is a solid mix of great combat, stealth and platforming elements. Of course, you can’t have Batman without all the great gadgets; the Batarang and the Batclaw are just two that make an appearance. Adding to the fun, players can customize their gear with weapon upgrades, like making the Batarang remote-controlled.

Bruce Wayne gets to show off his martial arts expertise as well. There’s no lack of the brute strength that make boss fights such a pleasure in action adventure titles. The fact that those bosses are recognizable super villains only adds to the magic. The Joker has compiled Batman’s enemies and they’re all waiting for their chance to take down the Bat-Man. Players should prepare to face off against Bane, Killer Croc and more. Who knew being locked in the loony bin would be so much fun?

Gameplay is flexible enough to allow players to choose their methods. Charge into a room full of mental patients, or spend hours picking them off one-by-one from the safety of the rafters. Watching an upside-down silhouette with pointy ears wait for an unsuspecting thug to walk by has never been so rewarding, and it never gets old.

The voice acting is mostly realistic and true to the traditional format. Batman’s deep baritone remains intact, and Mark Hamill returns to give voice to the Joker. Hamill rides the facets of Joker’s personality well: going from cryptically rational to hysterical, sometimes in the same breath. Harley Quinn is annoyingly high-pitched and bubbly as she bounces around Arkham doing the Joker’s bidding.

Overall, I haven’t seen many games this year with the appeal, fluidity and cohesive story of Batman: Arkham Asylum. I generally tear through games like this in a matter of days, but have been surprised to find myself stretching my gaming hours out to prolong the experience. If you haven’t already picked it up, pretend your car is the fastest thing on four wheels. –Megan Groves

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 at 10:39 am and is filed under Comics, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Comics, General