Review: Batman: Arkham Asylum

I am Batman, I am the Dark Knight. Now I shall return to playing the game...

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Article written by colossalblue in Hot, PS3 Reviews, XBox 360 Reviews, on Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 12:00.

Sometimes games sneak up and emerge from the shadows into greatness. Sometimes they announce themselves with a bang and then spend months throwing marketing material in your face. Batman: Arkham Asylum did a little bit of both. It hasn’t been a massive hype campaign but there have been many videos and a fair amount of screenshots to whet our appetites. It seems that anybody who knows and enjoys the Batman universe, even just from the films, has been looking forward to the game’s release with an increasing excitement.

In the preamble to our First Level feature about Batman: AA, we previewed this game by saying it might not just be game of the year; it might be the game of this generation. That was a bold claim which would need a strong product to back it up. Eidos famously said that this was the closest to a perfect video game that they had ever made. Another bold claim, let’s see how it fares.

You take on the role of the world’s greatest detective, Batman. The start of the game has you returning Joker to Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. This is just a cut-scene at the moment but the graphics and lighting are beautiful and the voice acting is, simply, the best I’ve ever heard in a video game. Needless to say, things don’t go quite as planned and you end up trapped on Arkham Island with the inmates and various super criminals who would quite like to see the costumed vigilante that put them there being torn to pieces. The cut-scene ends and leaves you standing with oncoming enemies (recently transferred Blackgate Prison inmates – Joker’s goons) but such quality are the transitions between cut-scene and game-play that it’s often not obvious that a transition has been made and you might find yourself caught off-guard.

This initial combat serves to show you the ropes and there are a couple of moves to be picked up later but the combat controls are simple. Basically it’s one button for strike, one for stun and one for counter with the fourth face button being used (via double-tap) as an “evade move” where Batman leaps out of the way of advancing enemies. As you progress via the game’s “RPG-light” upgrade system you can unlock new fight moves which are performed, after building up some combos, via dual-button presses. The upgrade system also allows you to buy new abilities and add-ons for your gadgets which will come in very handy in the latter stages of the game.

The combat system allows smooth transitions between moves that are very cinematic and whilst I was initially expecting the combat to become a bit repetitive it was enjoyable right up until the last fight of the game. Batman doesn’t use weapons, other than his trusty Batarang, so almost all of the combat is hand to hand with the odd bit of assistance from one of your gadgets. This makes you feel all the more special when you lure a goon into a pre-laid trap. There is no other way to say it: You really feel like Batman. Outwitting, out-fighting and out-manoeuvring your enemies is the only way to progress and as any Batman fan will tell you, that’s exactly what the Dark Knight is all about.

This brings us to the first negative point with the game: the enemy AI is a bit rubbish. You can (as in the demo) sneak up behind them for a “Silent Takedown” (which isn’t actually silent) and remove one goon when there is another standing yards in front of him, or even directly beside him. As long as you’re not within the enemy’s, fairly restricted, cone of vision then you’re safe. I think the developers missed a trick by not including much sound-interaction too. I lost count of the number of times I wished I could ping a batarang off a wall to get an enemy to turn around and see where the sound came from. They don’t appear to hear them. They also easily lose sight of the huge man dressed as a bat when he is above normal eye-level. This is a much smaller concern than it sounds though, as it doesn’t really detract from your enjoyment of the game.

The style of the game is tricky to describe but it is basically comprised of widely linear sections joined together by open-world sections in the grounds of the asylum. The buildings contain set-pieces in certain rooms where you have to despatch a number of guards before you progress. You can move between any of the buildings on the grounds (providing you can get past the guards and into the buildings) at any stage with sections opening up to you as you upgrade your gadgets and beat more of the game. It never feels as though you are merely walking from one point to another, there is always a different route, a new ledge to discover or a few guards to take out on the way. If you lose your way the handy “Detective Mode” can highlight notable items which will often point you in the right direction. This mode is also called on during the main story to track key figures via fingerprints DNA or scent. It’s an interesting way of signposting your route without “breaking the fourth wall”.

If you tire of the mission progression and want a bit of variation you can follow Riddler’s clues to find some unlockable content (comprising mostly of character bios, virtual figurines and challenge modes). There are 240 separate things to find before you complete Riddler’s tasks and some of them are really quite tricky. I’m still hunting for a few of them myself but finding the maps that have been left by Riddler certainly helps to narrow down the locations.

Just about every Batman villain you can name is featured in some way in the game, even if only via a cameo appearance. From the famous names like Joker, Poison Ivy and Riddler to the less well known fan favourites like Killer Croc, Harley Quinn and Bane. Even some relatively minor villains are mentioned (Calendar Man, Black Mask and Humpty Dumpty!).

All in all, the level of fan service is amazing, with recognisable faces from Arkham’s comic book appearances cropping up at every turn. There are new characters appearing for the first time in this game including the enigmatic “Spirit of Arkham” who has left coded messages around the grounds of Arkham which unfold into a story as you pick them up. The interview tapes that are dotted around the map also flesh out the back story and bring a great amount of detail to the characters. They tie the game intricately to the larger themes of the Batman universe: psychology and fear. In reference to these two over-arching themes, the sections of the game that feature Scarecrow deserve a special mention, they are so well implemented in such a clever way that they will probably stand out for years to come in much the same way as the famous “Psycho Mantis scenes” from Metal Gear Solid.

I think, perhaps, when Eidos said that this was the closest they’d ever got to a perfect video game they might have meant in terms of gaming. At various times you will encounter mechanics that make you do all the traditional video game things. You have to time your jumps, hide to avoid being trapped in the light and killed, progress slowly and carefully, count boss attacks so you can be ready to retaliate at just the right time. The list goes on. This game is crammed full of all the familiar old mechanics from the history of video games but they’re dressed up in such a way that they don’t feel clichéd or tired. Speaking of which, there are what amounts to quick-time events dotted throughout the game but they are rarely signposted. They are always a required button press at a specific time but as part of your natural move-set. It’s a very clever way of shoe-horning yet another video game mechanic in without making it intrusive.

So, what about the extras in the game? Well, the absence of multiplayer might be seen as strange these days but I don’t think it would have worked for this game. I mean, really, there is only one Batman isn’t there? There are, in the absence of multiplayer modes, challenge rooms (including the PS3- exclusive Joker playable character) which are basically a contained version of the set pieces presented in the game where you have to clear a room stealthily or fight off a number of opponents at once. The medal system is unforgiving and I can see the later challenges being nightmarishly difficult to obtain gold medals for.

All in all Batman: Arkham Asylum is a fantastic video game, worthy of all the praise it receives. Although there are a couple of minor flaws in its execution (lack of sound-awareness in the poor AI and a relatively cheap final boss stand out) there really isn’t a lot that you could fault with this game. It is certainly one of the best releases this year. Whilst there is still a long way to go and a great deal of titles still to come, Batman: Arkham Asylum will, we feel, ultimately be considered amongst the best video games of this generation.

9/10

Comments

Please note that all comments are the opinion of the individual author and not TheSixthAxis.

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ii3illy | 01/09/2009 12:13
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524 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008

Just added this to my Lovefilm list. Thanks for taking the time to review it.
- Duffy | 06/09/2009 23:47
  Member
  12 TSA Points | Member since: Nov 2008
  
  When i downloaded the demo of this, i thought it was good enough, i certainly wasnt so easily subdued as many people are, i think if this wasnt about batman there would be a lot less hype tbh
Soild_Nat | 01/09/2009 12:17
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725 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009

Once i get done with InFamous, along with FIFA 09 they will be traded in for this. Have only heard good things about the game. Its about time we got a decent comic book hero game, now dev’s take note and sort a good StarWars game out!
- Snakefingers13 | 01/09/2009 12:43
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  226 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
  
  What’s wrong with TFU?
  - BoyDay | 01/09/2009 12:56
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    790 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008
    
    Lego Star Wars FTW
  - illogicology | 01/09/2009 15:39
    Member
    689 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2009
    
    Jedi Outcast, anyone?
  - teflon | 01/09/2009 22:36
    Member
    1594 TSA Points | Member since: May 2009
    
    for a game that proposed to let you use the force to bend everything to your will, it did quite well, but just nowhere near enough. And the control system and camera were just… off…
    
    Lego Star Wars was good fun, but its a lego game, not a star wars game.
    
    Jedi Outcast is still the best Star Wars game, as far as Im concerned, but its also 7 years old.
    
    Give us something that matches up to Outcast, but with the tech of TFU amped up to 11, and without the frustrating control system, and you’ve got a deal.
Zuler | 01/09/2009 12:26
Team TSA: Writer
10367 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009

I completely agree with Colossalblue here. Every single pro and con of mine on this game is mentioned here. One thing is that I loved the stealth sections a bit more than MGS, as you could use Gargoyles to hide indefinitely, which allowed me to plan for my next move, which was absolutely a blast!
spooferbarnabas | 01/09/2009 12:28
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1415 TSA Points | Member since: Jun 2009

Sounds good, i will be buying this in the near future. I tried to do it on saturday but every single ps3 copy was sold out in the GAME i visted
tinytim01 | 01/09/2009 12:30
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225 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009

im still to get this liked the demo,wait till go’s down in price
radiobridge | 01/09/2009 12:34
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537 TSA Points | Member since: May 2009

Spot on review,only half way through myself but this is fast becoming my No 1 PS3 single player game ever.
illogicology | 01/09/2009 12:36
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689 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2009

I don’t really trade my games in but I’m seriously considering it for this one.
SpikeyMikey23 | 01/09/2009 12:43
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643 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009

the Mrs bought me this, then she tagged it as a christmas present and stashed it! NOT GOOD!! but at least i dont have to pay for it! she also tagged a 320gb harddrive for the puss3 as a christmas present, thats been stached as well!
gazo69 | 01/09/2009 12:44
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1061 TSA Points | Member since: Forever

This is one of the reasons i love TSA, the well written reviews, much praise CB , a great review for a great game, i agree with everything you have said, and i think Batman:AA will take some beating this year in terms of gameplay
2ofclubs | 01/09/2009 12:44
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563 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2008

Great game and great review. Good job
Gastos84 | 01/09/2009 12:44
Team TSA: Writer
3612 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009

Amen. The AI is crap, agreed, but it is one hell of a good experience, beating the crap out of them with the free-flow combat systems.

God I love this game. I was a bit nervous after the first section but then it really opened up. And, at present, it is GOTY for me. But then again, UC2 has yet to hit our shelves!!
LivedeviL | 01/09/2009 12:46
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283 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2008

Wow… I’m convinced to change this from a “maybe buy” to an “almost def buy”

Top notch review CB
Severn2j | 01/09/2009 12:50
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1267 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008

I’ll be getting this on my way home tonight.. I hadnt paid any attention to the hype, but from the demo and the subsequent reviews (including this one), this has jumped to the top of my must-buy list..

BTW, is Judge Death in the game? Although, not technically a Batman villian, he did appear in a few Judge Dredd/Batman crossover series..
- colossalblue | 01/09/2009 12:52
  Team TSA: Editor
  1146 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
  
  they did Dredd/Batman crossovers?! oh my god, Now I have to find them…
  No, unless he’s the last character bio I have to unlock
  - Severn2j | 01/09/2009 12:58
    Member
    1267 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008
    
    Yeah they did four, wiki info here -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html?curid=2131024
    
    They were pretty good too..
  - illogicology | 01/09/2009 15:30
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    Unfortunately they’re not canon, they’ll not be referenced in the game.
AcidCrashX | 01/09/2009 12:52
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576 TSA Points | Member since: Jun 2009

great review CB

i got this on Thursday (thanks shopto!) and played through it over the long weekend. its one of the only games i can say i finished and then went right back in again for more. SERIOUSLY RECOMMENDED
Shalashaska | 01/09/2009 13:00
Member
63 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2009

just cleared this last night and besides the very anticlimactic final boss this is a brilliant game, the best iv played since MGS4. It also opens itself to a good sequel or at the very least some kick arse DLC.
- Erroneus | 01/09/2009 14:10
  Wanted "Trophy Hunter" but was too late.
  2773 TSA Points | Member since: May 2009
  
  The final boss battle was also bit of a letdown for me when it happened, but the fight just before that was pretty hard and when you think about it, the final boss isn’t a “power guy” in real life, just a “bit” crazy, so I guess it made sense
  - rht992 | 01/09/2009 15:17
    Member
    2284 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009
    
    the boos battle was easy in comparison to the party
  - Erroneus | 02/09/2009 07:37
    Wanted "Trophy Hunter" but was too late.
    2773 TSA Points | Member since: May 2009
    
    It was, but when you think about, it makes sense and the “final boss” weakness is hilarious

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