TSA Staff: Game of the Year #4

I'll give you one chance to surrender.

Published 15/12/2009 at 13:00.
By djhsecondnature.

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Batman: Arkham Asylum. Like the Dark Knight himself, this snuck up out of the shadows to shock us all. This action-adventure stealth game developed by Rocksteady Studios for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, took a comic book hero and gave them a game to be proud of. In fitting style, Batman: Arkham Asylum stayed under the radar. We knew it was coming but the amount of press prior to release was pretty sparse, with the exception of PS3-favouritism with both a Home Batcave and exclusive Joker DLC. Once the demo had released though, there was no hiding. We fell in love with the masked crusader all over again and were itching to play the full release. A good decision that turned out to be with Batman: Arkham Asylum impressing TSA and receiving a 9/10. Batman: Arkham Asylum gave us a hero game we could only dream of; it is TheSixthAxis’ fourth favourite game of 2009.

Our second day brings a second TSA Game of the Year video:

This video was created and edited by Peter whilst I just added some flashy magic.

With several Batman loving staff members within TSA Towers, here’s what a few of them thought:

“Batman: Arkham Asylum is, from the opening moment until the end, simply a sublime experience. Stalking your prey from the rafters, using Batman’s gadget arsenal, and particularly the dream sequences stand out as really involving you in the game. Yes it’s not without it’s flaws, but you easily over look those feeling that you really are The Big Bad Bat. The storyline is well paced, swerves nicely and, unlike a lot of this type of game, feels involved with the game rather than a seperate entity with your actions simply linking chunks of story together. The game’s atmosphere is heavily driven by its environment, the darkened rooms, the enclosed corridors and even the open spaces with snipers that you don’t see as you emerge from a building, all compliment the atmosphere and make you feel that not only are you stalking your prey but that they could be waiting for you around any blind corner. The puzzle-solving is there and just fits, puzzles driving things forwards rather than being an unnecessary distraction and the way that you have to use your gadgets to navigate levels just feels right for the Dark Knight. And the stealth… well the stealth feels right. It’s how Batman would go. He doesn’t sneak along walls and peek around a corner like some Johnny-come-lately, he moves through the rafters, drops down and takes out his prey before anyone knows what happened. Simply? You are Batman, you are the night, and the bad guys are downright scared of you.” – Kris Lipscombe

“The Batman legacy is one that many have attempted to address in a video game and until now, none have succeeded. Rocksteady Games have developed a title that stays true to Batman with Arkham Asylum providing a dark, gritty and intimidating setting. The fight mechanics are some of the best in any game and it’s easy to lose yourself in Batman: Arkham Asylum.” – Lewis Gaston

“The Dark Knight is at his darkest in this flawless game. Arkham Asylum is simply one of the best single-player experiences available and should always be regarded as a classic. The story flows so well and the gameplay just works. Even the sound and audio are spot on, with gruesome tones jumping in at the perfect moment. Rocksteady have easily captured the very essence of Batman: his power but keep the gamer in constant fear of The Joker. The satisfaction of swooping down onto clueless henchmen from the rafters is exactly how a Batman game should feel. This is one that should not be missed.” – Murdo Connochie

Tomorrow, it’ll be time for our third favourite. I hope you’re looking forward to it.

Comments

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Zuler | 15/12/2009 13:01
Team TSA: Writer
10696 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009

Just a reminder folks, Colossalblue made this video as well, it was his own music too! Davs made the other 3, so thank him then ;)
cc_star | 15/12/2009 13:04
Team TSA: Writer
11320 TSA Points | Member since: Forever

Loving Kris’ quote…. Lewis can you do an abridged version for me?

I’ve forgotten what numbers 3-1 are… need to have a quick check
- Gastos84 | 15/12/2009 13:09
  Team TSA: Writer
  4238 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009
  
  Abridged Too Far – Kris’ Quote
  
  KRIS: I’m in love with Batman.
  
  The End.
- Raen | 15/12/2009 13:46
  Team TSA: Writer
  4647 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
  
  Blame Davs, he said 200-300 words I’m sure of it!
  - Zuler | 15/12/2009 19:44
    Team TSA: Writer
    10696 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009
    
    I vividly remember he said 100-200 :P
Gastos84 | 15/12/2009 13:08
Team TSA: Writer
4238 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009

I love that video. :D Awesome team is what Davs and Peter make.
- dirtyhabit | 15/12/2009 13:55
  Member
  1716 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
  
  Hmm. Typing like Yoda you are.
  - G_The_Enemy14 | 15/12/2009 17:55
    Member
    942 TSA Points | Member since: Jan 2009
    
    HAHA :D
AcidCrashX | 15/12/2009 13:18
Member
694 TSA Points | Member since: Jun 2009

great piece guys :)
online4ntagonist | 15/12/2009 13:21
Member
528 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008

the game was indeed a splendid experience from start to finish. i’m getting everybody to play this, because nobody thinks it’s any good, until they’ve played it.
Manorhowze | 15/12/2009 13:24
Driving God
2400 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2008

Batman was one of the best games of the year and deserves its place in your Top 5.

Toying with henchmen made me take so long to complete the game as I never wanted to just take them out, I wanted to do it with style. The last henchman in a room was always terrified so you could throw a batarang near him and he would freak out and start shooting randomly.
The voice acting was superb, Mark Hamill gave a brilliant performance as The Joker.

It definitely had flaws but they were forgivable flaws and I cant wait to see what the sequel is like.
teflon | 15/12/2009 13:29
Member
3257 TSA Points | Member since: May 2009

Completely agree. This game was one of the best surprises of the year. Appearing out of nowhere and instantly cementing itself as the best comic book game of all time (as far as Im concerned).

I genuinely can’t wait for the sequel to come along, and it’s great to see that it’s already underway. The engine’s in place (and looks great), the game mechanics already solid and apart from the forgivable flaws (which they can no doubt mitigate quickly), this should be a fairly straight forward sequel that takes what’s there and just ups the ante across the board.
bunimomike | 15/12/2009 13:42
Member
8861 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009

Not sure the music fits the video but great article and a damned good reminder for me to pick this up in the New Year.
- Gastos84 | 15/12/2009 13:43
  Team TSA: Writer
  4238 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009
  
  I love the contrast of the music against the video :D
Dunks | 15/12/2009 13:45
Member
332 TSA Points | Member since: Nov 2008

I only just bought it at the bargin price of £18, a christmas treat one might say… looking forward to it.
- Ripperfish | 16/12/2009 00:27
  Member
  213 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2009
  
  Well worth it, i’d buy it again for £50+ if i ever lost my copy, its just that good a game.
Soild_Nat | 15/12/2009 14:10
Member
920 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009

Brilliant pieces these guys, i look forward to the every day and the accompanying videos. I have just picked this up only the other week for £20 (dam you amazon with a cracking deal just days later) and its the best twenty i have spent all year.

Its a great game and just does so many things right. I love planning my takedowns from the rafters and executing them with mixed success, the different ways to approach a situation are great and the set pieces and boss battles are nicely done. I was very pleased to see a sequel of sorts announced. Well done on the vid not giving away any spoilers, anyone who hasn’t got this it gives them a good flavor for the game without blowing all the best bits!