Before we begin, I want to warn you that this review contains MINOR SPOILERS. If you don’t want to see the characters in the game (especially the final boss) or the plot, then here is the short review: Buy This Game!
Batman: Arkham Asylum is not just a good superhero game, it is the BEST. Very few games have given me this much fun. The only ones I can think of that can even compete with this one are Just Cause 2 or Skyrim. The interesting story and great fighting mechanics encouraged me to spend hours and hours in front of the TV screen.
This game strictly follows the comic books. So if you want a game that closely resembles the Dark Knight Trilogy, you are out of luck. The story starts off when Batman is driving the captured Joker to Arkham Asylum. Soon after they reach their destination, everything goes wrong. Harley Quinn shows up and you start to feel like you are in a nightmare. The Joker and Harley then capture honored men of Gotham City and hold them hostage. You go throughout the night fighting henchmen and popular villains such as Bane, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Zsasz, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn with a unique and genius fighting mechanic. You fight each of these characters in boss battles that do not seem out-of-place unlike other games.
As you progress through the story, you will discover the secret of Joker’s Titan Project. Titan is a substance that turns any puny wimp into a brute like Bane. Joker is planning on pumping Titan into Gotham’s water line so the people of Batman’s hometown can join the creepy clown’s monster army. Batman goes on to find an antidote for Titan,and in the end, you finally find Joker and fight off a bunch of his henchmen before you can reach him. Finally, the Joker injects himself and Batman with Titan, but Batman heroically uses the antidote on himself so he doesn’t become an evil monster. Soon, Joker grows into a creepy, titan-filled freak, and you defeat him by pulling him through the floor. Then, Batman sprays his fist with explosive gel and punches joker in the face in an epic slow motion cut scene. In the end, the patients are put back in their cells, and Batman leaves knowing he has done his job well.
Everyone either hates the combat system or loves it. I personally think it is great! You don’t have to remember tons and tons of combos. Instead, you only press one or two buttons to attack and counter, but if you want to make it more complex, you can throw a batarang in between punches or drop some explosives on the ground before jumping towards the next enemy. The game rewards you for being more complex, but at the same time, it doesn’t penalize you for simplifying your experience. The game also incorporates special takedown combos that adds something fresh to combat. The combat is unique and I hope other games use this technique as well.
The overall feel of the game is great. You truly feel like you are Batman exploring a well-designed, gothic world. The color and the textures remind me of LEGO Batman: The Videogame as it truly is a dark and mysterious game. But no matter how dark and scary it is, you will feel confident because you are BATMAN! You get to explore all the Dark Knight’s cool gadgets and even upgrade them and his suit. Though you won’t be able to drive his Batmobile, you will surely entertain yourself while spending roughly 12-15 hours as the Caped Crusader.
One last thing that I need to talk about is the collectibles. You will spend many great hours after you beat the campaign finding Riddler Trophies, interview tapes, character bios, and 3d character models. Finding these can be hard yet addicting. The Riddler Trophies are probably the best collectibles. Sometimes, you really have to think about what you need to do before you can wrap your hands around the next Riddler memorabilia. This encouraged me to keep coming back to the game to find the secret booty that is hidden inside Arkham Asylum’s walls.
I have to give this game an 8/10. Although I have given very little about what is bad about the game, I realize that there are games that are better than this. Any Batman fan will be drooling at the mouth when they get a hold of this game. It exceeded all of my expectations, and I want to see many improvements in the future installments in the series. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go find some Riddler Trophies.
Graphics: 7/10
Dialogue: 7/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Replayability: 9/10
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