So this is my first review ever so would love some constructive feedback. I won't get butthurt, just say whatever you think. Thanks
By now most of you have heard of or played Batman: Arkham Asylum. Since it's August release you've heard the game described as the ?best Batman game of all time.? Whether or not this is supposed to be a shining achievement since the best recent Batman game was 'Lego Batman' is still to be decided.
Batman has always been my favorite comic book hero. The man has everything: good looks, charm, money, and a voice two octaves lower then the average male. Still he flies around Gotham saving the city from similarly absurd dressed up villains. I played the Arkham Asylum demo a few months back, and was quite impressed. But far too many times I have been disappointed by my expectations created from demoes.
Since this is my first review I will use a basic format. I would not want to read a wall of text, so I will not make you do the same.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is smooth and fluid with basic controls that take very little time to master. The fighting system is not ground breaking by any means, but it surely gets the job done. Combos are easily pulled off and in no time you'll be throwing petty thugs around in true Batman form. Although it is fun to take down a room full of thugs in a few swift motions, combat becomes repetitive quite quickly. I saw the depths of the takedown combos within the first hour of gameplay.
The stealth aspects of the game are a nice compliment to the button mashing action. Unlike the fighting system, the stealth never seems to lose it's flair. You can never pull an unsuspecting thug on a gargoyle, flee the scene, and cut the rope down with a Batarang to knock his friends down too many times. Moving around the room is easy and intuitive, although I question how many gargoyles one asylum can really have.
You are given new gadgets and upgrades as you progress through the game. More often then not you will be asked to use your new gadget immediately.... then about 100 times more within the hour. Upgrades were nice but did not really add to the game outside a few cheap tricks.
The game features a few puzzle aspects that become redundant and boring. You'll spend most of the game looking for a vent or a damaged wall. Nothing truly challenging about these puzzles and if you miss a vent it becomes a frustrating search for where to go.
The one thing I did enjoy greatly were the Scarecrow sequences. I thought they added a nice change of pace and offered a little story along the way.
Visuals:
The game looks beautiful and the environment really adds to the feel of the game. The movie's gritty and dark themes carry over into the game. The one complaint I have is that most of the game is spent in X-Ray mode. Allow me to explain...
Early in the game you are given the ability to see through walls and detect enemies with Bat-vision. At first I used this sparingly, mostly to find weaknesses in walls and structures. Eventually though the Raskolnikov-like guilt set in, and I forced myself to play the majority of the game with the feature off. There was also the imminent feeling that the art director from RockSteady was going to slit my throat when I was not looking. It was similar to putting on glasses for the first time, just to be forced to take them off immediately after and read an eye chart.
Bat-vision felt like a 'fuck you' from the gameplay department. I guess the art department got the last donut or pissed in the punch.
Story:
The story is conventional and what you would expect from a comic book game. The writing at points is pretty laughable, but it gets the job done. Your main Batman villains are present here including Poison Ivy and Joker (obviously). I never felt that the story was an asset or liability to the game. It never crippled my gameplay experience, but rarely added to the game.
Voice Acting:
This is my first review, so do not want to go into the depths of the voice acting. I really was not paying enough attention for it to matter. I was hoping that Batman's voice would be even lower for the laugh factor, but I guess they were worried it would be inaudible to the older folk. Mark Hamill does a pretty good job as Joker. Besides that everything feels taken from the stock.
Replay Value:
I do not see myself giving the game another go around, but there is some replay value there. You can solve the numerous amount of mini puzzles, or you could find creative ways to clear the stealth sequences.
Also I definitely missed out on one part of the game that I found interesting. I was being wheeled into Arkham Asylum as Batman when suddenly Joker pulled out a gun. Seconds later, I was shown my tombstone. Did I miss something here?
Overall:
Batman is a solid and enjoyable gameplay experience. There is a good mix of action and stealth coupled with strong gameplay mechanics. The visuals are outstanding, only crippled by the necessity to use Bat-vision. The story will not be made into a movie anytime soon, but it does the job. RockSteady studios has created a strong game that should set the minimum bar for future Batman games. I hope they build off of this and we can stay away from atrocities such as ?Batman Forever.?
Rating: 8/10
By now most of you have heard of or played Batman: Arkham Asylum. Since it's August release you've heard the game described as the ?best Batman game of all time.? Whether or not this is supposed to be a shining achievement since the best recent Batman game was 'Lego Batman' is still to be decided.
Batman has always been my favorite comic book hero. The man has everything: good looks, charm, money, and a voice two octaves lower then the average male. Still he flies around Gotham saving the city from similarly absurd dressed up villains. I played the Arkham Asylum demo a few months back, and was quite impressed. But far too many times I have been disappointed by my expectations created from demoes.
Since this is my first review I will use a basic format. I would not want to read a wall of text, so I will not make you do the same.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is smooth and fluid with basic controls that take very little time to master. The fighting system is not ground breaking by any means, but it surely gets the job done. Combos are easily pulled off and in no time you'll be throwing petty thugs around in true Batman form. Although it is fun to take down a room full of thugs in a few swift motions, combat becomes repetitive quite quickly. I saw the depths of the takedown combos within the first hour of gameplay.
The stealth aspects of the game are a nice compliment to the button mashing action. Unlike the fighting system, the stealth never seems to lose it's flair. You can never pull an unsuspecting thug on a gargoyle, flee the scene, and cut the rope down with a Batarang to knock his friends down too many times. Moving around the room is easy and intuitive, although I question how many gargoyles one asylum can really have.
You are given new gadgets and upgrades as you progress through the game. More often then not you will be asked to use your new gadget immediately.... then about 100 times more within the hour. Upgrades were nice but did not really add to the game outside a few cheap tricks.
The game features a few puzzle aspects that become redundant and boring. You'll spend most of the game looking for a vent or a damaged wall. Nothing truly challenging about these puzzles and if you miss a vent it becomes a frustrating search for where to go.
The one thing I did enjoy greatly were the Scarecrow sequences. I thought they added a nice change of pace and offered a little story along the way.
Visuals:
The game looks beautiful and the environment really adds to the feel of the game. The movie's gritty and dark themes carry over into the game. The one complaint I have is that most of the game is spent in X-Ray mode. Allow me to explain...
Early in the game you are given the ability to see through walls and detect enemies with Bat-vision. At first I used this sparingly, mostly to find weaknesses in walls and structures. Eventually though the Raskolnikov-like guilt set in, and I forced myself to play the majority of the game with the feature off. There was also the imminent feeling that the art director from RockSteady was going to slit my throat when I was not looking. It was similar to putting on glasses for the first time, just to be forced to take them off immediately after and read an eye chart.
Bat-vision felt like a 'fuck you' from the gameplay department. I guess the art department got the last donut or pissed in the punch.
Story:
The story is conventional and what you would expect from a comic book game. The writing at points is pretty laughable, but it gets the job done. Your main Batman villains are present here including Poison Ivy and Joker (obviously). I never felt that the story was an asset or liability to the game. It never crippled my gameplay experience, but rarely added to the game.
Voice Acting:
This is my first review, so do not want to go into the depths of the voice acting. I really was not paying enough attention for it to matter. I was hoping that Batman's voice would be even lower for the laugh factor, but I guess they were worried it would be inaudible to the older folk. Mark Hamill does a pretty good job as Joker. Besides that everything feels taken from the stock.
Replay Value:
I do not see myself giving the game another go around, but there is some replay value there. You can solve the numerous amount of mini puzzles, or you could find creative ways to clear the stealth sequences.
Also I definitely missed out on one part of the game that I found interesting. I was being wheeled into Arkham Asylum as Batman when suddenly Joker pulled out a gun. Seconds later, I was shown my tombstone. Did I miss something here?
Overall:
Batman is a solid and enjoyable gameplay experience. There is a good mix of action and stealth coupled with strong gameplay mechanics. The visuals are outstanding, only crippled by the necessity to use Bat-vision. The story will not be made into a movie anytime soon, but it does the job. RockSteady studios has created a strong game that should set the minimum bar for future Batman games. I hope they build off of this and we can stay away from atrocities such as ?Batman Forever.?
Rating: 8/10
