Batman: Arkham Asylum... Really That Good?

[Quickening666]

I don't often start my own threads here but I've been reviewing games for two years now and playing them my whole life but for the first time ever I'm genuinely confused.

You see I recently bought Arkham Asylum because Steam had one of their annoyingly good deals on you just can't resist. I usually don't believe the hype surrounding any game and in fact it often makes me dislike it in advance but I was actually looking forward to playing Arkham Asylum for review because of how many recommendations it got.

Well about half an hour ago I finished the game and I really don't know what to think. On the one hand I think it's technically a great game but I wasn't sure I had any fun at all while playing it. I really don't know what to make of it at the current time so I thought I'd put it out there and see if there's anyone who has anything except praise for the game.

 

[Tasachan]

I haven't played too far into the game, but I had way too much fun grappling and jumping on people.
Its the simple things that amuse me.
My husband generally liked the game, but I think he said he wasn't too happy with some of the boss fights. I can't recall why.
Sorry I can't be much help.

 

[AvsJoe]

I got about halfway through it and was enjoying my experience. Fun? Not really.

Being the goddamn Batman??? AWESOME!

 

[Dunn159]

I really enjoyed Arkham Asylum, so much so that i rented it from Blockbusters 3 times to play it again! Why I didn't just buy i i have no idea

 

[Rokar333]

I had a different feeling from you. At first I was worried that I wasn't really feeling anything with the game, and then I realized that was because I couldn't think of anything wrong with it. Except the boss fights, they all played the same and amounted to "Quick batarang at the druggie between punching goons".

 

[chuckey]

I very much enjoyed the game. I loved the story and the combat. The boss fights for the most part were: throw batarang, punch, dodge, repeat. What really kept me interested though, were the Riddler's riddles, and the hidden audio tapes of other characters.

 

[Quickening666]

I very much enjoyed the game. I loved the story and the combat. The boss fights for the most part were: throw batarang, punch, dodge, repeat. What really kept me interested though, were the Riddler's riddles, and the hidden audio tapes of other characters.

I suspect that might actually be my problem because I think that if this was a Highlander game or a game based on some other franchise I love then it would be a dream. All those lovely collectables hidden away just waiting for me to find them. Batman is the only "super hero" I like but I guess I assumed that after the success of the Dark Knight they'd go for a dark and gritty approach in Arkham. Instead it's full of overblown action and ludicrous characters which is fine if you like that interpretation of Batman.

I'm pretty certain the fault is with me and not the game. I mean there are things about it that annoy me like the fact that when Batman walks he walks on the left side of the screen instead of the centre (but he goes centre for running) but overall it's obviously a solid game. Guess I'm just not into the comic book style Batman at all.

 

[MetaKnight19]

I quite liked it, even though some of the bosses were pretty lame (I'm looking at you Bane). Although once I'd beaten it and had a go at the challenge maps, I traded it in.

On the game cover, there was a sticker from GamesMaster magazine giving it a score of 96% and said 'Masterpiece'. Someone might have been exaggerating a tiny bit.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Well I've only played part way through the game and I find it's pretty good, but I have to say that even with Mark Hamill's superb voice acting, the Joker constantly repeating the same 5 or 6 lines over the inter-comm gets rather irritating after a while.

 

[Souplex]

It's pretty good, not great though. Game like that was meant to be played with a controller though.
Also: Go to your room! Steam is the enemy of gaming, and by supporting it you're killing gaming!

 

[CrashBang]

I hate those games which I know are technically great but I can't decide if I actually enjoyed it or simply was impressed by it
In my opinion Arkham Asylum has a flawless and beautifully fluid combat system, a great range of fun gadgets and a great detective system which, although easy, constantly switches the pace and stops the game from ever becoming stale. The voice acting, art style and environments are top-notch and it's one of my favourite games of this gen

 

[Imp Poster]

I generally like Arkham Asylum. Playing Batman has never felt so satisfying. BUT the game puzzles from the chattering teeth, finding riddler's mark felt like a chore. Although, depending how you are, you can have fun or it could be work if you felt the need to solve all the puzzles. I am the second guy. I ran all over the place many times felt like too much work.

 

[Neofishie]

As someone who first learned about Batman via Bruce Timm's cartoons, and someone who also owns all four seasons of said animated series, I fell in love with this game.

After taking out an entire room of thugs without one of them seeing me and without using the gargoyles, I actually had to pause the game and walk away, so that I could tell someone that I was the goddamn Batman.

That's my personal take on the game though. I could understand how some people could be less enthralled with it than me.

 

[Jamous]

Tbh, I thought it was a great game, probably one of the better ones I've been playing recently. The combat flowed marvelously, and the puzzles and exploration were great fun. I really like the universe and the voice acting etc. Sure, the game does have its faults (*coughBanecough*) but overall I still think it's a great game. Oh, and you should still play it even if you don't like Batman, because it's still a pretty good game.

 

[Nifty]

I thought Arkham Asylum was great. The atmosphere, simple game mechanics, voice acting and typically daft storyline nailed it for me. But then that's just my opinion.

 

[Quickening666]

It's pretty good, not great though. Game like that was meant to be played with a controller though.
Also: Go to your room! Steam is the enemy of gaming, and by supporting it you're killing gaming!

I IS INNOCENT! Seriously, how do you mean?

On that note, I only bought it from Steam because it seems strangely hard to find a boxed copy of the Game of the Year Edition in the UK. But after buying it I realised that the only extras it contains are two challenge maps so the retailers probably knew it was a waste of storage space.
Interestingly though it doesn't require Steam to be active while playing. However it does demand Windows Live Gaming/Xbox Live thing to be active which is even worse.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

I enjoyed it greatly. The detective sections were quite cool in my opinion. The only Boss that was really a "fight" was Poison Ivy if you ask me.

 

[Citrus]

I loved it. Batman is one of the few superheroes I like, but it was the gameplay that sold it for me. The stealth was fun and I loved the combat (it all played out very fluidly, almost like it was choreographed).

For the record, I hate any Batman that isn't the dark-n-gritty type, but that didn't deter me from the game at all. He was the comic Batman, so he was a bit of a ham (I'm probably the only person on the planet who doesn't like Kevin Conroy), but other than that it was dark enough for my tastes.

 

[ratchet573]

I thought, as you said, it was technically a good game. I thought the Scarecrow section was amazing. But otherwise, the Croc battle was slow and boring, Poison Ivy wasn't great, and the end fight with the Joker was, no pun intended, a joke. It was alright, but definitely not as good as a lot of people say.