Batman: Arkham Asylum Demo Impressions

IF YOU HAVE AN XB0X 360 OR A PS3, DOWNLOAD THE DEMO RIGHT NOWWWW!!!!

Holy crap! This is one of the best demos I've ever played. I was already set on buying Batman: Arkham Asylum when I first heard about it but this demo pretty much expelled any doubts I had about the game. The videos don't do this game justice. Actually sitting there with the controller in hand gives you such an incredible feeling as you watch the story unfold and get into the action. Enough gushing though.

A few things about the demo...

The graphics are awesome. They definitely show off the hardware's power. I believe that the graphics look slightly more realisitc on the PS3 version (textures look a bit cleaner, shadows look more real, etc.) but regardless, the graphics are a great show piece for both systems.

The controls are fairly simple. With the demo, you don't get access to many actions so how the controls work when using all the different gadgets is yet to be seen but so far, they seem spot on. Attacking, countering, grappling, throwing your batarang, moving, and all that is easy to do.

Combat is easy to get into but may be a bit too simplistic. You can hit the enemies with punches and kicks and you can stun them by swinging Batman's cape at them. You can also counter the enemy's attack (There will be these blue/white marks that appear when an enemy is about to hit you).

One cool feature is the "takedown". If you knock an enemy to the ground, you can move over to them if you execute the take down command when it appears, Batman will deliver a final blow, knocking them out. As well, if you're sneaking around the enemy, you can sneak up behind them and take them down quietly. There are also other kinds of take downs which just need to be seen.

Speaking of sneaking, it's a neat feature. You can hide and press your back up against walls ala Metal Gear style and you can also grapple onto ledges to get to higher ground. Throughout the demo there are gargoyle statues by the ceilings of the rooms which you can grapple onto and sit on giving you a great view of your surroundings. You can even swing from gargoyle to gargoyle.

Another cool thing is the "Detective Mode." This turns the screen blue. You can see people's skeletons, even through walls and such so you can get a good idea as to where they are. It also shows people's condition (Unconcious, nervous, terrified, etc.), they're heartbeat, and if they're armed. You can also get notes on some of the objects like locked doors, gargoyle locations, and pathways. Important objects get this brownish colour.

Last but not least, the atmosphere of the game. This game is on the dark side which fits Batman perfectly. Arkham Asylums combines multiple story lines from the comics and even the newer movies. But the most awesome thing? The voice actors! They got many of the voice actors from the 90s cartoon series (which by the way, is one of the best cartoon shows ever), including Mark Hamill doing his Joker and others.

All in all, Batman: Arkham Asylum is looking to be one amazing game. The demo is just torture, making me want to play the game even more. I can't praise the demo enough other than that it should be longer. If you haven't played it yet, do yourself a huge favour and play it now. The game's release is just a few weeks away.