Batman: Arkham Asylum Impressions

Batman: Arkham Asylum Impression

So the game has been out for a few weeks now so I think I'll give me impressions of the game. Don't worry, there's no

spoilers as far as the story goes.

So, this goes without saying but, this game is incredible. While there are minor flaws, this game lived up to the hype, and exceeded my expectations. Definitely one of the best games I've ever played.

Now I could go on and on for hours on end about this game but I'll just talk about a few things to keep things short and save all my rambling for a full review.

The story makes this game feel right at home in the Batman comic book universe. Dark, gritty, and holds true to what Batman is all about; taking down maniacal criminals through his wits and brains rather than brute strength. The story involves Batman returning Joker to Arkham Asylum but once Joker is inside, everything goes awry, the Joker breaks free, and it turns out that his plan all along was to take control of Arkham Asylum. Now with Arkham Asylum under Joker's control and no way for Batman to escape, he's forced to stop Joker. But the story goes much deeper than that but I won't say any more. Let's just say there's a lot of interesting surprises to be had.

Another great thing is the use of villains. While only a few villains make it for the show, there's a lot of references, objects, and other tidbits to most of the Batman villains. A lot of homages get payed to like seeing Scarface, finding Penguin's umbrella, seeing the block of ice Mr. Freeze was held in, and so forth which is a really nice touch. Even the less popular villains like Calander Man, Prometheus, and Hush get mentioned.

The gameplay is where the game hits its high notes though. The freeflow combat system is pretty cool and finding ways to maximize your combos is always fun. I do admit though that it does get a bit repititious and the auto-targetting can be annoying when you're not hitting the enemy you want to. But the stealth parts, oh my. This game shines brilliantly when it comes to the stealth scenes where you have to take down enemies silently. Sneaking up behind them or luring them into traps
is really fun and making the last few standing enemies terrified is genuinely satisfying. There's also enough different layouts when the stealth scenes take place to make each one different from the last. The Joker also makes comments
throughout which are amusing. And of course, to add to the gameplay, Batman has a slew of gadgets at his disposal from batarangs, to a zip line, to explosive gel which all can be used in various ways to take down the enemies.

I think that's pretty much it but I do want to mention one more thing, which I also mentioned in my "demo impressions" post. The voice acting is top notch. Now that you get to hear the full script, it's just awesome hearing some of my favourite
voices from the old cartoon series here. Mark Hamill did an astounding job as Joker and I can't imagine anyone else doing a better job. Kevin Conrow as Batman fits perfectly as well as the voice actress who makes her return as Ivy and Harley.

This game is a definite must buy in my book. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't like this game but I'm sure there's a few
people out there. Still, it's an awesome game and at the very least, rent it to give it a go.

Anyway, I'll leave it at that. Whenever I get around to doing a "Press Start" for Batman: Arkham Asylum, you'll get my full thoughts on it all.