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.
Showing posts with label X360. Show all posts
Showing posts with label X360. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Updates are coming... eventually.
Alright, so I know it's been awhile since I've posted especially for Press Start. I posted for God Hand more than half a month ago and yet there's still no journal posts for it.
Well, the honest answer is that I've been occupied playing other games and have been lazy when it comes to posting. I'll sit down and start to write something up but I'll suddenly decide to do something else. It's not that I don't care or anything, it just takes awhile to actually make a post for Press Start and I find myself wanting to play a game or watch a video or such.
My 360 stopped working at the beginning of August and I recently got it back a week or so ago so I've been catching up on a lot of missed online SF4, Gears 2, and COD4 matches. I also bought Batman: Arkham Asylum the day of release and have been putting a lot of hours into it. I'll probably write something about it in a later post.
I've also picked up a nasty addiction to Beatmania IIDX. I've been going through the PS2 games (Happy Sky, DistorteD, Gold, Troopers), and just been having a blast. I've been playing for a little over a month and I'm up to doing level 8s on Hyper but I'm starting to run through 9s and 10s. And once I get my Pop'n Music ASC, I'll be playing that even more. I also got my hands on the Rock Band 2 special edition last weekend and I've been playing that a bit. While I'm not a huge Rock Band fan (I preferred Guitar Hero, and even then only 1-3), I thought I would add it to my music game collection. Though honestly, I prefer Bemani games over any other music games.
So does this mean it's game over for Press Start? Most certainly not. While I'm not actually making the posts, I'm still playing through God Hand and recording the footage. So I suppose I'm doing half the work which is better than no work at all. But this is good because when I do start posting for Press Start, it'll be a nice steady stream of posts without much gaps.
Anyway, that's all for now. I'll try my best to get Press Start entries going within the week or so.
Well, the honest answer is that I've been occupied playing other games and have been lazy when it comes to posting. I'll sit down and start to write something up but I'll suddenly decide to do something else. It's not that I don't care or anything, it just takes awhile to actually make a post for Press Start and I find myself wanting to play a game or watch a video or such.
My 360 stopped working at the beginning of August and I recently got it back a week or so ago so I've been catching up on a lot of missed online SF4, Gears 2, and COD4 matches. I also bought Batman: Arkham Asylum the day of release and have been putting a lot of hours into it. I'll probably write something about it in a later post.
I've also picked up a nasty addiction to Beatmania IIDX. I've been going through the PS2 games (Happy Sky, DistorteD, Gold, Troopers), and just been having a blast. I've been playing for a little over a month and I'm up to doing level 8s on Hyper but I'm starting to run through 9s and 10s. And once I get my Pop'n Music ASC, I'll be playing that even more. I also got my hands on the Rock Band 2 special edition last weekend and I've been playing that a bit. While I'm not a huge Rock Band fan (I preferred Guitar Hero, and even then only 1-3), I thought I would add it to my music game collection. Though honestly, I prefer Bemani games over any other music games.
So does this mean it's game over for Press Start? Most certainly not. While I'm not actually making the posts, I'm still playing through God Hand and recording the footage. So I suppose I'm doing half the work which is better than no work at all. But this is good because when I do start posting for Press Start, it'll be a nice steady stream of posts without much gaps.
Anyway, that's all for now. I'll try my best to get Press Start entries going within the week or so.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
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.
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.
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