Batman: Arkham Asylum
I already preemptively discussed this game in an OtLB, but now with it in my grubby little hands, I feel obligated to update you all on just what’s in store should you choose to make the purchase yourselves.
I’ll begin by saying that this game is an amazing value, as it’s actually two games in one. On the one hand, it is a very mediocre video game. On the other hand, it is the quintessential Batman gaming experience, not simply because it’s the best Batman game ever, but because it’ll be hard to top.
Let me explain.
This game falls prey to the tropes and traps of so many video games before it. The thugs hover at their designated start points, doing nothing at all, until Batman crosses the invisible line in the sand and they rush him. That’s right, there’s no passive AI at all, except in specifically scripted sequences. Of course, once they rush you, you get to explore the game’s free flow combat system, which is absolutely stunning to behold, as Batman catches punches, flails his cape and drives his knee into the faces of the Joker’s thugs. At one point, I thought I’d been knocked on my ass, but I was actually rolling backwards to deliver a devastating kick to the assailant behind me.
The ambiance and writing are pretty spot on, too. As you enter Arkham, you cross paths with Killer Croc, who issues a rather menacing threat that simply reeks of foreshadowing. Walk past Croc to take an elevator ride into the depths of Arkham, and just as you find yourself wondering, “Why is Batman being allowed to escort the police as they inter the Joker?” you’ll hear a guard posit a very similar question. You may be Gordon’s buddy, but some people see you as more vigilante than hero. Then again, that still doesn’t answer the question of why you’re being allowed in, or why you’d actually be needed amongst the sea of heavily armed guards (perhaps a little TOO heavily armed for an asylum), or why those same guards never actually DO anything to stop any of the bad guys you encounter.
This guy's either too well-armed to be an orderly at an asylum, or nowhere near heavily armed enough to take down Killer Croc. Either way, he's not gonna do a whole helluva lot anyways...
Another problem is the XP system. As you level up, you’re allowed to purchase new skills and equipment. That’s right – you’re locked in Arkham with no ingress or egress, the plot has specifically told you no one is allowed to come or go, and yet because you punched six thugs in the face, you can now “buy” better armor or impressive new Batarangs. What? A very simple fix would’ve been insinuating that Bruce had hidey holes throughout the asylum where he’d stashed gear over the years… just in case. Admittedly, however, the new techniques you learn are amazing (such as the inverted takedown where you hang from a gargoyle, grab a thug, drag him up, choke him out and leave him hanging) and can easily be attributed to you becoming “better” at what you’re doing.
To accumulate XP, you’ll need to complete tasks, from the most straightforward, such as beating up the thugs you encounter, to the more sublime, like seeking out hidden items or employing your detective skills to solve riddles and gather evidence. Yes, it’s a Batman game where you actually gather and analyze evidence. Albeit in the most ham-fisted way possible. As you stumble onto these clues, your “detective mode” scanner will instantly identify them as unique items and will do all of the actual thinking for you. Similarly, it will identify friends vs. foes and how heavily targets are armed, X-ray scan through walls… you name it, detective mode will do it for you. Basically if you leave detective mode on, you can pretty much sleepwalk through the game.
You can also use detective mode to identify interactive items, like grapple points and door control panels: Grapple points, which are the only places you can shoot your grappling hook to, and door control panels that cannot be affected until you obtain item x, no matter how many shoulder tackles and Batarangs you throw at them. Then again, you can grapple and throw Batarangs!
What it all boils down to is a simple equation, really. If, like me, you’ve always wanted a game that gives you an immersive sense of playing as Batman, this is the game for you. Receive updates from Oracle, move in the shadows, and strike fear into your supersitious and cowardly enemies.
5 out of 5 incarcerated Bat-villains
On the other hand, if you’re a gamer, pure and simple, looking for the next big thrill-a-minute game, this may well be a pass. The fighting is impressive, and the other elements combine together nicely enough, but this really isn’t anything all that impressive when stood up against Fallout 3 or FEAR. I’ve also heard it’s fairly short. I’m not a hardcore gamer so this’ll probably still take me months, but I’m just saying… that’s what I’ve heard.
3 out of 5 checkpoint-only saves
One last technical note on the topic of saves. In order for the game to save, you have to be connected to Windows Live. In order for Windows Live to work, I had to partake of a roughly 45-minute update. An update that wouldn’t work for me. Because after digging online for a bit, I discovered that in order for the automatic update to work, I had to go to Microsoft’s website and download a different update that would allow the first update to work. Huh??? Why doesn’t the thing that automatically checks to see if I need to update recognize that I need two updates!? This was one of the most infuriating installation procedures I’ve ever undergone, considering it took me three passes to get the game itself installed in the first place and then another couple of hours dealing with this malarkey. IF you’re encountering this problem on XP or Vista, try the links about halfway down the following page. Hope they work for you, as they did for me!
The Windows XP/Vista update necessary to run Games for Windows Live can be found at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/960554.
Filed Under: Reviews • Video Games
Great review, nailed it right on the head.
=D Thanks man! I don’t want anyone to misunderstand… I’m LOVING it. But I also acknowledge that it’s not a truly good game.
In fact, the best comparison I can make is this. Transformers is not a bad movie. It’s an entertaining movie about alien robots and devastation. However, it is NOT a good Transformers movie.
On the flip side, Batman: Arkham Asylum is not a great video game, but it is the perfect Batman experience.
I think I get what you’re saying…. I consider myself a hardcore gamer. I play on all consoles and the PC when required I really enjoyed this game; yes it was a little short but how many games offer more than 12-15hr playtime… It was the essential Batman experience It was totally in character and the voice actors did a superb job. To me; it was a great video game and a great Batman experience. It only took them 20yrs to get it right.
Glad you enjoyed it Isaac! I’ll add that I played the demo on PS3 and MUCH prefer the PC controls, but maybe that’s just me…
Sweet, great dual coverage of the game.
More like 16 hours of game play… I bought it, played for 9 hours straight, then turned it off, and played the rest of the game over the weekend to keep my mind off of the funeral and what was to come. Then once you end the game you think you’re gonna have everything that you just accomplished to start a new game and run with that, but no. Either you start new or you continue with your current game on anything you might have missed like The Riddler’s Puzzles.
The game is good, like Jason said, just not long enough for an RPGer like me to satisfy me. My wife even questioned the price that we paid just for me to play for 16 hours and end it.
And then you have the challenges on challenge mode which I am getting at to pass up my time while I stop my craving at wasting more of my money on another game. And yes I do see Ultimate Alliance 1 in the horizon, I want to play it all the way through before I start on Civil War.
Its not bad of a game, it just needs an extension on the story as well as more rogues. I want more rogues damnit! I hope there is a sequel to this…
MDG, I just played my first challenge tonight, the Intensive Care one, of course, and with very little time to play in general, I still found this a fun diversion for about an hour. I also found it was a good way to practice with the combo system.
Well here’s hoping that we continue to get more worthwhile DLC…
Agreed! =D
I should’ve kept it so I could play it. X_X Now I’m too poor for my own copy. ;_;
Oh, it wouldn’t have run on your computer in the first place, and you’ll have access to mine soon enough in the second place.
You callin the Zim a piece of crap?!?! At least I don’t get stupid pop-ups on my screen 24-7 like you do!!!! You know nothing of evil!!!
I fixed the pop-up problem. No I just get em when you’re here :p
Soooo…
I reached a point, the game glitched out on me, and I couldn’t continue. Put in a trouble ticket, and was told no luck. I had to restart from the beginning.
Skipping all of the Riddler’s quizzes and just playing straight through, I beat it in four sittings, totalling ABOUT 16 hours, yeah. Still, as a testament to the game play, I didn’t at all mind having to replay it from the start so soon after my initial playthrough. I’ve since gone back and completed all of the Riddler’s challenges. Final assessment:
Scarecrow ends up being okay… your final encounter with him makes up for the prior two, in my mind. Poison Ivy’s boss battle is ridiculous. That said, the fight with Joker at the end is about what I’d expected for this game after facing everything else, so I wasn’t let down at all, and in fact was maybe pleasantly surprised. At least they didn’t go the Harley Quinn route…
I’ve heard lots of criticism regarding the end of the game, and I don’t know if it’s about the boss battle or the plot, but I thought both were exactly as to be expected. They didn’t wow, but they were just fine given the circumstances. And the twist with the Chronicles of Arkham couldn’t have been more appropriate for Gotham…
I just finished this game for the Xbox 360 and really enjoyed it. I thought the Riddler puzzles were a cool addition to the game and I absolutely loved the combat. Let’s be honest, they really could have really overcomplicated it with all the possible button combinations ( something akin to Street Fighter), but keeping as simple as they did really enhanced my enjoyment. Plus, I loved the slo-mo beatings. I thought it was a cool touch.
Really, my one complaint was that there wasn’t enough fighting. It didn’t even need to be against the rogues, just give me some inmates to beat up on
With that said, I highly recommend this for any Batman fan.
I just thought the boss battles were really weak, and largely out of context for the characters – like Posion Ivy and Joker. Bane wasn’t great either, but Croc was pretty awesome.
I agree, though, the way they worked the fighting system was near perfection. If you really get good at timing, you can do some seriously beautiful things, and it doesn’t take a player’s guide to figure out how.