Batman: Arkham Asylum

Ok, just like the many fanboys out there, I was stoked about Batman: Arkham Asylum. It looked like it would be the first truly good Batman game in God knows how long. So when I finally got the chance to play it, I have to say that it just about met my expectations, but if you’re looking for the video game equivalent of The Dark Knight, then you’ll be disappointed.

The basic story is that Batman is trapped on Arkham Island and has to take down his most insane enemies, making his way to the Joker, who has taken over the island. Simple premise practically yanked from the similar graphic novel by Grant Morrison, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, but the story is similar in premise alone. The two things that stand out most about the game are the combat system and the voice acting. Both Kevin Conroy and Mark Hammil reprise their roles from the Batman Animated Series as Batman and Joker, respectively. However, it’s Hammil that steals the show. With a more adult oriented storyline, Hammil gets to finally cut loose and take the delivery of Joker’s dialogue to a frightening new level. The combat in the game is amazing. Also great is the inclusion of Detective Mode, which let’s you solve some interesting puzzles, detect hidden enemies, and find secrets.

And now for the very little bad parts of the game. I felt like the inclusion of both Killer Croc and Bane was redundant in terms of having two characters that were gigantic trying to kill Batman. After all, Batman has a plethora of villains at the franchise’s disposal, many of which haven’t been featured before. Another problem is that the lack of an actual jump button hinders the gameplay in some moments where it could really use it.

Apart from that, Arkham Asylum is an excellent game. I actually hope they are able to do a sequel of it in the not too distant future, but I would be content with just this game. I heavily reccomend it, and if you want to buy it (and it IS worth buying), then here it is Batman: Arkham Asylum
Now if only they would get cracking on a good Superman game…