The Charge

I’m Batman!

Opening Statement

No, for real, I finally am.  That Batman: Arkham Asylum is the best comic book game ever made is a no-brainer.  That it’s definitely in the conversation for game of the year?  Believe it.

Facts of the Case

It’s a dark, malevolent night as Batman blasts forward in his Batmobile.  Riding shotgun is none other than The Joker himself.  Their destination: Arkham Asylum, the infamous island-based maximum security prison that houses Gotham City’s worst super-villains.

It’s not long after Batman drops off his prisoner that things get nuts real quick.  Joker escapes and disappears into the bowels of Arkham, his intentions unknown.  What is known: Batman will have to beat the Holy Hell out of a lot of bad guys and shoot them in the neck with his grappling hook.

The Evidence

At last!  The Batman game we’ve been waiting for.  Excuse the hyperbole, but, really, if you have even a slight urge to run around as the Caped Crusader, maiming goons, swinging around on a grappling hook, tossing a remote control Batarang, blowing holes in the wall with explosive gel, hunting and knocking out thugs like the mother-@#$%#%&$@# Predator, then you need to go immediately and spend your grocery money on this kick-ass game.

Well, maybe not your grocery money, but sell some of your old DVDs or something.  Arkham is that good and I’m absolutely not kidding that it needs to be included in Best of the Year discussions.

This is a game that does a lot of stuff and it does it all exceedingly well.  Many games try this varied approach with decidedly mixed results; maybe Game 1 will do the combat fine, but the stealth and puzzles suffer, another might nail the story, but the gameplay is a chore, and so on.

Not with Arkham.  It all works.  The story progression is interesting, the exploration satisfying, the puzzle-solving challenging, the stealth hugely rewarding and the combat…oh, the combat.

"This is my angry face."

As a committed action fan I take virtual fisticuffs very seriously and developer Rocksteady has developed a brutal, realistic combat system that flows seamlessly and is an absolute joy to play and watch.   Batman doesn’t kill these guys, but judging by the visceral way his attacks feel, they’re most certainly pooping into bags by the time the game is over.

As far as gameplay joys, just behind the fights is the stealth mechanic.  I typically don’t have the patience to crawl around quietly and take guys out, but it felt perfect to do it in this game.  Whether it’s the inverted takedown from a gargoyle head or baiting a dude into an explosive trap and tossing a Batarang and someone’s stupid head, the methods are varied and totally up to you and, most importantly, super-fun.

Look, get the game okay?  Just get it.

Closing Statement

Oops, almost forgot about the technical merits: Arkham is a beautiful game, dark and detailed, with character designs especially standing out.  Batman’s suit takes damage as he progresses and is almost enough to take away attention from the fact he’s running around in his briefs the whole time.  The animation is also superb, especially in the combat sequences, which lends these encounters even more realism and power.

Sounds effects are thick and satisfying and the score is suitably sweeping and orchestral, really rocking it when Batman is on the hunt.

The Verdict

Platform: Xbox 360/Playstation 3
Developer: Rocksteady
Publisher: Eidos
Release Date: August 25 2009
Rated: T for Teen