Game rating: Batman: Arkham Asylum

[JRD]

Game title
Batman: Arkham Asylum

Category            Rating            Comments Story line 9 Based mainly on two classic graphic novels: Arkham Asylum and The Killing Joke. The story is pretty good with some distortions made to make it fit to a game. The whole titan venom turning Joker into a monster was dumb story wise but I can understand why they did it, no biggie. On saying that, B:AA is a very linear 3rd person action game with great flow. The story drives you through the Asylum and its inmates but could've used more of the depth created in the comics. Batman faces his biggest fears and is confronted to an ultimate paradox: isn't he as crazy as anyone else locked into Arkham? What makes him so different to be left free? Graphics 7 It's a 2009 game rated in 2011 so don't expect outstanding visuals here. Besides, when creating mostly indoor environments graphics are not so demanding as light, shadows and textures are pretty much the same. Nothing but NPCs moves so it also makes life easier to create nice graphics. Overall, the visuals are very good and anyone playing it today will not be disappointed Sound 7 Mark  Hammil, a.k.a Luke Skywalker, voices the Joker in a superb job. If I haven't read it somewhere I would never guess. He is the star of the game and puts a lot of life into the atmosphere. Batman is dark voiced and very well played too as well as Harley Quinn. Music is... normal. In some challenges it gets quite interesting but nothing you haven't heard in many other games. Game play 7 I got B:AA to warm up for Batman Arkham Asylum due October 2011 so I wasn't expecting a great game, it means that having low expectation didn't get me disappointed at all. Gameplay? Linear with great balance between open fighting and stealth. Bosses? It's an old formula used so many times in so many games: Bosses gets bigger and bigger, harder and harder and the bigger and harder they get, the more small annoying stuff to distract you and steal precious energy points you have to deal with. Well, it's not totally true as Killer Croc for instance was actually a piece of cake and even dull but you get the idea. Towards the end of the game the level of frustration got high but I was still having fun so it's not a game breaker issue. Fighting? You won't get tired of facing multiple enemies in challenges. Replay value 6 Due to frustration in the end I doubt I would go another round throughout the game. I even started another one just to get revenge from some nasty henchmen that got me in the beginning. I'd like to see how the game plays now that I'm more familiar with controls and environment, but that's all. The replay value lies at challenges. Four rounds of henchmen to improve your skills and pull some outstanding stunts or one map to take out armed enemies one by one unseen? You choose and go for it. Fun assured on both. Punching henchmen never gets old and everytime you chain 20-30 hits you feel great Final thoughts Again I'd like to point out that I bought B:AA to get me in the mood for the upcoming Batman: Arkham City, so my expectations wasn't high. I'm very happy I got this game and I don't regret playing it at all. I had some great moments during the 58 hours I played it - counting main story line plus challnege mode. That's probably the best comic book hero based videogame I ever played and fans of the bat won't get upset at all. Looking forward to the sequel and actually hoping they manage to make more super hero games like this in the future.

[Art Blade]

Thank you for the comprehensible game rating, JRD :)

[PZ]

Indeed - very nicely written JRD  :-X

[Binnatics]

Good rating indeed. Totally agree. The rating for the gameplay is accurate as well, although I would want to give a higher rating. It's the boss-fights where the game tricks you. They did a marvelous job on the fighting and the stealth, only I can't understand why they take away you your third person view when it comes to fighting bosses.
I'm totally warming up for Arkham City indeed, which will give an even greater sensation if you just believe half of what the previews are promising.  :-X

[JRD]

As I`m playing the challenges and after getting lots of medals in many of them I now realize what I was doing wrong in the beginning with the fighting controls:

It is not just a matter of mastering the controls and knowing what you are doing but rather doing what you are prompted to do and when you are prompted to do that  ????

I mean... after 5 consecutive hits I build up a combo so my hits are way more powerful and I can pull off great take downs and throws, but only when the icon pops on the screen telling me to do so  :D

I can`t just do a take down on a given enemy unless the game let me do so, even during combos........  >:((

I kept trying to take down an enemy when I felt like doing so and all my build ups went down as I wasn`t doing exactly what the game was telling me to do. Not so bad that once you build up enough hits to start a combo you`ll be prompted to do a lot of stuff all the time and if you chain more than 20 hits it gets a piece of cake to wipe out 10 or so enemies, but still it`s a combat system that ties you up instead of letting you perform as you like! Guess it`s just a matter of getting used to it.  ????

[Binnatics]

You're right, it only allows you to do special moves after the fifth punch. (I mean X5 combo power). I found that out when I started my second play through I found that out buy buying my upgrades. The fighting experience upgrades allow you to do special fighting actions, and if you buy more of these, they will allow you to perform them after getting X5 combo in stead of X8 combo. I also found out that when you're prompted to do a 'special takedown', you can also do a throw and vice versa. It's just that you should remember getting your combo rating up to X5, then you can start doing whatever you want.
I also found out that you can't do like 3 throws in a row. After one throw you'll have to perform one or two normal punches to 'play it free' again so to speak.
So you can indeed do as indicated and get great special moves, but you also have the liberty to choose what kind of special move you want to perform. And if the game won't prompt it in time, just remember when the "X5" blinks, anything is possible ;)

Usually I try to build up with regular punches and at least one counter attack, and then w@&k my way through the crowd with special moves, hits and 'evades' until there are like 3 enemies left. When I still have my combo-train running I start to perform ground takedowns and other special moves. Earlier on it's often to crowded to do these. They will prevent you from continuing the combo flow since there will always be a thug smashing you while you do your 'thing'.