Batman: Arkham Asylum

[d13]

I just bought this title for my PS3 yesterday and I'm really impressed. The graphics and sound are terrific and the gameplay is a great mix of combat and puzzle solving.

The combat engine uses a relatively simple system that makes it easy to perform beautifully flowing maneuvers - far beyond the normal: punch, kick, jump kick, etc. in a lot of superhero titles. It really looks like the kind of sweet ass kicking you expect from the Dark Knight.

My favorite part right now, though, is the Detective mode. Its a lot of fun to turn Batman's gadgetry on to track traces of tobacco smoke or whiskey in the air as you hunt down the villians. Detective mode also lets you solve special challenges left behind by The Riddler. These are sub stories to the main plot and require you to solve riddles (duh) by finding the answer around the asylum and taking a sort of virtual snapshot of it. Doing so unlocks even more bone-crushing combat moves or high tech gadgets for the hero.

And to top it all off, the story takes place in Arkham Asylum! The creators did a great job fleshing out this creepy locale. The dark corridors, the moonlit courtyards, the dingy holding cells - its near perfect.

If you are a fan of Batman, you should definitely pick this title up.

[BPorter]

I've been having geekgasm's for four days straight playing this game. The weaving of the Riddler's Challenges was a stroke of genius for incorporating the video-game "find the nuggets" element without completing breaking the immersion in the game itself.

If you're not a Batman fan, it's a great game with excellent voice acting (3 primaries from the Batman: The Animated Series & Justice League cartoons), excellent devotion to the source material, a splash of Batman Begins/The Dark Knight movie influences, and a rockin' story.

If you are a Batman fan, buy this game NOW. This is the game you've been waiting for. Hell, this could be the comic/graphic novel/movie you've been waiting for.

This is now the gold medal standard for superhero video games. A must-have for the gaming collection!

[MeanDM]

I agree. Great. Just great!

[ZappoHisbane]

My only issue with it is that it's too short. I played through 100% of the storyline in perhaps 3-4 sittings (on Normal difficulty), and collected all but one of the secrets with another 2 sittings and no assistance from the internet. The last one I missed only because I apparently failed to look directly up at one point. :P