I've come down with a rotten case of the coughing and spluttering everywhere, so I thought why not write up that review of Arkham Asylum I promised?
(Top 10's, what top 10's?)
Anyhooooo
Yeah, it's dark and rainy the WHOLE time.
Arkham Asylum starts off with Batman capturing the Joker. Yeah, no catch, nothing out of the ordinary, it's possible to believe the game might actually be over after the first minute or so of the opening cutscene. Luckily though, RockSteady thought they'd make the rest of the game as well.
Arkham Asylum is filled with all the villains you could think of from the Batman series. Now, I'm not a massive Batman geek, but after finishing this, I really wish I was. The amount of extras you can find hidden throughout the game is substantial, and a lot of them unlock nifty things like character bios or trophies, which you can then go on to view at your leisure. The bios include all the villains backstories, vital stats, and even the colour of their hair (if they have any, looking at you Mr. Zsasz)
Don't call him Baldy...
I guess I should probably give you an idea of the gameplay, if you haven't already played it, which you should have by now, let's face it. Batman is packing his usual array of gadgetry, allowing him to blow up weak structures, rip vents off of walls, zipline across courtyards, and grapple up towers like he's frickin Spiderman or something.
The much-vaunted combat system definitely delivers on the hype. I was skeptical at first, I'm not usually a fan of fighters, but this system allows you to effortlessly string together combos, without making you too invincible. Button-mashing doesn't work, as the combat is mostly based on timing and context. Oh, and see those guys with the guns? Don't think you can just land in front of them and take them out all-fists-blazing, Alfred doesn't have enough material to stitch you back together.
You're full of how many holes, Sir?
As far as combat goes, it can get a little repetitive. You get roughly two types, clobbering a bunch of bad guys hand-to-hand, or swooping amongst the rafters taking out the armed baddies one by one. Luckily, the atmosphere and the storyline keep things from getting tedious. Although you may eventually get fed up with hearing the Joker taunt his own henchmen as you pick them off, there's not a whole lot of different lines of dialogue there.
As I mentioned earlier, this game is chock-full of collectibles. The most plentiful of which are the riddler trophies, which are hidden in every corner, and in plain sight as well. Even after I finished the story I carried on playing to get as many of the damn things as I could, it's surprisingly addictive, and hearing the Riddler himself get more and more wound-up as you find them is good for a chuckle or two.
Nowhere to run, you sneaky lil bastard
The undoubted highlight of the game is the myriad villains, ranging from Joker and his trusty assistant Harley Quinn, to the big-hitters like Bane and Killer Croc, and the outright pointless, like Dr Zeus and Calendar Man. If you ever wanted to find out more about the Batman Universe, this is definitely the way to go about it. There are plenty of mini-bosses and big boss fights to switch up the pace a bit as well, so you don't get too comfortable.
It's not the longest of games, and the only replayability is to find the trophies, if you're that way inclined. There is also a challenge mode, which takes individual aspects of the game and throws you up against a time-limit or several waves of baddies, but I haven't really played around with it much so I can't pass judgement.
Overall though I would recommend it as a purchase for Batman fans and gamers alike. Plus it's out on platinum release now, for dirt cheap, so no excuses for not buying it if you haven't played it yet. You hear me? Good.
I've started Arkham City today as well, it's even more awesome, but that's for another day.
Ciao!
~Flynny
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