GBU Game Review for Batman:Arkham Asylum (Xbox360)

Could it be? A super hero based title that hangs with the triple-A big boys? Since I feel this game is a 9/10, I’d say so. I played this joint on the xbox360, it’s also out for PS3 and PC.

The Good – Awesome 3rd person adventure that juggles many gaming styles. Obviously you play as Batman, who captures the Joker, while transporting him to Arkham Asylum, Joker gets loose and has sinister plans in place, taking over the asylum and trying to put Batman through a night of hell. It’s got a great story and awesome voice acting, written by the guy who used to write the animated series, and voiced by the same actors as well. The fighting system is simple to control but deep in it’s execution, stealth is there but never overbearing. So if you don’t like stealth(I do though), you’ll be fine since these portions aren’t long and nowhere near as deep and challenging as a Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell. There’s a detective mode to get your sleuth on, the view changes to where you can see enemies behind walls(x-ray style), hidden pathways, and important objectives. All of Batman’s signature gadgets are here, from the batarang, to the grappling hook, to a very cool hacking device, all gets unlocked along the way. There’s a great upgrade system that lets you update your fight skills, gadget abilities and so on. Fighting and finding the Riddler’s hidden stuff helps to build this up, achievement junkies will feel right at home. The graphics are superb, I was always impressed and couldn’t wait to see next portion of the island or the next signature villain. All in all, a tight package with great gameplay, a lengthy campaign, well done pacing, and lots of cool extras and challenges worth unlocking.

The Bad – Some of the boss battles, there’s a pattern with the first one you get down, which is cool….but then the next battle, it’s like the same thing but against 2 bosses at once(which is cool too), then the next battle, same thing but with regular enemies in addition to the two, and so son…it’s a little repetitive and less imaginative that what the rest of this great game offers, at least they’re not ridiculously difficult. Some of the level design choices are little too ‘gamey’, alot of gargoyles to swing from in the weirdest places for example. You may be inclined to leave detective mode on for too much of the time(which you don’t have to), this makes you miss alot of the awesome art direction in the graphics.

The Ugly – Some of the character design choices, they’re way too diesel, IE, roided up beyond Vince McMahon proportions….I mean, Batman’s biceps are as big as his head, whoa jeebus!