Review Score:

The Joker has control of Arkham Asylum. After being dropped off by Batman, in an extra long opening sequence, Joker manages to overwhelm security and start causing chaos by setting all the inmates free. Harley Quinn acts as second in command, directing the inmates and setting traps to keep Batman busy. Meanwhile the Joker works behind the scenes on a superhuman formula known as the Titan strain, which he’s planning to use to create his own army. Other big baddies have been set loose, like Killer Croc, Scarecrow, Bane and Poison Ivy. Arkham Asylum in the game isn’t just a pyscho ward prison, it’s a whole island, with its own hospital ward, library and botanical gardens. Batman even planned ahead, and built himself a second Batcave there.

Fighting is simple, it’s 2 buttons: Strike and counter. Depending how you use them, you can perform free-flowing combos where you’ll do damage to multiple assailants without interruption. Countering and dodging is a necessity, unlike a lot of other games. Batman can’t take a lot of damage, particularly with armed thugs, who occasionally wield knives or stun batons. Guns are particularly lethal, even after upgrading your armor. 3 shots will probably kill you. Half of the time you’ll be require to use stealth tactics to take out roomfuls of bad guys (inverted takedown being one of my favorites). Thankfully, Arkham’s walls are littered with gargoyles and vents which allow you to travel undetected. And remember, Batman doesn’t kill. You’ll either be smothering or knocking your victims unconscious.

Wayne Tech provides you with everything from batarangs (upgradeable to multiple or sonic), better armor, a gel explosive gun (used for blowing up walls), batclaw and cryptographic sequencer (hacking security fields). Combine these with Detective mode and Batman can see through walls, tell which enemies are armed or zip line up or across impossible distances. He also has a visual tracking system that allows you to see trail of anything from fingerprints to the alcohol on someone’s breath. Your cape can be used to glide or stun your attackers long enough to disarm them.

Riddler trophies and patient interview tapes are the only real collectible items you’ll find in the game. Each area has a visual riddle which can be solved by taking a snapshot of the solution in Detective mode. Interview tapes are audio recordings between the doctors and of some of the celebrity villains at Arkham which provides some background character info. You can also unlock challenge modes for some extra-curricular fighting.

Thumbs up for the graphics and combination of stealth tactics and free-flow combat. Traveling by gliding and grappling hook becomes second nature. I even liked Detective mode, which while containing a lot of information, didn’t overwhelm the screen. I like that they force the player to stick to Batman’s practice of not killing anyone, even though you’re definitely itching to most of the time. The game keeps you interested enough by spacing out the introduction of different gadgets as you progress, or by coming up with different challenges that fit into the storyline: Saving 2 guards who are dangling over electrified water, before joker gas is released. For what would normally be considered a limited location, it has a surprising amount of diversity.

The one button strike ability gets really boring, particularly later in the game when your attackers are tougher to take down. Climbing through countless vents is also tedious and so is backtracking to old locations. Batman also has some set animations which can’t be stopped, which becomes a problem if you’re attacked before one completes. For example, someone started shooting at me while I was sliding open a vent, but the animation had to play out, so I couldn’t escape and died. Boss fights aren’t particularly original or exciting. Much like the Wolverine game, instead of coming up with different types of bad guys towards the end, they just combine or add more of them. But even with those few gripes, I still recommend playing it.

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