Batman: Arkham Asylum
As a fan of videos games - as I'm sure you all are - I'm almost positive you've heard of this one by now. Batman: Arkham Asylum has been in development for a while, lots of screenshots and teasers have been released but not too much hype. This in my opinion was a great thing. Mainly because when I sat down with this game, I didn't really know what to expect. Turns out, this game has got the goods. From start to finish it's a gaming experience that's rare. It blends all of your favourite gaming genres and does them very well. There are stealth elements a la Splinter Cell, Free Flow combat allowing you to string together kick ass combos incorporating all types of moves, puzzle solving and a plethora of collectibles littered all over the Asylum. There is no shortage of action or things to do and is full of "wow" moments.
Presentation
Welcome to the world of Arkham Asylum and I mean it. This is a full out realized representation of one of the craziest asylums you'll ever have the pleasure of exploring. It's vast, well designed and much like liberty city in GTAIV, it is a star player in this game. From the botanical garden to the penitentiary or the mortuary, this game has no shortage of creepy, moody backdrops to hunt down the joker in. Every section of the island has it's own eerie, unique feel and keeps things fresh throughout the entire game.
Story
Throughout the game the story progresses in a matter that keeps you interested and pushes the game along at a great pace. It's delivered by excellent voice acting from all of the major players. While some of the NPC don't deliver on the highest levels, the voice acting is done very well. The majority of your favourite batman villains are here and if they aren't, their presents is felt by solving riddles left behind by the Riddler that adds a variable encyclopaedia of Batman lore tot he game. The entire story takes place in one night as batman must explore the entire island that Arkham Asylum was built on.
Gameplay
Batman Arkham Asylum is great because it satisfies a lot of gameplay elements that it's predecessors laid a lot of the ground work for. This game covers a lot of ground ensuring that batman is in fact the greatest detective of all time. There are puzzle solving scenarios, stealth elements and great fighting situations. You earn points for performing strings of combos that allow you to upgrade your "wonderful toys" making life in an asylum that much easier. From the different variants of your grappling gun to Baterangs and armour upgrades, there's plenty of new things to play with as you progress through the game.
Final Thoughts
A fresh and extremely entertaining action game that brings a rich history of everything batman to the foreground while exploring an incredibly well thought out and wonderfully represented Arkham Asylum under Jokers control. There is so much to see and do that there is rarely a dull moment. I highly recommended everyone experience this game in some way shape or form. It is definitely worth your time.
