Having fully completed the storyline and Riddler challenges, I feel comfortable expounding on my previous statements regarding the newest Batman title by Rocksteady Games. All over the internet, the opinion seems to be uniform that this game is nothing short of immaculate.
Graphically, the game is a stunning achievement for the 360. Dark corridors have never been such a pleasure to skulk down. No detail is spared. The lazy whirlings of ceiling fans cast windmill shadows on the walls, water drips from the age old arterial water mains of the oldest correctional facility in Gotham, and the tattered sleeves of torn straight jackets waggle lifelessly from the flailing arms of escaped mad men. Rocksteady has crafted a world that is an absolute pleasure to explore. Given any amount of time, I’m sure one could still manage to find something previously missed.
The game’s audio is a great boon as well. The characters are all voice acted by some familiar actors. Mark Hamill lends his spectacular talent to the voice of the Joker, gracing you with his vocal skills not only during cutscenes, but in raucous heckling through the PA system of Arkham Asylum as well. Voice acting aside, for every bit of attention to detail that they spent with the graphics, they shared with the environmental sound. The whoosh of Batman’s cape as he spins to connect with a foe at his aft, the roar of the wind as he glides through the sky, or the thunk of the grapple gun finding purchase on a distant ledge: everything is carefully concerted to provide the most immersive experience possible.
People that are not fans of the Batman series need not worry. Rocksteady has crafted a game where, if Batman were not present and all the franchised characters were replaced, it would still happen to be an incredibly engaging game. The addition of Batman’s mythos to that equation simply made the title all the more exciting. The character bios and Riddler challenges provide plenty of new information for those already into the franchise and are a great launching point for any neophyte’s Dark Knight journey.
My only real issue with the game is that, unless you know exactly what you’re looking for in your environment, you will be spending a great majority of your time in Detective Mode which renders the entire world in x-ray blue. Many times I found myself forgetting that the world did in fact have colors, and then I would switch my visor off for a moment and marvel at the detailed surroundings. I only suffered from one or two graphical glitches, but it was just enough that you could simply get into character and blame it on Scarecrow’s fear gas and consider it adding to the experience.
All things considered, this game is paramount. Every year, there is one game that defines the interactive media art form for that moment in time. 2007 had Bioshock, 2008 had Fallout 3, and based on it’s originality and intuitiveness, I think it is safe to say that Batman: Arkham Asylum will be the signature title of 2009.
Final Verdict – 9/10
I’ve just started playing the PS3 version; I put it down just because I promised myself I’d finish a couple others first. But, it’s just so damn good. Really does demonstrate how in-depth console games can be these days.