Posts tagged Playstation

Much was said about the new Batman game, even before it was out in the wild. People were calling it the greatest Batman game ever. Even mentioning “Game Of The Year”. I was intrigued by the art style it was done in, and simply by the fact that some of the cast from the animated series was involved, so I picked it up. Does Batman live up to the Bruce Wayne standard or does the game come up as short as the Penguin?

Batman: Arkham Asylum for the PS3, Xbox 360 and soon to be PC is brought to us by Rocksteady studios. Probably not a name you have heard much before. In fact the only game that I could find they had touched previous to this title was a game on the PS2 in ’99 called “Urban Chaos: Riot Response” which, I have never heard of, but was pretty well received at it’s launch. However I will go out on a limb and say that this is probably not the last time we hear from this studio.

Arkham Asylum in the comic has almost this Zion feel to it. You always here so much about the complex and who is there but not very much has been explored in detail before. Comparisons to Arkham and Bioshock’s setting “Rapture” have been made by many people, and upon playing the game it is easy to see why. Both have this feel of a corrupted utopia. Everything is very detailed as far as the material that is around you, most of which is being updated either through game progression by the player or through the NPCs. One image that I really came to like was the entrance to the final meeting place between Batman and The Joker. I won’t spoil it, but it was fun to see how it progressed along with the game. Probably my favorite thing about the game (much like Bioshock) is the ambient noise and more so the announcements over the PA system. In the beginning it’s just the Joker doing his usual heckling of “The Batman” like he has always done, but by the end, he is out and out pissed, and usually yelling at his minions in some way. You can almost listen to it and hear his decent in (more) madness. It’s done with great effect by adding the subtle jingle before each announcement, and even THAT starts to sound mental after a while.

The roaches check in...

For most games, the draw is the graphics, or the gimmicky controls, or even the studio that is backing it. This, however, isn’t the case for Batman: Arkham Asylum. Almost every (DC) comic fan will have at least some curiosity for this game strictly based on the setting and the story surrounding it. As I said, Arkham has never really been explored or picked apart in the comics as it is in this game. The cast of characters that make appearances in the game are vast, but it’s not the entire line up of Batman’s baddest villains. Sure the Joker is there naturally, as well as Harley Quinn. I was just hoping to have a little more interaction with key characters like “Clayface” or “Mr Freeze” maybe even actually SEEING “The Riddler”. I guess for every big name foe that is in the game, there are probably two that aren’t. Which is a shame, but I guess does save something for the inevitable sequel.

Playing as “the worlds greatest detective” you are charged with getting Arkham back to “normal” after the Joker and his minions have taken over. How did the Joker get control of Arkham? … Well let’s just say he had a little help from the inside. It isn’t really anything hard to figure out but it still makes for a pretty good story so I won’t spoil any of it. One of my favorite twist to the story are when you have to play through the Scarecrow’s sections. Not really the “stealth action” portion, but just when he starts to warp your mind. One in particular really caught me off guard. So much so that I almost lost it… again I don’t want to spoil that moment but you will know it when you come to it later in the game. As a fan of the batman comic it is just nice to see into the backgrounds of some of his most notorious archenemies.

I'm gonna get that fly this time.

While on the surface this game seems like a button masher, and in certain cases is just that, there is more to the game if you care to take the time. Arkham Asylum uses what they call “Free Form Combat”, where you basically hit your attack buttons and choose which enemy you want to beat into submission. The best part about this kind of combat is the counter moves. Batman truly looks like a bad ass when he catches an attacker mid swing and then knocks them out is some well choreographed way. Like I said though, there is more to it. Larger rooms are especially fun to take out your enemies one by one. As they start to drop like flies, usually the Joker will alert the others around that you are there… somewhere. Telling them you are systematically taking out each person in the room. This tends to put the remaining baddies on alert, as well as heighten their anxiety level. The more you take out the more frantic they will get. Even so much so that they will run around screaming and blind-firing their weapons into the shadows hoping to hit you. It’s a fun way to truly mess with the inmates in the game. Speaking of shadows… hiding in the shadows and taking down a foe, then slipping away to another dark corner of the room is very satisfying.

Combat is not the only thing done well in this game however. The Riddler does play a part too, and by that I mean he sets up most, if not all of your side quests or non-mission critical exploration of Arkham. Throughout the complex he has hidden Riddler trophies, hidden question marks (his signature or course) and even gives you clues to different items that you need to photograph. Some are pretty easy to figure out, or easy to find, but the really hard ones are where the fun really is. There is a fine line between Genius and Insanity, and the Riddler walks that line. It’s never more apparent then when trying to figure out the cryptic clues he gives you to his puzzles. This facet of the game is probably one that I enjoyed more than any other and the reason why I will keep going back to the game.

Arkham at night. Not so scary if you're Batman.

Finally lets talk about visuals and sound. This game looks great, and for the most part runs very smooth. Textures for the surroundings and the character models are all very detailed. Batman himself takes a lot of damage throughout the game and by the end he really ends up looking like he got the hell beat out of him. All of the locations that you run through all have their own distinct feel to them. From the medical ward to the garden, every place you discover looks like you would imagine it looking, had this been a blockbuster movie production. Random enemies do tend to look a like by the end of the game but it’s not something that doesn’t make sense in context. By that I mean, they are all in a prison of some sort and they are all working for one crazy boss or another. So the face paint and the clothes would start to blend together anyway.

As far as the sound goes, this game creates the full experience of being in an asylum. Once you hit the real looney bin inside you will understand. The crazies are all yelling at each other, or sometimes nothing at all. With the Joker doing his usual announcements over the PA, and the Riddler taunting you to try and solve his puzzles. It all meshes into a great soundtrack. The best part (for me anyways) is that they got most of the voice cast from the animated series to do the voice work for the game. Batman, the Riddler, and yes even Mark Hamil as The Joker. His maniacal laugh is probably my all time favorite for the Joker. Just having him play that character was a quick way for me to really get behind believing the insanity that is the Joker. I still want to find that jingle that plays before his announcements for a ringtone for my iPhone!

My only gripe with this game is petty and really probably something I need to deal with on a more personal level. Batman has what is known as “Detective Mode” where he can see foes through walls, check for clues, as well as hidden areas. This is a great little effect, however personally I tend to over use it. Instead of seeing most of the enemies, areas, and set pieces through the wonderfully dingy, dark colors of the game, I end up seeing everything through detective modes boring blue hue. It’s the same issue that I had in Oblivion. Once you get the ring that lets you see in the dark, you never see the caves the same way again. Like I said, it’s petty, and personal, but it’s still there. Now having beaten the game I will go back through it and try to restrict my use of said mode to small increments so that I can enjoy all that Arkham has to visually give me.

You got something on your face.

This game is great. Most if not all of what you have read about it being the “best Batman game ever” is very true. Given the history of Batman games though… it didn’t really have that much to overcome. If you have both a PS3 and a 360 I can only recommend that you get it (renting or purchasing) for the PS3. There is absolutely no multi-player mode what so ever, so you won’t miss that LIVE experience, and the PS3 version has the “play as the Joker” mode. Basically you are in a room with lots of enemies (cops and what not) all trying to kill you. Fight till they are all dead. Simple as that. Batman also has several different modes of play outside the regular story. He has his own fight club style room, plus Silent Predator games, where you can pretty much figure out what you do there. This game is a total package of fun for any Batman fan. I can’t recommend enough that you play this game in some capacity or another. Now if you will excuse me I need to find several more Riddler trophies that have eluded me so far.