Batman: Arkham Asylum

Game Info

Publisher: Eidos Interactive / Warner Bros. Interactive

Developer: Rocksteady Studios

Platform: PS3

Genre(s): Action, Adventure

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: August 25, 2009

Intro:

Batman: Arkham Asylum begins with the familiar environment we've come to expect from any Batman media.  It's dark and rainy.  The Bat Signal is in the clouded sky and the Batmobile is racing down a wooded road.  It doesn't quite say why Batman is transporting Joker to the Arkham Island, but, it's a game, so unfolding that mystery is expected.  This is not to say that the intro is predictable.  It's simply that the intro is familiar, not jarring.  Batman fans will get an immediate feel that they are in Gotham City, or at least in the world of Batman.

Getting Going:

How players feel about "Getting Going" depends on how they define it.  If you define play as when you take control, then gameplay begins five minutes into the game as Batman follows the Joker into the asylum while the credits continue to appear on the right of the screen.  In this case, players can listen to the guards as they travel through and walk only in the direction of the NPC's.  If, however, you feel that getting going is actually playing the game, then the intro is a good 20 minutes from load to actual play.  Brief movement tutorials give players a start in the game, but real play options are found in the manual.  So, it is up to players to decide how to get the most from the game from the very beginning.  With the Riddler Challenges, there is a lot to do and explore.  Completionists and trophy hunters will want to read the manual to get the most from the play experience up front.

Fun:

The game starts rather slow and is not overly riveting, especially with the 20 minute lead-in.  Gameplay builds slowly.  In the beginning, Batman merely has his Batarang and fists.  He's able to climb and fight and will shortly be able to grapple, crouch, sneak and do silent take-downs.  Nevertheless, the pacing is so slow that it can hardly be defined as fun.  Still, as play progresses and play mechanics become more available, the game does become more fun to play.  Stealth players will enjoy the sneak and glide options that offer Batman a variety of fighting skills beyond simple melee.  Also, the game requires a rather large suspension of disbelief at times, even for a super hero game.  Trails are followed based onvapors which don't dissipate, even outdoors.

Visuals:

Many of the visuals are among the things we've all come to expect from the Batman franchise.  It's dark, everything is gray and shadowed.  The texturing of Batman's gear is spectacular and, since the game is shown in third person view, this is what the player will notice the most.  Some natural texturing is excellently done, while walls, windows and vehicles seemed more difficult to render in the more stunning graphics.  Batman's finishing moves in melee combat is a very nice gameplay reward which makes melee well worth any damage taken. Likewise, the flow of Batman's cape as he moves and glides are incredible. There is a tendency, however, to play in Detective Mode which offers the ability not to miss items and to track enemies, but causes players to miss out on the visuals that artists have spent so many hours creating.

Sound:

Batman is followed throughout the asylum by taunts from the Joker.  At some points, the taunts are so frequent, it seems dubious that Joker could achieve anything else.  Good thing he has so many goons!  Exploration can also be cut short by the incessant calls of an NPC that has something to say.  Batman's voice is a bit too bass for Bruce Wayne, but Riddler is dead on.  The Joker's voice is grating, but, Joker is supposed to be irritating.  One failure in the game is ducking.  Subtitles are highly recommended if players don't want to miss the messages amongst the ambient sounds.  Also, while communications with Oracle are crystal clear, Batman can't move much while talking to her, so it slows gameplay to a crawl.  

Intelligence:

Batman must walk right up to a guard to prompt a conversation, but goons notice Batman at a distance.  Also, goons do notice when Batman grapples and can follow him to some extent with their eyes.  This immediately adds to the believability of the game.  Joker and Harley Quinn seem to always know where Batman is and what he's doing giving the game an increased feeling of character intelligence.  There are a lot of places to explore, things to find in the ventilation shafts and in in-floor vents.  Finally, there is also the addition of riddles to solve and tasks to do related to Riddler Challenges.  

Immersion:

The slow pacing of the game creates a degree of player frustration that interrupts an immersive feel, while the environment and constant taunts from the Joker do keep the player feeling as if they are in Gotham.  Rocksteady has done an amazing job of including Batman play mechanics in the game which, over time, give the players a lot of unique play options.  Coupled with stealth play, there is more than one way to take down an enemy.  This creates thought-provoking play which requires decision-makingand offers non-linear play to an otherwise linear play experience.

Cameras:

Batman Arkham Asylum offers 360 degree viewing and complete player control.  A detective function highlights important items in the play area and allows Batman both x-ray vision and status updates on items and NPC's.  

Controls:

The game introduces players to controls in small doses.  This is convenient, but easy to forget.  Ultimately, Batman has a lot of moves.  No worries, though.  The menu gives a list of basic play controls, while the manual has a more complete list for lesser used moves.  The HUD, for the most part is invisible in play.  In other words, it doesn't interrupt play while still offering important information.  Mapping is easy to read and maneuver.  Riddler Challenges are somewhat annoying in that they are all on the level from the beginning making it difficult to know if you're missing something now or whether it is an item that can only be found later.  It would have been nice to have that knowledge up front simply to improve the pacing of an already slow-paced game.

Ideas:

Pacing is everything.  I believe I've learned more about playing pacing from playing Batman Arkham Asylum than from any other play experience simply because it is so apparent.  I've learned that play should match the expected experience.  We expect racing games to be frenetic.  We expect the same from fighting scenes and chase scenes.  You don't, however, wish to feel that your hero has lead feet.  I can also see where the intro really sets the pace of the game.  If the intro is slow, there seems to be a feel as if all of the following gameplay is rather sleepy.

Memory:

I felt like I wanted to play more simply to see what else Batman can do.  The story wasn't completely riveting, which is something I look for in a game I want to finish.  The addition of new and fresh mechanics is something I do enjoy in a game and Batman Arkham Asylum offers this.  I also tend to be a little bit of a completionist so, even if I had to search for a map, I'd likely go back in and play just to meet all of Riddler's challenges.  On the other hand, if too many items are required for completion, as was the case with the flags in Assassin's Creed and the blue shards in inFAMOUS, I won't bother.  That is not the case in Batman Arkham Asylum.