Technology

Batman: Arkham Asylum is a video game available for the PC, XBox360, and PS3 and produced by Eidos Interactive

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Arkham Asylum is, without doubt, my favorite game. Part of the genius of the game is that the developers drew on the best of each incarnation of Batman. The voice actors are the same much loved voice actors from the animated series. Kevin Conroy is Batman, Mark Hamill is the Joker, and Arleen Sorkin is Harley Quinn. I use the word “is” instead of “as” deliberately. These actors so well embody the vocal personae of these characters that some fans find it hard to watch a depiction of Batman that isn’t voiced by Conroy. The music that plays, throughout the game is either directly from, or very similar to music used in the Christopher Nolan Batman films. Batman’s costume looks very much like the one often depicted by comic book artist Alex Ross. All of this melds together to create an experience that feels so true that the player can really imagine they ARE Batman.

The concept is simple, obvious, and brilliant and put into story by experienced Batman writer, Paul Dini. Fans of Batman will know that Gotham has a prison for mentally insane criminals called Arkham Asylum. Whenever Batman catches one of his foes, they usually end up there. What would happen if the inmates took over the asylum? Only Batman could go in and clean up the mess. It’s a very natural concept that allows the game to pull together several villains into one plot. The effort to accomplish his one goal puts Batman on a collision course with Bane, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, the Joker, and countless thugs and lunatics.

The graphics are beautiful and the transition from cut scenes to gameplay is so smooth that a few times I found myself just sitting there, not realizing the cinematic had ended. As Batman works his way through Arkham and gets into more and more fights, his costume takes on damage and he looks dirtier, more tired, and sweatier.

This is definitely a game that deserves a big screen and surround sound. The sound is amazing – equal to any movie. When Batman finds a clue, Bats swirl around him and that swirl runs through each speaker. When, in a key scene, the batmobile makes a dramatic appearance, my walls shook.

Although compared to other combat games, this game isn’t as violent – in that there is little to no blood – the combat is brutal. Batman never kills, but he isn’t the least bit concerned about giving the bad guys a concussion or set of broken ribs. Every punch and kick has a satisfying thud. Fighting is relatively simple with one button for defensive moves and one for offensive, variety is added by using the left stick to move Batman during the combat and by providing options such as throwing a batarang or pulling a villain in with a grappling hook. The combat never really looked repetitive. Batman had a lot of moves and each one seemed the appropriate choice for the fight in question.

Batman is a predator. The game takes that into account and gives the player the option to take advantage of the environment. Batman can using a grappling hook to climb up into the rafters, onto a gargoyle and then swoop down and attack or hang from the gargoyle and grab a passing villain and pull him up. Batman can also sneak up behind villains and take them down, silently – or, if noise isn’t an issue, use the grappling hook to pull a wall down on top of the villain(s).

In fact, all these different options not only provide variety but also provide strategy. Each locale and each mixture of villains requires thought. Batman might enter a room and find eight unarmed (or lightly armed) thugs and decide to just take them on in a brawl, or he might enter a room with six heavily armed thugs and have to silently take them out one by one to avoid getting shot and killed.

All these options and strategies make the game so much fun that even when the main campaign is complete, the player will want to come back and do some of the challenges, many times.

There is more to the game than just combat, though. Batman is “the world’s greatest detective”. Scattered across Arkham are clues, not just to complete the main story, but to solve Riddles from the Riddler or to learn more about the history of Arkham. Some parts of the game require Batman to follow someone’s forensic trail.

I played the PS3 version, and that one has the option to download a couple of levels that can be played as the Joker, instead of as Batman.

Overall, the game is extremely satisfying. It isn’t the longest game I’ve played. In fact, I’m rather surprised that I’ve already completed the main campaign. The fact that I’ve wanted to be Batman since I was four years old may have influenced my opinion, and that I don’t play a huge amount of games, but I would be very surprised if anyone genuinely doesn’t think this is a good game.