I’m only 36% of the way in, but so far, Batman: Arkham Asylum is the best single-player video game I’ve played in years. It’s brilliant, it’s fun, and it’s creepy. The game has excellent pacing, good graphics, and awesome sound, and it makes for an incredibly immersive and addictive game. And I’ve been losing sleep because I can’t stop playing it.
The game takes place, predictably, at Arkham Aslyum, which in this game is located on an island. This simple design decision gives the game focus: while you acquire plenty of gadgets, you’re never driving the Batmobile or flying the Batwing (so far, at least). Instead you’re usually moving through a bunch of rooms and a limited set of outdoor areas, trying to sneak around and, when necessary, kick a ton of butt. I love stealth-action games, like Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell, and I’m really enjoying the Batman twist on one. You don’t merely sneak around; you can also break up a party of Joker henchmen and take them all out with brute force. You are Batman, after all. The game’s combat system is very fun; it’s just complicated enough that there’s variety, but not so hard that the learning curve hurts the game. It captures the enviable feeling of being Batman. When in rooms full of enemies, a view toggle lets you see their heart rates and emotional states. It is so much fun to go into a room and take guys out, one by one, as the rest of their group becomes progressively more terrified. Nothing beats it. The fighting is so much fun that I’m almost disappointed when I head into a room or hallway and no one is in there waiting for me, because I want the challenge. I haven’t felt that way about a game in years.
Of course, it’s a bit tougher when the bad guys are carrying machine guns; only a couple hits then and you’re out. (And then the Joker or some other villian comes on screen and taunts you.) Fortunately you don’t have to replay large sections of the game over and over; you usually come back in the same room (or just about to enter it) so you can immediately try again. It’s excellent. One nitpick: I played through a tough area one night with a ton of guys you have to fight in it, as well as occasionally-electrified floors. Took me a few tries to figure it out. I waited for what I thought was the Autosave icon before turning off the system, then returned the next day to find my game saved right before the room, meaning I’d lost that victory. I didn’t mind playing it again because the game is a blast, but that shouldn’t have happened.
Seriously, it’s great. I am a big fan of the Metal Gear Solid series and have been looking forward to playing Metal Gear Solid 4 literally for years. MGS4 came in the mail last week the day before Batman did. I still haven’t played it.
Batman has a Teen rating sort of similar to The Dark Knight’s PG-13; it sounds tame, perhaps, but it’s not for kids or even some teenagers. You’ll find and hear recordings of interviews with asylum inmates (Batman villians), and hearing the Joker talk trash can be kind of disturbing. It’s fun when he starts cracking on his own goons when they’re afraid of you, though.
The game is out for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and if you own either system, you owe it to yourself to get this game. The PS3 version lets you play as the Joker, rather than just Batman, in a challenge/practice mode, which I didn’t find to be all that compelling in a few minutes of trying it. The game also comes out for PCs later this month. I love it. Go buy it.
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