The Dark Knight changed the way people are going to make comic book movies. It was only a matter of time before a Batman game came out and thank God it is not based on the stellar movie. Arkham Asylum is based on the comic book universe which is very vast and full of great characters that have all made the cut. Batman: AA is the love child of Splinter Cell and Streets of Rage. It is a tactical sneak game meets a brawler. Batman can go toe to toe with anyone, or hang from the ceiling and pull you into oblivion.
The demo starts with what appears to be the first level of the game. Arkham Asylum is the place where all the bad guys go that Batman captures. It is more of a prison than psych hospital, but this is where the worst of the worst go. You’ll never guess what happens next. Joker arrives, quickly breaks loose, and takes control of the facility. The prisoners are let loose and are running amok. How you re-institute order is up to you. Batman can use his hand to hand prowess to knock you out or his batarang to stun you from afar. What you will learn quickly is that Batman is not invincible, especially when henchmen have guns. If you run at them, you are going to get shot and killed. This is where the tactical area of the game takes place. You can use your Batvision to find places to grapple on as well as use timing to slowly pick off each bad guy by using “one button” moves such as hanging takedowns.
The game looks and plays great. The level design seems sharp and using the special Bat powers, especially the Vision, really makes you feel that are you on the inside of the cape and cowl. The combat is simple enough and the easiness of completing the one button takedowns is great. The game rewards you by getting into position to complete the move, which is where the skill comes in. There are no boss fights in the demo, although there will be plenty in the full version. The only things holding me back from pre-ordering this right now is the length of the game. If this is a 10 hour game, it might be a rental. If the game has some legs, it could be a buy. There will be challenge rooms and difficulty levels, but is that enough to make it worth a purchase? We will let you know once we get our review copy, but so far, this could be the best Batman game ever made.
So was I the only one annoyed in how the camera worked? I like the game and I will absolutely get it. However, the camera movement felt a bit slow and I wasn’t impressed by it. Caused a bit of annoyance going around corners etc.
The camera drove me nuts too.
I believe with all the technology, power and tools that the game industry has these days that Batman Arkham Asylum will easily be the best Batman game.
The demo I really enjoyed because it reminded me of just how good a game can be with the right characters.
But to really say anything positive is a start when the full game comes out then you can start the talking
Shoot, I’m pretty sure if you can even stomach the demo it makes it the best Batman game ever made.
I’m still on the fence about this one…I dunno why. There was something about the demo I didn’t like, I just can’t put my finger on it.
This game is awesome, Ive got the ps3 and the xbox 360 version. I thought the camera was fine, I was trying to explain to a friend how it played, and the remark about splintercell was what I was trying to think of but couldn’t remember the name of the game.
My friend kept saying does it play like halo and I was like don’t be dumb its like, its like lol and couldn’t remember splintercell. Thanks.