It has been a disconcerting fact that our favorite characters of the screen and comic pages have not always made the translation to video games a smooth one. Classic heroes like Ironman, Optimus Prime, and even Batman easily light up the silver screen, but stink up our video game consoles. It seems the only great heroes we get are ones created by gaming companies themselves. Master Chief, Kratos, and Marcus Fenix to name a few have all changed the gaming landscape. Having a great crossover character was an exception to a frustrating rule. Then came Batman: Arkham Asylum. All the rules instantly changed.

I am not going to sugar coat it. Batman: AA is the best comic book game I have ever played. It is the best comic book game you ever played. The reasons are simple. The use of the characters from such a deep canon of literature are used perfectly. The dearth of gadgets used by Batman are all included. The story, though unlikely, falls within what you would expect from a great Batman miniseries. The voice acting is top notch. Mark Hamill pulls off the Joker like no one besides Heath Ledger could. The Riddler taunts you as you solve his riddles. The game is paced perfectly and the combat is easy to learn, but takes more than button mashing to become fluent in it. The graphics are not the best I have seen, but the dark and gloomy feel to Arkham is right out of a Tim Burton movie.

If you look hard enough at Batman: AA, you can find some faults, but you really have to dig. Batman has Popeye sized forearms. It’s nothing that detracts from the game, but is funny. The henchmen are repetitive and usually too easy to beat up, but anonymity and ineptitude is what makes a henchman anyway. Some of the boss fights were a little too easy and the game does hold your hand when you need to find where to go, but these are all critiques, not deal breakers.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is everything the trailers and hype lead us to believe. A truly awesome game that redefines how all comic book games need to be. Not half-assed to appease fanboys. Not rushed to meet a movie launch. Not campy to sell toys to kids. This game sticks to its roots. This is not only the best Batman game ever made, it’s the best comic book game. I know I said this, but it needs to be reiterated. There are challenge rooms, tons of trophies to search for and riddles to solve. You can play for 8 hours if you steamroll through it or 20 if you take your time and don’t use a FAQ. Don this cape and cowl. Games like this only come along every so often.