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Batman: Arkham Asylum
The Caped Crusader hasn't had a decent videogame for years - can Batman: Arkham Asylum buck that trend?
Written by Chris Schilling, 25 June 2009
Urban Chaos: Riot Response might have been a solid and underrated shooter, but could anyone have predicted Rocksteady Studios would go on to make this? Make no mistake, Batman: Arkham Asylum isn't just likely to be one of the best licensed games of the year, but one of the best games full stop. Not to mention perhaps the best superhero game ever made.
Rocksteady clearly subscribes to the maxim that variety is the spice of life, and so the big, black Bat has plenty to keep him occupied as skulks around the titular loony bin. He's trapped there, having been tricked by the Joker, who, with some assistance from Harley Quinn, is releasing each and every one of Gotham's most dangerous criminals. He has to take out the Joker's henchmen in hand-to-hand combat, follow traces of tobacco smoke and alcohol to locate important characters, and sneakily take down armed guards in innovative stealth sequences. There are walls to crumble with explosive Bat-gel, distant switches to activate with your batarang, and Riddler Trophies secreted away in hidden areas and vents, some of which unlock concept art or additional modes. And after four hours or so, we still felt we'd barely scratched the surface.
PCGZine Issue 34
For our latest Arkham Asylum coverage, click here to download PCGZine Issue 34 for free.It's a big game, no doubt about it, and that's before you get to the various challenges away from the main game, our favourites being the score-based combat areas, where you're charged with building up combos to increase your score multiplier by bouncing between enemies. Its accessibility reminds us of Fable II's combat, but this is even better to watch with the slo-mo finishers in particular being incredibly satisfying to pull off.
We've not even mentioned the inventive boss battles, terrific graphics, fantastic voice acting (particularly from Mark Hamill, a constant teasing presence as the Joker) or seriously dark atmosphere. One hallucinatory section in a morgue is especially unnerving.
Basically, it's brilliant. And now we're itching to get our hands on review code, just so we've got an excuse to play some more. Start saving your pennies for late August, when Batman: Arkham Asylum swoops onto 360 - this is one licensed game you absolutely cannot afford to miss.
Arkham Asylum coverage available in PCGZine Issue 34 - click here to download it for free!
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