WHY BATMAN ARKHAM IS THE BEST HERO GAME IN THE WORLD
Ok if you love games- like me of course-you have seen all those awesome HD games coming on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Also not to mention Wii games though not in HD but they introduced us to a whole new level of digital entertainment. Those ground breaking visual stimuli won’t let you leave the comfy couch. And yes this is why you need to buy Batman Arham Asylum or check it out. Now let me explain...
Batman: Arkham Asylum was developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros, Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics. The PC version of the game exceeded 2 million downloads a week and the game won the Guinness book of records for the ‘Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever’. It was also number one in UK, France, Germany, Sweden and Denmark. Simply put it is the best `Super hero video` game ever made, its story, game play and atmosphere is second to none when looking at games in the Comic books genre.
The game exposes you to a unique, dark and atmospheric adventure that takes you to the depths of Arkham Asylum - Gotham's psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. You will move in the shadows, instigate fear amongst your enemies and confront the Joker and Gotham City's most notorious villains who have taken over the asylum using a wide range of Batman's gadgets and abilities- simply put this game is amazing! Let’s spoil the beans; the villains include Killer Crock, Poison Ivy, Riddler, Mr. Zsasz, Bane and Harley Quinn.
The game has ground breaking visuals especially when playing it on the Xbox 360-the graphics are much sharper. Even on the PS3 the game runs smoothly without any unexpected twitches. As far as the story goes, you start off with Batman speeding of to Akham Asylum in his bat mobile with the joker restrained on the back. When you arrive you get a brief introduction to some of the characters, you see Gordon and the Warden who is campaigning to be the mayor of Gotham city. The joker is then apprehended into Asylum but the Bat is suspicious because as it turns out the Joker was really easy to track this time, it seemed like the Joker wanted Batman to take him into the Asylum.
The story gets interesting; Batman decides to escort Joker with other guards into the Asylum. You can see that they took time developing this game because of the high level of detail especially if you look at the dark night’s suite and the guards-even the walls are nice and shinny. The Joker never stops blabbering (excellent voice acting by Mark Hamill by the way); he goes on his annoying routine. The downside to this cut scene is the Joker never seem to look at the Dark night it seems like he is aware of his presence but is not sure where you are-he doesn’t look straight at Batman during the whole cut scene (it’s a playable cut scene anyway ).
As Batman escorts the guards taking the Joker inside, the asylum's security is overridden by Harley Quinn and the Joker is able to escape and take control of the facility, enlisting the Blackgate prisoners in addition to other rogue characters imprisoned at the asylum. Batman quickly realizes that this has been part of Joker's plan and had double-crossed a security guard to help him escape. Joker then threatens to blow up bombs scattered around Gotham City should if anyone attempt to enter Arkham, forcing Batman to work alone. Oracle is able to guide Batman through the Asylum over the radio and apparently there is a bat cave on the Island he built years ago and is able to use his sleuthing skills to learn of Joker's plan.
In order to track Joker and other archenemies, the player can switch in and out of "detective mode" which activates special visors in Batman's Cowl. In this mode, most of the game world is rendered in high darker colours. In this mode objects of interest and people are highlighted, including limited x-ray ability to detect; enemy and allies locations, special objects that Batman can interact with and also a number of gadgets that are gained over the course of the game. The detective mode can automatically be switched to special scanning modes to track the presence of compounds, fingerprints, and other unique data, which are used to direct the player to the next location to explore.
The game world, though presented in a linear path, can be explored at any time, and recently-acquired gadgets can often be used to access areas that were previously inaccessible. If you love riddles you will definitely love this game because there are tonnes of riddles and items you need to find in the game (left by Riddler). Some of Riddler's riddles require the player to seek an item in an area that is the answer to a riddle and scan it with Batman's visor. Solving theses riddles unlocks special content for the game, including challenge levels that tests the player's skill at the game's free-form and "predatory" combat system, as well as character bios, patient interviews and detailed character trophies. Riddles, as well as defeating foes, also lead to experience points, which can then be spent on several possible upgrades to Batman's arsenal, as well as his health and movie set-this can be done at any time.
As for the combat, the game uses a "Freeflow" combat system. You only need to use three primary buttons: attack, stun and takedown. Additionally, Batman is able to use batarangs and his bat-claw as supplemental combat tools which can help to extend combos. Countering opponent's attacks can also extend this combo; a brief indicator is shown when playing at lower difficulties to indicate when an opponent is ready to attack. By chaining regular and counter-attacks in combos, you can build up a special experience point multiplier, which increases further if timed well. When this surpasses a specific threshold, the player then has access to an additional special attack that can quickly take down a single foe. Batman can take damage from his foes, and can be knocked out or killed should his health fall too low. Anyway, Batman is able to regain a portion of his health related to the experience earned in combat. As the game progresses, you will come up against opponents with knives and stun prods that require different tactics to deal with, as well as Titans that can be ridden on to attack other enemies. Certain enemies will also try to get their hands on guns, requiring the player to stop them from doing so.
You can also use "Predator"-type tactics using stealth to improve the odds in your favour. For instance you can use silent takedowns by sneaking up on foes, dropping from overhead perches and snatching enemies’ mid-air, or using the explosive compound on destructible objects to knock foes off their feet. Some areas feature sections that require the player to employ these tactics to avoid alerting Joker's henchmen and failing to meet an objective.
If you wondering about the people behind the incredible voice acting then wonder no more! The game's main characters are voiced by actors from the DC animated universe, namely Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin reprise their roles as Batman, the Joker, and Harley Quinn, respectively. The game is played as a third-person perspective action-adventure game with a primary focus on Batman's physical combat abilities, his stealth skills to take out opponents quietly, detective skills, and an arsenal of gadgets that can be used in both combat and exploration.
If I was reviewing this game I would give it a 9, 2/10 some because of the cut scenes are a little bit dodgy but the game is awesome. You can add your comments on the bottom to me know what you think if you have played the game.
This is what other people say about the game...
“Batman: Arkham Asylum is the greatest comic book videogame of all time. This is an adult Dark Knight story that is well-told, packs some truly fun game-play elements, has top-notch voice talent, and feel like its part of Batman canon. If I have to nitpick, I wish the cut scenes looked better as they can distract from the tale and that the AI was a bit more responsive, but those are tiny flaws that shouldn't distract from the big picture” ign.com
“This action-adventure is so smart, so well-written, and delivered with such an obvious love for its source material, I daresay it is both the best licensed game ever made, and arguably the best game of its kind in our current console generation”. Game Spy
“One of those games that comes along every few years that will have gamers talking about it long into the future. It is this year's BioShock, and I for one could not put it down from start to finish. If you enjoy great narrative, interesting boss encounters, fresh game play and of course everyone's favourite detective then Arkham Asylum will not disappoint”. ZTGameDomain
“The grim set-up mixed an incredible voice-over work and great storytelling makes of Batman: Arkham Asylum, not only the best Batman game ever published but also the best comic-book/superhero videogame so far and a very serious “Game of the Year” contender”. Game focus
by Tatenda Shumbanhete
