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I need to get something off my chest. I have a slight confession to make. I was never a big comic book fan. In fact, I have never bought a Batman comic, or even really followed the Batman animated series. So when I was given the task to review the new Batman game I was a little worried. Would a non Batman fan get much out of the game? Would it be enjoyable to someone who has never bothered to read the comic or watch the animated series? Well I can assure you the answer to both of these questions is YES!

The Story

The inmates of Arkham Asylum have been set free by The Joker! Some of Gotham’s most notorious villains are now in control of the island prison! It’s up to you as Batman to gain control of the high security prison and restore peace.

Tracking down The Joker and stopping the mayhem will be easier said then done. The inmates are furious and want to see you dead! Then there’s your arch enemies roaming the island, creating all sorts of trouble! Not to mention The Riddler has left dozens of puzzles for you to solve! Your visit will be a busy one!

While there is really only one story arc in the game, you’ll be treated to plenty of back stories. As you unravel The Joker’s plot you’ll run across taped interviews with some of the other inmates who are now roaming free. The interviews are between the asylum’s resident psychiatrist and the villains when they first arrive at the asylum. Each tape gives you some insight into the characters and make for good listening,  that is if you can find them all. They are scattered around the island, but worth tracking down to really flesh out the story.

The GamePlay

Batman Arkham Asylum is a sandbox experience. While the main story is on rails, you are free to explore Arkham island at your free will (for the most part). If you don’t feel like going after The Joker you can search for some of The Riddler’s hidden trophies, or solved his riddles which will have you running all over the island. The choice is yours. You can spend hours away from the main story line if you choose, however the real delight here is the story itself.

The game is great mix of in your face action and stealth. While you can often run into a group of thugs and beat them to a pulp, that all changes once guns are introduced. Once the inmates start getting their hands on guns, stealth becomes key to survival. Even bullets are no match for Batman! You’ll find your self creeping through the shadows, crawling through the vents and swinging up into the rafters to avoid detection. The game really provides a perfect blend of stealth and action. You truly feel like Batman as you drop down from the ceiling, grab your enemy, and string them up, yet doing it quietly so no one else hears. The feeling is awesome! The developer really captured the essence of Batman!

When you’re not fighting there are plenty of mysteries to solve. As mentioned before, The Riddler has hidden tons of riddles and secret trophies around the island. To solve some of the riddles, Batman must scan certain items. The real trick here is to try and figure out what item you have to scan. Other times you simply have to track down the question mark trophies. There are more than 200 secrets on the island to discover and solve.

Whether you’re kicking ass, or solving The Riddler’s insane riddles you’ll notice the entire island feels as though it’s alive! This is in part due to the superb voice acting. Batman Arkham Asylum has some of the best voice acting I’ve ever heard. Most of the characters are voiced by the same folks who voiced them for Batman: The Animated Series. Mark Hamill does a wonderful job of The Joker, making him larger than life. In fact all of the characters are wonderful. If you want to see how voice acting should be done, one needs to go no further than Arkham Asylum.

The Controls

When you play a superhero game, you expect the main character to control just like a superhero. You want to be quick and agile, you want to be able to pull off spectacular moves without a hitch, you want to the action to look seamless. It’s all here! This may be the first comic based game I’ve played where you really feel like you’re controlling superhero.

Fighting is an absolute joy. While it’s fun to creep through the shadows, the real excitement comes with combat. Batman moves with grace as he pulls off some spectacular moves. Never have I played a game where moves are so easy to pull off. Batman seamlessly jumps from one enemy to the next with just a push of the analog stick. Prompts pop up on the screen to help you remember special moves. The end result, fights look like choreographed stunts pulled off in the movies. I never once got tired of fighting in this game!

Of course no Batman experience would be complete without an arsenal of gadgets. Batarangs, explosive spray, grappling hooks, they’re all here. Tapping the D-Pad will swap between all your gadgets making them very accessible and easy to use. Yes, you’ll be using them a lot, especially if you want to solve all of The Riddler’s puzzles and receive a 100% completion rating. Many of the answers to his puzzles are hidden in remote out of the way areas which will have you gliding, and grappling to places that don’t even look accessible.

Xbox 360 Vs PS3

Both experiences play our nearly the same. I had the chance to play both versions and was equally impressed. Both versions are nearly identical graphically. The PS3 version did have the odd frame rate drop, but it was seldom seen.

Play as The Joker in the PS3 version!

One reason fans may want to pick up the PS3 version however is for the exclusive downloadable content. The PS3 version allows you to play as The Joker in exclusive challenge levels. While the levels themselves are fairly easy, survive wave after wave of baddies (or in this case good guys) as possible, it gives a unique experience for fans of The Joker. Worth checking out.

The Downside

In all honesty there is very little wrong with Batman Arkham Asylum. I really had to think about the downsides of this game. However there are a couple.

Mini boss battles are a bit repetitive. Once you’ve figured out how to destroy one mini boss (toss Batarang into their face to blind them, let them run into the wall, hit repeatedly) you pretty much know how to defeat them all. In fact even the main bosses will have you relying heavily on the Batarang. It feels a bit repetitive.

Speaking of repetitive, the game does have you going back in the same buildings numerous times. While the buildings change slightly between visits, it’s hard not to think this was a cop out for developers. Just because a building is now over run with plants does not make it an entirely new level.

The Bottom Line

To put it simply, I loved Batman Arkham Asylum. This is the new standard for Superhero games. Eidos and Warner Bros. set the bar high with this release. You truly feel as though you’re playing the role of Batman! The characters are deep, the story is cool, and the environment is rich! Batman fan or not, this is one of the best games to come out this summer! Get it!