By Alec Meer on September 15th, 2009 at 1:55 pm.
Rocksteady’s slightly delayed PC version of their rather well-received man-thumper/ledge-grappler goes on sale this week. I’ve been playing it. I’ve also written some words detailing how I feel about it. But I’m not just going to give them to you, oh no. If you can solve my cunning riddle, you can work out how to read them. Riddle me this!
Solid: that’s the word I’ve most often heard used to describe Arkham Asylum. It’s odd, the way a single word can come to encapsulate a game so – much the same happened with STALKER and ‘atmospheric.’ These are words that say everything and nothing, but do accurately reflect the sensation the games in question most pervade. Arkham Asylum is indeed solid, and that’s because it’s a game that’s based in part about a really strong guy repeatedly punching slightly less strong guys. But it’s not that simple.
It’s solid because of how it shows the thumping. It’s in the camera angles, the generous handful of varying animations, the sound effects, the breathless cross-screen flow from punch-to-punch and the judicious use of slow motion (this latter infinitely more graceful than Fallout 3′s stodgy, puerile slo-mo deathcam). Yep, that’s a guy thumping another guy alright. But it’s also solid because of how punchy-guy (that’ll be Batman) is presented. Arkham Asylum’s Batman universe is halfway between the comic incarnation and Christopher Nolan’s silver screen take – a hyper-trained secret agent-type using brain, brawns and bleeding-edge technology to take down exaggerated mutants and psychopaths. He’s a big bugger, he’s wearing armour rather than spandex, and he can shrug off just enough thumps to the jaw and bullets to the chest to evoke someone that’s simultaneously more than yet undeniably mortal.
His massiveness doesn’t deny him grace – when the level structure allows it (and it often doesn’t), he can grapple from ledge to roof to air duct to gargoyle (Arkham Asylum has an awful lot of huge, indoor gargoyles, conveniently) like an overweight but still capable Spider-Man. He can remove a heavy metal grating near-silently if he’s trying to remain undetected. He can disappear into ceiling shadows if someone dangerous is on his tail. Y’know, he’s bloody Batman.
In fact, Arkham’s greatest feat is establishing exactly what makes Batman Batman, distilling them down into a few core features, then presenting them with oodles of flair. He’s not a jack-of-all-trades hero, his Batrope isn’t magically able to attach to anything, he isn’t invincible, and he can’t duff up 38 guys a minute. He just does a few things very, very well, and these few things are presented excitingly enough to rarely become boring. They do at times, sadly – there’s a bit too much reliance on find the door/switch/vent to progress, which can ruin the sense of Batmanniess – this isn’t a character you expect to see wandering around desperately looking for a door or wilding firing his Batrope at anything in sight.
Underneath all the surface flair, the game is a succession of looped sequences – melee brawl, a spot of grappling and vent-opening, a Splinter Cell-lite stealth-kill room, a fight against a vaguely irritating boss with convenient weak spots and attack cycles, and repeat it. It’s really a simple affair, based around classic console action game values. But because it’s overlaid with the impressive might of the Unreal 3 engine at its best, in-game architecture gone gothic-wild, some absolutely corking voice-work and a (faintly illogical, given this is an asylum) wide variety of environments, it successfully masks the simplicity at its core. Bar some annoyingly gamey setpiece fights, it feels like not like a mere beat ‘em up but a bona fide adventure – as a superhero game should.
It’s, without a doubt, one of the best superhero games ever made – though, perversely, much of that is because how cleverly it emphasises that Batman is just a clever, athletic dude in a suit, not SuperWonderSpiderUltraman.
A quick note on controls here… After some moral delibration, I opted to use a 360 controller plugged into my PC. The game just doesn’t feel right on keyboard and mouse – it’s positively built for analogue movement, triggers to fire ropes and Batarangs, and even for pad vibration. It looks great on PC, the characters especially looking incredibly detailed if you can pump the settings high enough, but it does feel like a console game rather than what we’ve come to think of as PCy. There’s no shame in that – all you need to do is allow yourself to play it like a console game.
The combat is incredibly simple, barely much more than repeated button pushes – but though some will complain about its lack of complexity, its triumph is how it plays out on screen. Your vaguely rhythmic taps activate an artful death-ballet (yeah, I know Batman technically doesn’t kill anyone, but c’mon – no-one’s really getting up from that kind of a beating) that makes you triumphantly feel like an expert fighter. Again, it fits the nature of Batman, somehow – grounded in reality, but just a little bit silly even at his most grim.
But there’s one big, disappointing way in which the game forgets who Batman is supposed to be. Throughout its duration, there’s a surfeit of hide’n'seek collectables – some hung to blimmin’ Achievements, some for the XP necessary to upgrade Brucie’s powers, and some just to unlock character factfiles and similar gubbins. This is all theoretically optional – it’s not necessary for progression, and the game can be completed without any upgrades. Unfortunately, you’ll want the upgrades because throwing three batarangs at once or vertically dragging people up from the floor while you’re suspended from a gargoyle sounds like a lot of fun. Upon entering any and every area, you’re also bombarded with messages and hints about the collectables, via an infuriatingly omniscient Riddler. The problem isn’t so much that all these collectables (and there really are a lot) are in there, but rather that the game won’t stop reminding you about them.
In other words, collectormania is pervasive and unavoidable. It disrupts the flow of the game, because you’re forever feeling compelled to sniff around for magic floating question marks rather than to save a) your life b) the people of Gotham City’s lives from the manic machinations of the Joker. At least Arkham Asylum attempts a narrative reason for the secrets’ existence, but it’s unclear why Batman would give a flying toss about the Riddler dicking about so, given he doesn’t present any threat.
The implementation of the upgrades is a little on the silly side too – I bought improved armour midway through a boss battle, which magically made me extra-strong and restored all my health on the spot. Oh, for a cutscene that showed Bats cheerily welding armour plates onto his legs in the middle of a fight with a drug-addled uber-mutant.
Arkham suffers from a few rough edges that upset what’s otherwise a masterfully-realised fantasy, then – which I wouldn’t mind so much if they didn’t seem like faddish adherence to Achievement/unlock culture rather than because they add to the game. I can feel a big rant brewing about this kind of thing at some point – Achievements, optional unlocks et al have always been a little silly, but fundamentally fine so long as they’re not altering the experience for those sensible souls who don’t care about them. Here, their presence is actively affecting the entire game. Perhaps it would have felt too slim without this persistent secondary challenge, but I would much rather a game that simply let me get on with being Batman rather than feeling like a child on a birthday treasure hunt.
Nonetheless, if you can either shrug such nonsense off or elect to lap it up, Arkham Asylum is quite the triumph for the most part. It’s Batman. It’s really Batman, dramatically more real than any other game has ever made him, and to the point that he is a component part of why the game’s so great, rather than the game being great but happening to have a Batman skin in it.
And, yes, it’s oh-so-solid.
15/09/2009 at 14:04 DevildogFF says:
I’ve been playing on the 360 and it’s definitely the game of the year so far for me. I can’t believe how right everything feels for the most part. I agree with your complaints, but also think that you’re (we’re) a bit nit picky about them. Rocksteady has given me a reason to actually play (and love the crap out of) a superhero game. Now if they could give the same treatment to Spiderman or Superman or the X-Men, I would be ready to but them up for a Nobel Prize.
Yay Rocksteady!
26/10/2010 at 11:26 Used copiers toronto says:
Start>Control Panel > add or remove programs > look for the demo then click uninstall. If that dosent see it go to my computer open up C:// > program files look for it delete it.
15/09/2009 at 14:10 Meat Circus says:
The word is FLOW.
15/09/2009 at 14:13 Qjuad says:
I also endorse this event and/or product.
15/09/2009 at 14:14 Nallen says:
When I listened to Quinns (sp? sorry dude…) saying solid over and over, I kept thinking visceral deserved a mention :) It has that sort of groundedness and directness of input to action.
This is one of the best games I’ve played in a long time, and as a counter point to you perfectly valid crits about the collectables, I’ve only picked up the ones I wandered in to and I’ve still made a perfectly serviceable amount of of progress on that front.
15/09/2009 at 14:15 The Fat DM says:
I vow to use the word once a day. Also, great that the game sounds great.
15/09/2009 at 14:16 The Fat DM says:
I vow to use the word Batmanniess once a day. Also, great that the game sounds great.
29/11/2010 at 11:44 herme bags says:
Probably the biggest trend is that it getting more and more difficult to break through the clutter and get the attention of the advertisment viewer.
15/09/2009 at 14:18 Ian says:
Have this pre-ordered which surprises me in as much that for months I was convinced it was going to be an abject disappointment. Almost everything I’ve read says the same as Alec did, that the game works because you feel like Batman. Actually playing like you’d expect the title character to is what made Spider-Man 2 really good, same with Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (to a lesser extent) so I now have fairly high hopes for this.
15/09/2009 at 14:18 fishmitten says:
Is this out on Steam now then? It’s been taunting me with its “Not yet released” status in my games list for weeks now.
15/09/2009 at 14:20 Jim Rossignol says:
I was a sceptic about this too. Seems Rocksteady done
goodsolid.15/09/2009 at 14:21 Demiath says:
Hmm…as much as I dislike Achievements in general, while playing through the game on a console (PS3) I didn’t feel that Arkham Asylum’s collectibles disrupted the natural flow of the game. Granted, there were definitely moments in which I stopped and for whatever reason felt compelled to clear out a large area of hidden items, but my motivation for this was just the regular OCD ticks and never a pressing need for additional XP (finished the game with roughly 80% of the ability upgrades). Also, the vast majority of regular question mark trophies were comparatively easy to find and could thus be quickly grabbed by only taking a very slight detour from the straight path towards the next mission objective.
15/09/2009 at 14:23 Meat Circus says:
See also: close, compact, compacted, concentrated, concrete, consolidated, dense, firm, fixed, heavy, hefty, hulk, hunk, husky, massed, material, physical, rock, rocklike, rooted, secure, set, sound, stable, strong, sturdy, substantial, thick, tight, unshakable
15/09/2009 at 14:23 feitclub says:
Funny, I thought integrating the collectibles into the game via the XP system was brilliant because it gave the search for hidden items and puzzles some weight. Too many games just throw in scattered knick-knacks and say “Find them all if you want a trophy.” In Batman, finding that stuff makes Batman stronger. I like that.
15/09/2009 at 14:25 Tei says:
The way you describe it, sounds like Bioshock with a grapple hock, playing with a joystick.
A “rent” game.
15/09/2009 at 14:25 abhishek says:
Very excited for this game. Loved the demo, can’t wait to buy it. Hopefully it will release quickly in my country…
15/09/2009 at 14:25 Lu-Tze says:
The unlocks are, undoubtedly, more than a little immersion breaking and it’s a shame given the relative narrative inclusion of the other upgrades. Perhaps if the Bat-cave had been more of a hub area, and you had to go there to get the optional equipment? Besides, the fact he suddenly learns a new combo is a bit… bizarre.
As for the Riddler’s stuff, there was the good and the bad. I liked finding the actual Riddles. Some were painfully easy, some required a little more thinking (and the line up the Riddler marks ones were quite cool). But the why does the Riddler reward you for finding a few Interview tapes lying around the place? Or for finding some hidden History about Arkham itself? Barring the ridiculous collect em all trophies which need to be removed, everything else fits and is nicely presented, giving you a broad background of some of Batman’s best villains, with some excellent voice work on the interview tapes.
It’s like Flags vs Templars in Assassin’s Creed. The Templars make sense, they are a badass enemy, a little mini-assassination target. And you can tell where they were by the lonely chest should you revisit the spot. It all fits. Then there’s the flags, which magically disappear when you touch them and have no narrative reason or way of tracking progress.
Collectormania CAN be integrated well into games, but even games that get it right seem to then suddenly go mad and decide to include the wrong way as well.
15/09/2009 at 14:28 Vandelay says:
Quick question on the controls: If I remember correctly, the demo only supported a 360 pad. Does the full game still require a 360 pad if you want to use a controller? I have no problem with playing games with a pad when the game is obviously meant to be played with one, but only supporting a single make goes against everything that makes the PC great.
It really does sound like a “solid” game. It seems to know what it wants to be and does that very well. Probably not revolutionary in anyway and could be a bit simplistic in some areas (the “detective” bits sound a bit lightweight, whilst the fighting seems to be fairly button mashing orientated,) but you know that you will have a good time whilst playing.
Probably will be a purchase when I get round to it.
15/09/2009 at 14:28 Tei says:
what else is overrated? , the comic “Batman The Killing Joke” :-/
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_The_Killing_Joke
15/09/2009 at 14:30 Ocho says:
Great game, and a solid review, sir.
Though I’ve got to agree with Nallen up there, I only really picked up the convenient collectables on my initial run and did just fine. I actually really enjoyed going back to find them after that, it gave me a chance to wander around and really observe the unbelievable set design of the island. Just gorgeous.
And how about some love for those surreal Scarecrow sequences?
15/09/2009 at 14:35 Meat Circus says:
I also enjoyed .
15/09/2009 at 14:35 Guernican says:
“The way you describe it, sounds like Bioshock with a grapple hock, playing with a joystick.”
Because Bioshock’s balletic hand-to-hand combat was so memorable?
15/09/2009 at 14:40 Dracko says:
Still a rental at best. The game design, whether the stealth or the fighting, really shows its limitations once it asks you to deal with more than half a dozen thugs.
And the plot is still garbage.
Ocho: There was very little genuinely surreal or exciting, let alone destabilising, about the Scarecrow sequence. Oh, sure, you have a Kojima style winking cutscene, but it still ends up being a bloody platformer. Overall, the boss fights are some of the most traditional and dull parts of the game. Hell, ironically, the most intriguing yet the most underutilised, was Killer Croc.
Tei: Actually, yeah, The Killing Joke is pretty damn ridiculous and I can see why Alan Moore dislikes it so much.
That and it somehow opens with an asylum room with sharply edged furniture and solid flooring and walls, and I really can’t get past such an oversight.
Gamestation have a good offer if you trade Arkham Asylum in for ODST when you toss in a fiver. As that’s definitely going to be higher value than what you’d get for it reselling, I’m going to get rid of some clutter.
15/09/2009 at 14:43 KikiJiki says:
My main complaint with the game (finished it on 360 a while back) was that the scarecrow parts detracted from the core gameplay (trying not to spoil for those that haven’t played the game, they are quite different in feel to the regular sections).
Aside from that it’s a brilliantly crafted piece of entertainment, with top notch voice acting to boot.
15/09/2009 at 14:43 Willy359 says:
I rented the 360 version and, like others here, only picked up the question marks I happened to stumble across. However, after I finished the main game I still had a couple of days before the game had to go back, so I busted out a walkthrough and went chasing challenges. It made the game into Tomb Raider; just me, wandering around a completely emply asylum, trying to figure out how to get to a tricky spot. Kind of fun.
15/09/2009 at 14:52 prowlinger says:
Simple put… Game of the Year… Why?
This game has made me like playing as a comic book hero….
I do not like comics, I do not like super heroes or all that…
But this is the one game that changed that…. This is a rock solid game, pure fun , it provides as much action as stealth as clue solving (finding hidden items)…
It would be amazing to keep this engine to do a next super hero game which I definitely would buy from Rocksteady!
Seriously… how do you top this title?
15/09/2009 at 14:57 Clovus says:
I don’t usually pay attention to achievments much, but I think they may be corrupting the youth. I convinced my brother (14) to get L4D on his XBOX 360. He spent quite awhile playing the game with friends, but almost always on easy to farm achievements. I think he then got bored with it. I told him he was doing it wrong, but he complained that the other settings were “too hard”. But dying is the fun part, right?
I bet if he got this game he would spend 30 minutes on YouTube before doing each level to make sure that he got every achievement. The gamerpoints he can easily add to his profile is a major factor in buying/renting a game. Ugh… kids these days.
This game sounds great, BTW, and I will buy on sale on Steam. I have way too many games right now that I’ve already paid for. Of course, I’m spending most of my time on the free Spelunky. I’m almost at 300 deaths!
15/09/2009 at 15:06 Igor Hardy says:
I only played a bit of the demo and have already enough. Such a disappointment. Boring gameplay, insipid writing and an overweight Batman. And they ruined the uber-cool Mr Zsasz character.
15/09/2009 at 15:07 Pags says:
Not enough can be said about the voice work; as far as I can tell, they’ve gotten everyone from the excellent Batman animated series to reprise their roles (including Mark Hamill’s Joker which is still better than Heath Ledger’s); they’re all accustomed to standing in a booth lending their voices to something they can’t yet see and thus are actually able to deliver their lines believably.
15/09/2009 at 15:08 KngShango says:
only disappointment for me were a) too short b) i missed several other evildudes (twoface, penguin, catwoman *Rrrawr* and maybe the odd Mr Freeze or ManBat *lawl*)
15/09/2009 at 15:16 tapanister says:
Come on, half-way through the demo I was like “what the fuck are all these gargoyles doing above the airducts etc”. Completely killed my suspension of disbelief with how conviniently they’re placed.
I love the goddamn batman, but no thanks. I’d rather play something that’s a real game and not some console-y beat em up in “solid” tights..
15/09/2009 at 15:17 Ginger Yellow says:
The thing that really bugged me about tying the collectibles to the upgrades was that it really incentivised you to spend the whole time wandering round in detective mode, so you couldn’t really appreciate the environments properly. I had to really discipline myself to keep it off (besides a quick enemy check) until I’d fully entered a new area and seen what there was to see.
15/09/2009 at 15:19 Ginger Yellow says:
To be fair, as you go further into the game there aren’t that many of them and they become much less useful for reasons I shouldn’t go into without spoiler tags.
15/09/2009 at 15:21 Kieron Gillen says:
Just as a thought – and tapanister’s phrasing has sort of solidified this in me – the people who have problem with Batman aren’t because it’s not a game – it’s because it’s not a simulation, and makes no pretense towards vessimitude. One reason, I suspect, it feels so solid is because it’s absolutely a core-mechanic game and has worked on that, rather than working on the mechanics after the fact (as you suspect – say – the designers of STALKER do).
KG
15/09/2009 at 15:22 Andy says:
Don’t rely on the demo for a real opinion of this game. The demo was light on content and the feel this game provides. It’s gloriously entertaining.
In fairness, probably one I won’t play through more than a couple of times but still brilliant.
It’s almost worth buying just to hear Luke Skywalker as the Joker. Check out Mark Hamill doing the voice work for ‘The Darksiders’ too. Impressive stuff.
15/09/2009 at 15:26 Jim Rossignol says:
Hmm, I’m not seeing enough “BIFF!” or “ZoKK!”
15/09/2009 at 15:26 Meat Circus says:
I’m a lapper rather than a shrugger.
Alec needs to embrace his inner obsessive. It is, after all, a game. And therefore it’s odd to take offence that bits of it feel gamey.
15/09/2009 at 15:28 Alec Meer says:
IT’S A GAME? Why did no-one tell me?
15/09/2009 at 15:30 Meat Circus says:
@Alec
Perhaps I’m not being clear. The question is, what is about the pervasive rise of metagaming you hate? Is it that metagaming is too gamey, or that it’s too meta?
It can’t be the latter. If you didn’t like meta you would have throttled Mr Gillen years ago.
15/09/2009 at 15:33 Alec Meer says:
As I say in the last couple of paragraphs, it’s only when the metagamey stuff disrupts what’s otherwise a tight, atmospheric in-universe experience with something that’s so overtly outside of the narrative/experience that I think it’s gone wrong.
15/09/2009 at 15:33 tapanister says:
@Kieron:
Google gave me nothing on “vessimitude” but I think I get what you’re saying. Still, from what I saw the game was just split up too much in set pieces of core mechanics.
First you brawl, then you go all “detective mode” then rinse and repeat. To be fair, I did love GoW which was in a very similar fashion based on a single core-mechanic, with even less story. But at least Gears made even less pretense towards this vessimitude that you speak off.
But you know, the real problem with this game is this: when I think of Batman, I don’t think of a guy who’s getting by thanks to conviently placed gargoyles. If the Gargoyles aren’t there, you can’t progress in more than half the demo.
Now, I’m not asking for “Deus Ex: The Dark Knight”, but still. I just feel I’m too old at 25 to be still playing platform games.
/essay
15/09/2009 at 15:35 Ian says:
Sorry Jim.
“Biff!”
“Pow!”
“Lurpak!”
15/09/2009 at 15:35 The_B says:
This game needs more Shark Repellent Spray.
15/09/2009 at 15:37 Kieron Gillen says:
Tap: I meant “verisimilitude”.
KG
15/09/2009 at 15:37 Meat Circus says:
@tapanister
If you think you may be too old for playing tightly executed, brilliantly designed platformer/brawler/stealthers, perhaps that says more about you than the game?
15/09/2009 at 15:41 Okami says:
I just feel I’m too old at 25 to be still playing platform games.
Are you sure you aren’t really 16? In my experience the only people who’re really concerned about their age and that they’re too old for something are teenagers…
15/09/2009 at 15:43 Qjuad says:
To be fair, I found the stealth sections quite versatile in the number of methods you could do to both evade and defeat your opponents – its just the gargoyles/glide kick/hang upside down stuff made them all (bar a couple of encounters) very easy. I would argue these stealth bits were probably the most enjoyable mechanic in the game, and I wish they had focused more on these parts.
The combat itself wasn’t particuarly enjoyable, primarily because of the rather poor boss encounters.
15/09/2009 at 15:46 tapanister says:
@ KG
Got it, wikipedia was more enlightening this time round.
@ Meat Circus
Yeah, it probably says that after 17 years I won’t play something that has you play one part platformer/brawler and one part stealth without very solid intergration of these two features.
Like I said, -to me- Batman doesn’t feel as if you have a choice between action/stealth. You can’t chose how to resolve a certain situation, you’re given only one choice:
“Here, you brawl”, “Now, you will go stealth”, “Here you brawl again”.
This isn’t “tightly executed, brilliantly designed’. It’s just ok. I;m not saying the game is bad, mind you. I’m saying it doesn’t feel interesting to me.
09/09/2010 at 05:56 Promotional Items says:
U cant take people opinionr t of ur life. but i honestly say that every single one is good. u should always think first.dont let other tell u what to du. Example: If somebody tell u to fall of a bridge wat would u do.
27/11/2011 at 15:12 Corporate Gifts says:
Well if someone asks you to jump off the bridge you do it:-)
15/09/2009 at 15:48 toni says:
i could take on 38 guys head on no problem on Batman in hard mode. also keyboard is superior because of the high turning speed making 38 guys brawl easy.
15/09/2009 at 15:49 AndrewC says:
It’s very much a 13 year old boy’s version of Batman, so it takes itself Very Seriously, which is why we don’t get much Biff and the Pow and a lot of *twisted cartilege* and *snapping femur*, no matter how daft the onscreen action is getting.
We also get a lot of empowering stuff like feeling uber hard when fighting and uber dangerous when stalking. Which feels awesome, but still.
We also get a lot of, not quite misogyny, but ‘no sex please, we’re Batman’. Bats has a look of disgusted bemusement when faced with Harley Quinn, especially when he rips the ‘list’ out of her bra. Plus it is Commissioner Gordon that is the damsel Bats keeps having to rescue.
So yes, no Biff or Pow. But, you know, isn’t demanding Biff and Pow when faced with grimangritty Batman a bit of an old joke now?
15/09/2009 at 15:50 Radiant says:
This game is VERY similar to the old Wolverine game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=LXKgsCr5I-k
Although that was a spin off from the X2 movie it still was a brilliant take on the comic book version of Wolverine and a great game.
My biggest issue with Batman AA is that, like The Dark Knight version off Batman, Arkham Asylum presents Batman as a tank, feared by crims because he’s invincible.
There is a scene in The Dark Knight which sums this up well [and is repeated throughout Batman AA]: it’s the scene where Gordon has the Joker in a police interrogation room and is talking to him in near darkness.
He leaves and suddenly the lights come on and there’s Batman.
Which…is just wrong, it should be the lights go off and there’s Batman.
There’s loads off exposition and mission dishing scenes in Batman AA where it’s Batman in open light chilling and talking face to face with guards and police; it’s obvious to all he’s a man in a suit.
Where Wolverine’s Revenge is better then Batman AA is it’s depiction off the main character.
It’s flawless, it’s not 6 foot 5 Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine gurning and winking at the camera, it’s a short, burly, animal dude who loves to be a problem, the wolverine you grew up with.
Batman’s main weapon vs crims shouldn’t be that he’s ostentatiously invincible. Crims fear Batman because they think he’s the devil. They don’t know what he is.
In rpg terms Batman in AA is a tank but he really should be played as a thief.
15/09/2009 at 15:50 Jim Rossignol says:
The old jokes are the best! Also: oldest.
15/09/2009 at 15:51 Dante says:
I actually loved the Riddler puzzles, and I never embrace mindless collection quests. I liked them because I thought they were well integrated, and with the presence of the Riddler not only giving them a reason to exist but also, with his audible frustation at my every success, giving me a reason to presist.
Did you collect them all Alec? The pay off is not only highly entertaining, but also cleverly justifies Batman spending his time solving these things.
Fair enough if you don’t like collecting stuff, but you can get most upgrades without ever actively seeking anything (or all in fact, if you use the challenges) so I don’t really get the problem. I’d certainly consider Killer Croc’s rather rubbish section more of a flaw in what is still a fantastic game.
15/09/2009 at 15:51 Radiant says:
Batman AA is a great game though but Wolverine’s Revenge is A LOT better.
15/09/2009 at 15:53 toni says:
and this is not the batman i remember, a batman forced to take out hordes of enemies and where unlocks ENDORSE combat over stealth and intelligence. most unlocks are for the brawling, the xp-hunting a big distraction and the combat very easy. with a better script and more open-ended levels and more interaction (like riddick did) it could have been much better. this way it’s just MARIO-batman total conversion. I recommend passing the hype and waiting for a price drop.
15/09/2009 at 15:53 AndrewC says:
Also, Riddler’s stories are always following his hidden clues to find out his dastardly plot, so the secret-finding mechanic has at least some ‘in universe’ justification. Not to mention tying in with ‘the greatest detective in the world’ part of Batman’s schtick, plus finding some of those secrets does involve at least a tiny bit of thinking, so making the collecto-thon a bit more satisfying than most widget collecting grindothons.
15/09/2009 at 15:56 Dante says:
@ Radiant
I’d disagree with that, while you are essentially unbeatable hand ot hand, guns will mess you up in short order. The steal room sections provide the Batman you speak of. Did you listen to the criminals as you picked them off? That kind of gibbering fear is exactly what you’re talking about.
15/09/2009 at 15:56 Wulf says:
Having played this on a mate’s 360 (I know, traitor!), I have to agree with pretty much everything you’ve said, Alec. I mean, it’s a brilliant storyline and so wonderfully enacted, with enjoyable gameplay and… interspersed with pointless Achievements, augh!
Microsoft have a lot to answer for, the MS DOS 5 commercial (look it up), Windows Me/Vista, Sweaty Ballmer, the OMGKILLGOOGLE campaign, and so on… but I don’t think I revile them for anything more than I do with Achievements, I curse the day they put the 360 to manufacturing, quite often, just because of that.
I mean, at the moment I’m playing Champions Online and digging it, but my only real complaint? The grindy perks (read as: Achievements). No, I’m not going to kill 5,000 guys just for an unlock, even if it’s one I really, really, really want. D:<
/twitch
If there's anything that needs to be struck from the history of gaming, it's pointless work for rewards. I must stress, one plays a game to play a game, and this is why I don't [i]usually[/i] play MMOs, because I just want to sit down with something fun for a while without it turning into work. But every time a game has an unlock I really want linked to an Achievement I couldn't give a flying toss about, it becomes work.
As much as I hate micro-transactions, I'd take those over bloody… *hisses the word out* Achievements.
15/09/2009 at 15:58 Optimaximal says:
*ahem*… BAT Shark Repellent Spray…
Seriously, there’s a difference!
15/09/2009 at 16:01 Dante says:
@ AndrewC
I don’t think it takes itself seriously at all, it’s hard to when you have the Joker being played like it is, never mind the brilliantly playful scarecrow sequences.
15/09/2009 at 16:02 Dan Milburn says:
Radiant: My biggest issue with Batman AA is that, like The Dark Knight version off Batman, Arkham Asylum presents Batman as a tank, feared by crims because he’s invincible.
This seems an odd thing to say given that in all the stealth sections of the game a) the crims fear you because they don’t know where you are not because they think you’re invincible and b) you’re incredibly vulnerable to gunfire, which is notably different to, say, the Tim Burton Batman.
15/09/2009 at 16:05 Alez says:
My huge problem with the game is the same i had with Wolfenstein. You have to use that damned veil sight/ detective mode ALL THE TIME to get the secrets. Yeah I could ignore them but then i’d feel like i’m missing out on the game. So i spend 90% of my time in bluescreen mode, which looks nothing like batman.
The voice acting is just superb. A very nice surprise. The joker could be copied, so i wasn’t sure it was the original. But when batman spoke, shit, i felt like a little kid watching cartoon network all over again. Very nice touch.
15/09/2009 at 16:05 Dante says:
@ Wulf
Dude, relax. They’re completely optional, so just ignore them.
15/09/2009 at 16:08 phil says:
It’s a pity they didn’t take a Planetary/Batman approach to the Bat-cannon and allow you to unlock Batmen of different eras, from 60′s POW Batman too Miller gritter-than-thou Dark Night – then up dated the idea to incorporate Nolan’s slightly more realistic and haunted Crusader.
- Either that or at least give us Bat-Mite.
15/09/2009 at 16:10 AndrewC says:
Compared to Adam West, or Batman: The Brave And The Bold, it is super duper serious. Compared to The Dark Knight it is very ‘heightened’ and light. It strikes a nice enough balance, I reckon.
This certainly brings up problems regarding such a well loved character. Fans want not just a ‘good Batman game’ but they want Batman to be *their* Batman – and he’s had so many incarnations, both silly, serious and extremely overwrought that not everyone can possibly be pleased at the same time.
I prefer the sillier Batman myself, but I think dismissing the whole game because this Batman is not, in your opinion, the ‘true’ Batman is a bit daft – and where loving your version of Bats turns into the bizarrely negative hating everybody else’s Bats.
15/09/2009 at 16:22 Demikaze says:
Good review, but I disagree with the Riddler quests being an annoying distraction. The actual riddles (the ones you have to ‘solve’) are there as fan service for the most part. An allusion to a character here, to a famous scene there – I actually found it a joy to solve them. Even collecting the trophies is a bit of an enjoyable diversion in that the harder to reach ones need you to utilise your new toys. Yes, they can be criticised for being incredibly easy, but I still find that his secondary, completely optional layer to the game was really quite fun.
And once you collect all your riddles, there is a payoff. Bear in mind, the Riddler is an escaped convict. There is reason to solving his riddles.
Also, the combat is a lot more complex outside of the main game when you play the challenge rooms. The hidden depth suddenly bursts forth and smacks you around the face as you have to really use your entire skill and moveset to score well.
15/09/2009 at 16:25 Dante says:
Personally I see this Batman as a darker version of the animated series Batman, seeing as the writer and voice actors were so heavily involved in it.
It still manages to crank out some grade A silliness, what’s in the Joker’s fake bomb? Marzipan and Kittens.
15/09/2009 at 16:37 Paul Moloney says:
“Achievements, optional unlocks et al have always been a little silly, but fundamentally fine so long as they’re not altering the experience for those sensible souls who don’t care about them. Here, their presence is actively affecting the entire game”
Good point; I don’t mind achievements at all, as long as they fit in with the game but, for example, the Fallout 3 DLCs come, you feel that some of the “collect X items” quests were simply added for achievements sake.
Does Batman on the PC come with achievements, or just the XBox version?
P.
15/09/2009 at 16:38 Turin Turambar says:
A solid but overrated game. Very shiny and polished, but without real depth (and near the end it’s a problem, it kind of feels repetitive) as so many games are now.
And the plot sucked, but that doesn’t suprise me, it’s a superhero story :P.
15/09/2009 at 16:38 phil says:
@AndrewC
I don’t think anyone was dismissing the game due to it not being representative of their Batman, though with all the discussion on the worth of achievements it does seem a slight disappointment Rocksteady didn’t take the normal course for super hero games and include alternative heroes/reskins for the player as unlockables – especially as the alternative versions of Batman are so disapparent and amusing.
I suspect DLC/Mods might remedy this.
15/09/2009 at 16:43 Radiant says:
@AndrewC that’s a very good point.
They have tried to strike a balance though between the different eras of Bats. movie, cartoon, comic and tv series.
You didn’t like the running? That is pure dinner dinner dinner dinner BATMAN!
I quite liked the riddles btw. The ones with the clues which you had to try and work out were brilliant. The rest, admittedly were a bit haphazard to try and find them without the secrets map.
What /sucked/ was the joker teeth! In some areas I just couldn’t find the last set of teeth to destroy and hunting around for those was infuriating.
15/09/2009 at 16:44 Jad says:
I just feel I’m too old at 25 to be still playing platform games.
This is one of the saddest statements I’ve read in a while. I know you clarified this, but its interesting how for me, at 26 with a job and less time for complex stuff I’ve started gravitating to the simpler, platform-y games of my youth. Indie games like And Yet It Moves and Braid and Cave Story have led me in that direction, too.
And @Kieron Gillen: “a core-mechanic game”
I love this phrasing. I really really enjoy games that focus on the core mechanic of the game first, the feel of the actual gameplay, and then put in story and atmosphere and game connections afterwards. Someone else mentioned Gears of War, which I also loved and didn’t understand everyone’s hang-ups on the macho posturing, etc.. It seemed such a “core-mechanic game” to me that all conversation should revolve around whether the core mechanics work or not. I do know that I’m a little different from many people on this though.
Anyway, if Arkham is a core-mechanic game with a great core-mechanic and incidentally some good graphics, voice acting, etc. — I’m sold.
15/09/2009 at 16:46 AndrewC says:
@Phil
Someone above dismissed this Batman for being overweight.
15/09/2009 at 16:49 Jad says:
And that “someone else” mentioning Gears of War was in fact, tapanister, in the same post I quoted him on. Sorry man. I do see what you mean that game with several different “play modes” should try to tie them together better, although I’m not sure if I can agree with you on it. Or at least I can’t fault a game too much as long as each part is still fun.
On whether this Batman is the “real Batman”, I guess this is an advantage to those of us who don’t know much about Batman and know him primarily through the recent movies.
15/09/2009 at 16:51 Zyrxil says:
I don’t know why you feel this game controls better with a pad. The demo felt just fine with KB/M with some key-rebinding. It’s not as if there’s a lot of attacks, like say, Ninja Gaiden. With all games that feature a fully controllable camera, Mouse feels the most comfortable to me.
15/09/2009 at 16:57 Chaz says:
Playing this on my 360 and absolutely loving it. Easily one of my favourite games of the year so far.
I’m really enjoying all the riddle solving and trophy hunting. I think that’s due to the way the trophy hunting is presented in a “Super Metroid” fashion, ie you spot items hidden away but don’t yet have the gadget to access it. That does mean a bit of back tracking is involved, but the world is so beautiful and well crafted that it doesn’t bother me.
The combat is also great. Simple enough for some one like me to button mash my way through the game, but deep enough to allow some one with the skills to rack up large combos.
The voice acting also deserves a mention, as it is top notch, Mark Hamill’s Joker being a particular stand out. Overall it is a very solid game, and has quality stamped all the way through it like a stick of rock, which is a rare thing these days.
15/09/2009 at 17:02 Meat Circus says:
One thing that more anal retentive types on the Intertubes have been whining about as ‘breaking immersion’:
Bats and Oracle’s complete disregard for radio protocol. She calls him ‘Bruce’ several times, and he keeps referring to Commissioner Gordon as ‘your father’.
Given that we know the Riddler, at the very least, is listening in, we have to conclude that’s a tiny bit the sort of thing that’s likely to quickly make your SEKRIT IDENTITEE become less so. IDIOTS.
15/09/2009 at 17:12 Igor Hardy says:
@AndrewC
I was just being mean to this silly incarnation of Batman. I could live with his bulkiness if other things were done better.
I enjoy the Adam West comedy, the Tim Burton movies, Nolan’s movies, much of Batman TAS, the Frank Miller Batman and many more versions. Doesn’t mean I have to like crappy ones such as this.
15/09/2009 at 17:12 phil says:
@Meat Circus
Bats and Oracle are smart cookies, they probably knew the game was set Pre-Crisis, so frankly they had ceased to care.
15/09/2009 at 17:25 Diogo Ribeiro says:
You just gone and done us proud again, Mr. Meer :) Great read and while it seems and unfortunate cliche, I was nodding all along in agreement.
15/09/2009 at 17:26 Ginger Yellow says:
“Given that we know the Riddler, at the very least, is listening in, we have to conclude that’s a tiny bit the sort of thing that’s likely to quickly make your SEKRIT IDENTITEE become less so. IDIOTS.”
Not much more idiotic than putting a batcave (with easy sewer access, no less) on an island housing Gotham’s most dangerous criminals, who have an alarming tendency to escape and an abiding hatred of you.
15/09/2009 at 17:27 Ginger Yellow says:
Igor: This is the Batman:TAS incarnation. It’s written by Dini, it’s voiced by the same actors. It has a different visual style, sure.
15/09/2009 at 17:39 The Sombrero Kid says:
Solving riddles and being a genius detective is an important part of what makes batman batman, I reckon you were a bit harsh
15/09/2009 at 17:39 AndrewC says:
Riddler has the ability to broadcast to Bats’ radio, but not to listen in to Bats’ coversations, which would be, at the very least, encrypted with different frequencies and personal codes for each person on Bats’ quickdial list.
I mean, that’s an *easy* one.
15/09/2009 at 18:10 TCM says:
Igor Hardy is demonstrably insane.
If you can’t enjoy the game based on the fact that Batman is as huge as his comic incarnation…well, oh well.
(And I am still struggling to figure out your complaint with the gameplay…if anything, the demo completely sold me on the game, for that final room alone.)
15/09/2009 at 18:36 Funky Badger says:
I’ve been mostly enjoying walking slowly up to groups of mooks, pausing for a few moements before they notice me, then beating the snot out of them.
Nice.
Also, Hamill’s Joker. Especially his ranting about Batman’s own insanity. Just wonderfully done.
Also, SOLID.
15/09/2009 at 19:33 Joe says:
Peoples: what would be the best and cheapest way for a Londoner like me to buy this game and start playing on Friday? Steam preorder? High street?
I’ve played the demo for this to death, the last room especially. The stealth is quite programmatic when you suss it out (rather Metal Gear Solidesque) but hopefully the full game will vary the formula.
15/09/2009 at 19:48 Kadayi says:
Before the demo came out I was completely indifferent to this, however given all the high praise its been receiving I thought I’d give the demo a go and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, so much so that I replayed it again straight away. Sure its a game that operates very much to the limitations of its mechanics, but it seems quite pure, in the same manner Portal is. Pre-ordered (Play.com seem to do be doing a slightly better deal than Steam on the pricing fellow game whores), and looking forward to playing it hopefully over the weekend.
15/09/2009 at 20:00 Radicand says:
The riddles themselves are quite a nice addition to the game (even though they were mostly piss-easy it did at least feel as if they required some thought), but it would have been nice if they were actually integrated into the storyline. It always felt like I was torn between hurrying to the next location to save some prison staff from an army of thugs (y’know, like Batman would) or dicking about looking for question marks because I was afraid of missing something that I would then have to backtrack miles to find.
However, apart from that and way too many ‘throw a batarang at the big tough guy as he runs at you’ boss fights (seriously, about half the big-bads in the game seem to require this same tactic) this game is awesome.
15/09/2009 at 20:08 Psychopomp says:
The Scarecrow bits were ace.
Also, you don’t *need* the gargoyles to succeed in all but one of the stealth rooms. They just make it much easier.
15/09/2009 at 20:35 Subjective Effect says:
What version is the PC version you played Alec? v1.0 or a higher version?
15/09/2009 at 21:14 Crush says:
I played it on the PS3, really enjoyed it the combat sounds simple but it can get quite tricky.
The only thing I really thought was completely out of sync with gritty modern batman was to show “how bad” the villains were that the super criminals kill almost everyone on the island. Even some of the people Batman saves end up getting killed & all Batman says is they will pay.
It just doesn’t hold up that someone (out for revenge) wouldn’t put a bullet in jokers head & be done with him (same for all the other super criminals) after the numerous murders of police, guards, doctors, staff. Not to mention the staff that are killed in the interview tapes by the villains.
If your a riddle collector the Spirit of Arkham Island seems to have the right idea.
15/09/2009 at 21:19 We Fly Spitfires says:
It’s a truly awesome game and the developers got every note right. From the voices of the original Batman cartoon to the reimaginations of the villians, it’s a wonderful game.
15/09/2009 at 21:44 Ergonomic Cat says:
Crush: He’s Batman. Batman doesn’t kill. It’s kinda his thing.
I see a certain level of “I don’t like things about superheroes that aren’t DARK” because comics are for kids, and some “I don’t likke things you like, because I’m cooler/smarter/more adult/more edgy” and I’m sad.
It’s fun. Games should be fun.QED.
15/09/2009 at 21:51 Vinraith says:
This looks brilliant, I’m downloading the demo now. I love that they’re using the voice actors (and a lot of the sensibilities) of the animated series, which was excellent. The combat looks superb, as well. I do wish the game itself were set in a larger, more oprn context. I’m not that big a fan of “enter room, figure out best way to beat everyone, move to next room” type gameplay and I generally dislike boss fights. That kind of play also tends to make for a short game, as seems to be the case here. I’d love to see this team build a “whole Gotham” kind of game with these voice actors, artists, and game assets.
15/09/2009 at 22:18 Adventurous Putty says:
We’re all ignoring the obvious fact that the sequel may well be an open-world game set in all of Gotham, utilizing the same game mechanics. It just seems like the next logical step.
15/09/2009 at 23:10 RLacey says:
My copy of this arrived today (oddly, since it’s not supposed to be released in the UK until Friday). Did 11% of the game this evening, apparently. Enjoying it very much, though I can already sense that later boss battles are going to really, really annoy me.
15/09/2009 at 23:14 Andrew Dunn says:
I loved the demo of this and pre-ordered it on Steam immediately afterwards. Looking forward to getting stuck into it at the weekend.
15/09/2009 at 23:23 runcrash says:
I agree with those who say they liked the collectibles because:
1. Some involve actual mystery and puzzle solving.
2. You are defeating the Riddler as you collect them and he audibly becomes annoyed as you do it. And there’s a great pay off at the end of both the Arkham and Riddler stuff if you do it all.
Also, how is the implementation of the PhysX stuff on PC?
15/09/2009 at 23:43 Lemming says:
I have the game for my PS3 and I enjoyed every minute of it. I think the game’s versions of Scarecrow and Killer Croc are the best I’ve ever seen since they were created.
I think picking on the riddler clues is a bit harsh, I considered it a big part of the game actually, a good way to break up the constant brawling and more game=good, right?
Batman’s reason for doing the clues I thought was to get closer to actually recapturing the Riddler. After all, having him loose isn’t going to be a good idea is it? The pay off for it is rather funny as well.
15/09/2009 at 23:45 RLacey says:
Haven’t been able to test the PhysX stuff properly (my graphics card just ain’t up to it). That said, I was bemused to see that PhysX is only enabled after downloading the 200mb v1.1 patch that is already available.
My impression is that it mostly means that paper flies around like nobody’s business.
15/09/2009 at 23:47 Lemming says:
@Crush
He’s not about revenge, he’s about justice. You’ve kind of missed the entire point of Batman, really.
Also, the Spirit of Arkham’s ‘idea’ arguably made these villians worse than had they just been treated like proper inpatients, rather than tortue and experiment on them.
If your a riddle collector the Spirit of Arkham Island seems to have the right idea.
15/09/2009 at 23:48 Lemming says:
Ignore that last sentence, it was copied from your original post :)
15/09/2009 at 23:49 Gorgeras says:
Imagine if Batman had used Shark Repellent Spray rather than the Bat Shark Repellent Spray.
We’d have lost Adam West.
15/09/2009 at 23:55 Lomsi says:
I think you’ll find it’s Shark Repellent Bat Spray.
15/09/2009 at 23:55 Railick says:
@lemming – I think Batman wants both, Revenge for the injustice done to him as a child but also Justice for others. This, I think, it shown in that he seldom if ever kills any of his villians. Like Spiderman he just beats the heck out of them and sends them off to a place to get “help”
@Gorgeras – What would a world without Adam West be like? I wouldn’t want to know personally. (Though soon I fear we will find out, all the stars from my childhood and teenage years are dieing off like flys)
16/09/2009 at 00:14 Railick says:
WTF is a bat shark? I want one.
16/09/2009 at 00:42 BookieGnu says:
Currently playing on 360 (and enjoying except for the seemingly random doens’t always save my progress moments). If it didn’t give me achievements, how else would I know I’m achieving anything by playing it…
16/09/2009 at 00:52 standardman says:
Anyone else have trouble patching this? Games for Windows just hangs at 98% and never finishes the patch. You don’t get Physx without it
16/09/2009 at 02:20 Psychopomp says:
“That kind of play also tends to make for a short game, as seems to be the case here. ”
Actually, no. It’s fairly lengthy.
16/09/2009 at 02:24 standardman says:
Finally installed the patch!
It took of staring at a progress bar that immediately shot up to 98% and stayed there for an hour without any notification of how big the file was, how much time was left, what speed it was downloading at or whether it was doing anything at all, but it’s finally installed.
Wasn’t the idea of Games For Windows Live to make the experience better? All it ever seems to do it mar it.
16/09/2009 at 02:40 jackflash says:
Alec – I totally agree with you about the collectibles / achievement-mania. It’s one of the things that really turns me off of console gaming, and I sort of wish it hadn’t started to infect PC gaming (e.g. Steam achievements). I don’t really understand the compulsion to pointlessly find or “achieve” things (seriously, who really thinks they’re achieving something by doing repetetive things ad nauseam?), and I think that stuffing them into otherwise great games is a waste of development resources.
16/09/2009 at 02:45 Vinraith says:
@Psychopomp
Every review and comment I’ve read on the subject seems to indicate around 12 hours at the outside (doing all the Riddler stuff and whatnot).
16/09/2009 at 03:14 Martin Coxall says:
@Vinraith
I’d say it took me around 12 hours to get 100% completion on normal difficulty. There are also the challenge rooms, and surviving some of those will take a LOT of practice.
16/09/2009 at 03:55 JKjoker says:
ahh, the curse of the collectibles (which are usually tied to those stupid achievements), Wolfenstein might have been fun without them
when will we learn not to ruin the flow of an action game with BS
16/09/2009 at 06:18 Vinraith says:
OK, played a bit of the demo, two questions:
1) Is there any way to zoom out? It happens automatically in combat, but when exploring and moving about the environment Batman occupies at least a 3rd of the screen for no reason. I’d like to see more of the room I’m in and less of that lovingly rendered cape.
2) Is there any way to jump? In combat I occasionally find a low obstacle between me and an enemy and the attack system (normally smooth as glass) won’t hop over it. It’s an annoying and terribly un-Batman way to die.
16/09/2009 at 06:33 Psychopomp says:
“seriously, who really thinks they’re achieving something by doing repetetive things ad nauseam?”
Ideally, they’re not that. Dead Rising did’m right, very few other games have.
16/09/2009 at 08:36 Martin Coxall says:
@Vinraith:
Batman will jump and glide automatically when you have the run button held.
I don’t know if there’s any way to zoom out, but the depth of field changes to highlight things that you can latch on to or otherwise interact with, especially in detective mode.
16/09/2009 at 10:51 Morph says:
I wouldn’t have minded the Riddler challenges if there weren’t so bloody many of them. Maybe if they’d dropped the trophies but kept the photos / spirit / teeth killing bits.
Still, great game. Boss battles were a little gamey – but I guess the combat system is built for fighting a load of mooks – not just one guy, so they had to do something.
Best bits were the Scarecrow moment. Crazy but awesome.
16/09/2009 at 12:06 mrrobsa says:
Really enjoyed the demo of this, glad to hear it’s quality through and through. Anyone know of any decent drivers to get my PS3 pad working with PC? Last ones I downloaded BSOD’d my PC! :O
16/09/2009 at 12:37 Melf_Himself says:
Good review and bravo for standing against the tidal wave of achievement seeking.
16/09/2009 at 18:50 Joshua says:
I have it on Xbox 360, its a good game, my “beef” is that its all laid out for you. I think Edge’s term was “too focus-tested” and thats right on. Its just too easy. Which is fine, most games are built like that nowadays and this is still better than most.
16/09/2009 at 19:51 ascagnel says:
Yahtzee has a Zero Punctuation review up, if anyone cares… http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/926-Batman-Arkham-Asylum
16/09/2009 at 20:28 Joe says:
The comment above from “maple story hack” appears to be spam.
16/09/2009 at 20:32 Ravenger says:
Glad I ordered the retail version – the Steam copy has Securom limited activations, while the retail just has a disc check.
16/09/2009 at 20:33 Jim Rossignol says:
Poor old Maple Story Hack. He never gets his comments out.
16/09/2009 at 21:00 Kadayi says:
Cmon already..
…paces up and down outside letter box…
16/09/2009 at 21:27 Pemptus says:
A few words about the collectibles: I absolutely hated them in Wolfenstein. But here, I gathered them all, hell, I even got the ones I missed after completing the story. It felt enjoyable and not flow-breaking, although the Riddler trophies were very clearly on the “gamey” side and the game be better off without them. I loved the rest though – especially the Spirit of Arkham bits, along with the conclusion. Story or sub-story driven stuff like that are ideal collectible/achievement material.
17/09/2009 at 03:22 Matzerath says:
I bought the Riddick games for cheap on D2D and I’m pretending Butcher Bay is Arkham Asylum. It’s working out pretty well!
17/09/2009 at 12:43 theworm says:
Achievements are a cancer eating away at the heart of modern videogames, slowly killing them from within.
17/09/2009 at 12:49 Joe says:
“the Steam copy has Securom limited activations, while the retail just has a disc check.”
Whyyyyyy! I feel rather let down having dropped £30 on this to find out that there’s no way to preload and there’s more drm than with retail. And it’s so much worse coming from Steam, like being mocked by an old beloved friend.
18/09/2009 at 01:36 TCM says:
It’s a 4 per month limit. If you seriously need to install the game more than 4 times in one month, something is horribly wrong with you.
That said, I finished and enjoyed the game greatly. It reminded me why I play games in the first place.
18/09/2009 at 03:17 Vinraith says:
I actually have had months where I had 4 hard drive deaths, turned out the power supply was eating them.
18/09/2009 at 03:34 TCM says:
There is something seriously wrong with your luck, in that case.
18/09/2009 at 03:37 Vinraith says:
Nah, just had a bad power supply and didn’t know it. It pretty much killed that whole system, but did it so slowly that it looked like a series of separate malfunctions.
The point is, limited installs suck, even when they’re quite generous. You never know what’s going to cause you to need a bunch of them, and of course the long term viability of any game with an activation system is suspect.
18/09/2009 at 17:45 Ravenger says:
If you think about it, the Steam version relies on three separate authentication system, each requiring an internet connection, and future access to those authentication servers:
Steam
Securom
GFWL.
If any one of those isn’t available/online at some point in the future when you re-install your game then you either won’t be able to play the game or will have no access to any DLC you may have downloaded.
By contrast the disc version only has:
GFWL.
That’s three times the amount of DRM on he Steam version. Relying on one internet activated DRM system is bad enough, but three different ones is three points of failure for authentication instead of one.
18/09/2009 at 03:12 Al3xand3r says:
I dislike the combat mechanics, and the stealth is a bit too simplistic too, but I love everything else about the game, especially the whole Metroid-like progression (very reminiscent of Metroid Prime 3 which I recently replayed) where you get new tools and abilities to reach areas you couldn’t before, though it’s also more linear than you’d expect with these mechanics. Beautiful game though, perhaps the best super hero game yet. Now, make me a sandbox sequel please.
I’ll disagree about the controls, I have a 360 pad but I find myself playing it with mouse + keyboard with the usual WASD setup since it’s what I’m used to AND it works so well here, despite the fact it’s not an FPS. I mash the left mouse button to attack, the thumb-positioned button for the stun punches (middle mouse button normally, but that’s where mine is placed), use F to insta-batrope somewhere, and switch between my tools with 1-2-3-4 and use right click to aim, then left click to fire them, or if I’m in a rush, just their hotkeys, Z, for batarang, C for the hook, etc.
It works like a charm, the only thing I would change is put the sprint stuff on Shift instead of the space bar since it’s a bit fiddly and is required to be tapped rapidly for some of the actions, but now I got used to it halfway through the game I’ll leave it.
18/09/2009 at 12:18 Ian says:
Started this yesterday and went with the bad. Out of the habit of pad-playing but I do often prefer them for this sort of game.
(Spoilers) Got to the part where Joker first unleashes one of those enormous angry fellows on you. Really good fun so far, swooping FTW. Loved the atmosphere in that first section, with no little help from the brilliant voice acting. I’d not see the animated series aside from clips, but Hamill is indeed excellent.
18/09/2009 at 12:20 Ian says:
Whoops. Meant “with the pad”. Not sure what that says about me, given the b isn’t anywhere near the p.
18/09/2009 at 16:51 Alex Fink says:
Yes, I am a batman lover. And no, I don’t like men running around in rubber suits with a little boy on their side. And yes, I’m glad there is no Robin in the game.
19/09/2009 at 20:57 Some random dude says:
Geez, this reviewer makes it sound like the optional tasks in the game almost ruin the experience. That’s not the case at all, if you don’t care about this kind of stuff, it will not bother you with it.
I understand it’s difficult to point problems in such a well rounded game, but I really disagree with such a disproportional rant about the collectives. The game only instructs you about each type of collective during the first couple of hours or so. Once you get what is what, it stops bugging you.
20/09/2009 at 10:54 PHeMoX says:
The socalled ‘Detective mode’ is ‘meh’, the title is unpronounceable crap to me, but I’ll have to admit the game does just about everything else right.
The main thing of course is that it’s also simply a lot of fun to play.
30/07/2010 at 06:47 Steam Showers says:
I like the idea. Think of the number of times we have been going through such situation before. Smart, isn;t it? Steam showers
28/08/2010 at 08:20 iPhone screen repair says:
I’m having loads of fun with the game. If you like batman and have interest in the characters and villians this is a very good game. It is not too challenging but still manages to be very fun.
03/09/2010 at 09:29 unlocked cell phone says:
I’m having loads of fun with the game. If you like batman and have interest in the characters and villians this is a very good game. It is not too challenging but still manages to be very fun.
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