Tech Olive

With the reinventing of the Batman movies, could the same be managed with the video game franchise? Many people seemed to think that this was achieved with the newest Batman video game installment. The Xbox 360 reviews were stellar, but I still had my doubts. Today, we see if Batman: Arkham Asylum measures up to the massive hype.

The gameplay of Arkham Asylum is far better than I expected. The game is a mix of Splinter Cell and Tomb Raider gameplay elements with the view angle, the jumping and swinging around and the puzzle elements along with the stealth and strategic planning required. This isn’t to say that Arkham Asylum feels “already done.” The gameplay is quite varied and there is much freedom in how you approach combat situations. Perhaps not as much as you would in Splinter Cell, but enough to make you feel in control.

There is a large focus on the detective side of Batman’s skills. There is an awesome “Detective Mode” that changes how things are viewed and lets you see enemies through walls and — as you would expect, Batman’s massive range of gadgets and abilities does not get overlooked. You are given a large range of gadgets ranging from explosive gel to grappling hooks, almost all of which are upgradable. Don’t worry though, it’s not RPG-like as far as leveling up, you just accumulate points for finding secrets and defeating enemies. You then you use these points to get your upgrades.

Graphically, the game is fantastic and with the game built on the Unreal 3 engine, this doesn’t come at a surprise. The characters are modeled and detailed fantastically. Batman and his enemies have never looked better. The lighting and shadows within the game are equally well polished and good looking. However, the biggest issue with Arkham Asylum is that, without an Nvidia card, you have no options for anti-aliasing. This move makes the developers seem very lazy and just about ruins the look of the game for all ATI users.

Batman: Arkham Asylum pulls you in and the level of immersion is fantastic, even to the point that as you progress through the game, your suit actually gets damaged and starts to show rips, tares and dirt. On top of that, the voice-overs in the game are fantastic, making the characters seem that much more alive and believable.

Scores

- Graphics: 8
It’s very hard to rate the graphics properly here because the overall visuals and graphics are fantastic, but as an ATI user, I was given no anti-aliasing. However, had I used an Nvidia card, I would have full anti-aliasing support. There needs to be global AA support here.

- Storyline: 10
Come on, it’s Batman! After Batman apprehends The Joker and brings him to the insane asylum on Arkham Island, The Joker stages a prison break and all hell breaks loose. Also, the game ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. Will we see a sequel?

- Gameplay: 9
The overall gameplay of Arkham Asylum is addicting and action-packed. You’re just sucked into Batman’s universe.

- Controls: 8
The controls are fine, despite a few odd buttons that may take some time to acclimate to. However, I found it odd that the game does not offer you the ability to rebind any of the controls. So, if there’s some button that you don’t like, you’ve just got to deal with it.

- Lasting Appeal: 7
While the game is fantastic the first time through, the need to play it through again is just not very strong, but if you’re up for a challenge, there are several challenge maps where you try for the best time or score. Your best scores can be uploaded to an online leaderboard.

Overall: 8 Olives