There have been 21 Batman videogames! 21! Can you remember playing any of them? I spent a considerable amount of time with Batman: The Movie on NES, but, with the exception of last year’s Lego entry, most have been mildly inspired and entirely forgettable. And it’s quite a shame, because Batman isn’t one of those superheroes with gimmicky weaknesses. Hell, he doesn’t even have any actual powers; he’s just really pissed off all the time. Similarly, his mortality lends itself to a variety of challenges, and it’s a shame that his potential has yet to be realized as a videogame.
Anyway, Arkham Asylum opts out of a movie license and has taken the path of an original, but highly informed, tale. Batman has captured the Joker, almost too easily, and the two are in route to Arkham. The Joker allows himself to become incarcerated then predictably (come on, satisfyingly!) breaks out and frees all the residents of Arkham. Chaos ensues, and Joker and Harley Quinn create a serious of ridiculous circumstances en route to taking the place over.
A loony bin full of insane convicts is fantastic framework for a Batman game. If nothing else, it gives the dark knight an overabundance of ass to beat. Standard issue henchmen were the regular fodder to demo the combat. The combat in the demo was restricted to a brutal series of punches that, on occasion, ended with a slow motion, stylized finishing move. Stealth takedowns, only available when you are behind an enemy, where an option, as were ground based, polishing-off moves. Batterangs were also available as a distance attack.
Anyway eventually I reached a room where a madman (excuse my generic villain term, I cannot remember his name) had taken someone hostage. I had to click L2 and go into detective mode, which put a blue filter on the screen allowed Batman to see and notice clues with an orange filter. From there I was able to grappling hook to some set points around the top perimeter of the room, then, when prompted, do a bat-glide down to take out the opposition.
Arkham Asylum has all the makings for a good Batman game. It looks fantastic, the atmosphere of the comic book is widely apparent, and the CSI-like detective mode serves as a wonderful excuse to stop the combat and take some time to explore. Variation in gameplay is an appreciated facet of pacing that few developers take time to consider, and I was please that Rocksteady Studios has such a careful attention to detail. Originally scheduled to ship in June, Arkham Asylum should hopefully be coming out in late August.
