As a fan of Batman, I was exited when I first heard there was a new game coming out, its been years since we have had a actual Batman game and this game does not disappoint. The last game that was released about the Batman series was the Lego Batman game, which, although it’s a great game, it’s not quite the same as a proper Batman game.

The story of the game is based entirely around the Arkham Asylum. It starts by Batman apprehending Joker after he attacks the mayor’s office, he then returns the Joker back to Arkham. Once inside Arkham, the Joker springs his trap and with the help of Harley Quinn, he escapes and disappears into the maze that is Arkham Asylum. Your part is to play as Batman and work your way though the Asylum in an attempt to stop the Joker. Along your journey, you come across a variety of enemies that range from standard goons to ‘super criminals’ such as Croc, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow and a number of others.

Now onto the gameplay, this is where the game really gets good. There are two types of gameplay, the stealth in which you use gadgets and your sneaky ninja skills to take out people with guns which plays alright, it does get a little boring after a while. Then there is the brawling in which you fight against a group of goons, this is where the game gets really good. By hitting the X button you perform strikes at the enemy and once you have hit them three times, you go into this mode called free flow in which just by hitting the X button and holding the direction you will seamlessly move from enemy to enemy in a cool cinematic style combat. The combat is one of the best things about the game, it seems so powerful and free flowing.

Any Batman game wouldn’t really be complete without the gadgets, and this game is no different. As you progress through the game, you get a huge amount of gadgets which you can upgrade to make them more powerful. They range from explosive gel, which you can use as a tactical weapon, to things like controllable Batarangs for taking out difficult goons.

The gadgets not only help you during combat and getting to those to of reach places, but they also help with collecting the secret items. Early on in the game you are contacted by The Riddler who has hacked into your radio communication. He tells you that he has a series of riddles set out all around the asylum. In total there are 240 of them and they range from riddles, which you have to work out, to items that you have to pick up. This does add some extra length to the game as once you have finished with the story, you can continue looking for them around an empty asylum.

Now onto the graphics and audio. The visuals in Batman Arkham Asylum are really good, Arkham is given a kind of dark and gritty feel about it. The game uses the same graphics engine as the Gears of War 2 game, which would explain why all the characters are are heavily built and over exaggerated. The camera style of the game is also very similar to Gears of War, it’s an over the shoulder, slightly off centered view. The audio in Batman is cool, I really like the script in this game, especially the Joker and Harley Quinn speeches.

Summary

Overall this game is great, although it’s not hugely long, with the riddles to find, it gives you a number of hours of gameplay. Plus, once you have finished, although it’s not a multiplayer, there are a series of challenge modes which you can complete. They are split into combat modes and stealth modes with each one awarding medals for higher scores.

Good Points = Very good graphics, simply amazing combat, cool range of gadgets.

Bad Points = Storyline could be longer.

I give this game a 9.5/10.

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