My thoughts on Batman: Arkham Asylum can all be summed up in one 2-syllable, 8-letter word. Peerless.

I have let my completion of Batman: Arkham Asylum, which could have just shortened it’s name to BA: The Game (i.e. not this other BA: The Game), stew with me for just over 2 weeks now. Every day since I beat it(that day being Saturday, September 12th), I have sat down to reflect on the game; its strengths, its flaws, and the combination of the two. But I have been struggling with these reminiscings for one reason, and one reason alone. I cannot find a single flaw in this game! I have tried, oh beloved reader, I have tried. But my flaw-spelunking has come topside fruitless. And because of this lack of flaws or qualms or problems or issues or bugs or glitches or hitches or annoyances or grievances or misfires or missed opportunities, I’ll try to keep this short (ish).

Here I’ll discuss, in succinct detail, the Pros and Cons of Batman: Arkham Asylum. I’ll start with the positive side.

PROS:

• Story
  • The plot of this game feels like it’s plucked straight from the Caped Crusader’s DC comic series. I was always on the edge of my seat.
  • The villain roster in this game is astounding! They hit all the must-have’s (Joker, Ivy, Bane) plus all the niche characters only huge comic book nerds would recognize (Victor Zsasz, anyone?).
  • I enjoyed this game’s story more than any of the recent movies. If this were Christopher Nolan’s most recent cinematic escapade, it would’ve not only been nominated for Best Picture, it would’ve won.

• Gameplay
  • The controls in this game were fluid and very responsive.
  • The menu/map system, though it had many facets and tabs, was easy to navigate and understand.
  • The A.I. was superior. Every enemy had his own individual thought processes, which I felt was pretty revolutionary.
  • The game had a perfect difficulty curve. I faced many challenges, but they were never frustrating or insurmountable.
  • The mix of stealth, action, and puzzle-solving was as spot-on as I’ve ever seen.
  • The fights were always different. I had a blast defeating normal enemies, and the boss fights were some of the best I’ve ever played. (The Poison Ivy fight reminded me why I love old action/adventure games, i.e. Ocarina of Time.)

• Graphics
  • The character models in this game were beautiful. Not only were they amazingly life-like, they were interesting in an artistic sense as well. (This game’s Joker model is my new favorite.)
  • The environments of Arkham Island were so diverse and unique. More visually compelling than a Metal Gear Solid game. (Seriously!)
  • For how much action could be onscreen at once, the graphics never clogged down or got chunky at any point.

• Sound
  • The sound effects in this game are amazing. I never got tired of the *zzzziiiiiippppp!!!* of the Bathook flying off into the distance.
  • The score in this game sets a perfect tone. It’s creepy and ominous, and complements the visuals of the game wonderfully.
  • All of the voices in the game are fantastic. (Plus, Mark Hamill playing the Joker again is a dream come true.)
• Replayability
  • The amount of hidden items and riddles in this game is unprecedented, and warrants at least another 3 hours post-story completion for further investigation.
  • The Riddler’s challenges were ridiculously addictive. (I couldn’t stop until I got the achievement for cracking the enigma, aka solving all 240 of them.)
  • I have yet to start on the “Challenge Rooms” in Arkham Asylum, but I’m sure I’ll absolutely love them.

CONS:

• n/a. See also: none

I loved Batman: Arkham Asylum. I absolutely loved it. I will be playing through the campaign again on Hard difficulty within the next month or so. This game is not only the best licensed game I’ve ever played, it’s also the greatest comic book hero game ever made, and it’s officially my favorite game of 2009 so far. (It dethroned this PSN classic.) I cannot say enough about Batman: Arkham Asylum. It is nothing short of a modern videogaming masterpiece.

MidwestGamer, aka Zack, aka AbsentAmpersand