Being the Batman is no easy task; dealing with childhood trauma and balancing his life as Bruce Wayne just add to the pressure. To make matters worse, Batman’s foes are constantly wreaking havoc on his nightlife. No matter how many times he thwarts their evil plans, they just seem to keep coming; so when the Joker surrenders without a fight, the Dark Knight has every right to be more than a little suspicious. Still, he follows procedure and transports the Clown Prince of Crime to Arkham Asylum, the most secure facility for the criminally insane in all of Gotham City. With the Joker under intensive care, it seems the Dark Knight may finally be able to take some well deserved rest. I mean, what damage could the Joker possibly do from inside Arkham? Well, being the criminal mastermind that he is, The Joker has more than a few tricks up his sleeve and, in no time at all, the inmates are running the asylum. What ensues is one of the most engaging and realistic depictions of the Batman universe ever created.

There is a great story to be told here and make no mistake, it’s a dark one. You can get a much better idea of what you are in store for by reading the graphic novels or watching the more recent Christopher Nolan films. People are dying here, and not in a fun, cartoony way. The premise is simple; The Joker hatches phase one of his latest maniacal scheme, leaving Batman trapped inside an Asylum full of psychotic “patients” who just can’t wait to get themselves a piece of the Caped Crusader. You’ll be touching gloves with many of Batman’s greatest foes, including Harley Quinn, Bane, Killer Croc and the Scarecrow, who is given a new life with his outstanding dream sequences which rival Psycho Mantis from the Metal Gear Solid series. By the time you find out Joker’s real “magic trick,” you’ll have plenty of classic boss battles under your belt, all of which are memorable in their own right.
Combat is not at all complex, but is extremely satisfying. You have a basic attack button, a counter button, a stun button and a run/glide button. That combination sounds like a dangerous recipe for another button masher and, honestly, if it wasn’t put together so well, it might be. As it turns out, a single attack button is all Batman needs to paint a Picasso with his hard earned Ninjutsu skills. But don’t expect his enemies to take it lying down. If you’re in danger of being popped from an incoming enemy, you’ll see a couple little lightning bolts pop up above their heads, which is your cue to press the counter button and watch the show. The stun button doesn’t really come into play until later in the game when you run into super-powered knife wielding thugs who can’t be taken down so easily. As the game progresses, you’ll unlock various other attacks that reward you for stringing together combos. This keeps Batman a force to be reckoned with in world of constantly evolving enemies.
Sometimes, brute force just won’t cut it; this is where being trained to be invisible comes in handy. You can swoop in and take foes down with your bare hands, but it just wouldn’t be a Batman game without all the cool little toys. You have several tools of destruction at your disposal, including the batarang, a grappling gun, a seemingly endless amount of explosive gel and the Dark Knight’s own special brand of night vision. All this and more can be used to stalk your enemies from the shadows and have a blast doing it.

Rocksteady Studios really outdid themselves on the production values here. The game is simply beautiful and has a distinct advantage over the movies, comics and graphic novels: you can explore it all first hand. Take it from me, once you get loose on the Arkham grounds, you’ll definitely find yourself doing a double take at the scenery. Both Batman and his enemies look great as well, with the dark and deadly appearance of all of his foes really adding to the atmosphere. Just try not to panic the first time you run into Killer Croc. The only aspect of the production more satisfying than the look of the game is the voice talent that comes with it. Mark Hamill reprises his role as the Joker, whom he voiced in Batman the animated series, and he’s not alone. Kevin Conroy returns as Batman and Arleen Sorkin reprises her role as Harley Quinn. All of the voice acting in the game is absolutely fantastic and really helps immerse you in the experience.
Once you’re done with the story you can try your luck at solving the Riddler’s puzzles and come back to the challenge mode to test your skills. If you purchased the PS3 version, you also have the opportunity to play as the Joker, which is just another great feature to keep you going. My only gripe is that you can’t bring your upgraded skills and gadgets over to a new save file if you want to play through the game again on a harder difficulty.
Not only is this the best Batman game of all time, it’s easily the best comic book game of all time. As a matter of fact, it was just awarded a Guniess World Record for “Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever!” To those who never thought they would see a superhero game weighing in as a game of the year contender, that day has finally come. Developers take note: Arkham Asylum has set the bar for superhero gaming.
Rating: A
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Price: $59.99
ESRB: T
Pub: Rocksteady Studios
Dev: Warner Bros., DC Comics, Eidos Interactive
Players: 1
