[Guns_LotsOfGuns]

The dark knight returns in Batman: Arkham Asylum, does it soar above the competiton or is it relegated to the shadows?

Once you have played enough to decide let us know what you think and vote in the poll!

A 10(Outstanding) should only be given for a landmark game that sets new rules, a 9(Excellent) for a truly excellent game without a fundamental flaw, and an average game that does things right but nothing special should get a 5(Average),not a 7 like some reviews would have you believe.

Note:Vote spoilers,and general silly votes(low scores),for no apparent reason,will be treated as vote spoiling,and either the member involved,will have the vote cancelled,or infractions will be given.

[Dazzyman]

8

Best comic book game made one of the best games of the year but few flaws for me knock it down with camera as does lack of actual combat ingame (for me it was more a sneaky 3d adventure game and I was expecting more combat around near enough every corner like the demo). Also the re using and lack of descent boss fights marked it down from being a classic.

[CJPowers81]

I'd give it a 9/11, very good. Why is there 11 options in the poll?

[samtman]

I loved every minute of this game. Only problem as most single player games one you finished it there is nothing to make you go back. I got all the riddles while going through first time and they were fun (well most of them).

[chrislad]

Excellent game. I don't believe there is a 10 game so nothing will get a 10 from me. I tend to look at games in terms of enjoyment, and this was 8 hours of pure fun. Yes, it's not the longest of games (I refer to the 10e for 2 hours of cinema to the 45e for 8 hours+ of gameplay scenario in these cases), but it's entertaining throughout. Graphically, very impressive, immersive, and, ummm, immune?

Well worth picking up and a must have for any Batman fan.

[RottenFox]

Originally Posted by CJPowers81

I'd give it a 9/11, very good. Why is there 11 options in the poll?

it's 0 - 10, don't ask!

anyway, i gave it the full 10/10, outstanding..one of the best, if not the best game of the year.

[D2TheQ]

As i write this i am only around 60% complete so can't comment on the replay value. But from what i have played so far it's one of the most entertaining games (of its type) i have played this year.

Story
You start the game by escorting the joker into Arkham Asylum where he escapes and is let lose within the Asylum recruiting all of Batman arch enemies and some other goons on the way. Using you bat belt with assorted gadgets you have work your way through the Asylum capturing the escaped guys and unravelling the story as you go. The further you progress the more familiar faces you will encounter including Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Sandman and many many more.

Gameplay
Plays very similar to a peak sneak shooter like Splinter Cell where you can't run in all guns blazing (being batman means he does not use conventual weapons such as gun and blades) You have to priotize taking out certain enemy types depending if they have a weapon or not, as you can only take a few shoots if caught out in the open. The game is completely open however to gain access to other areas requires gadgets that are unlocked as you progress through the game. A lot of the time requires you to backtrack through a level to get to the next waypoint but all the levels are beautifully rendered and lots of detail wherever you go. Several times i found myself slightly lost within the game, but a quick check of the map soon sorts out that issue. Sometimes a door may be blocked off so you will need to find another entrance normally in a form of an air duct stashed away somewhere. Throughout the game you will come across trophies and other collectables. When collect these unlock charter bios, models and missions for the arcade mode plus interview tapes of the famous inmates – all adds to the story.

Controls
A lot of people have commented on how the xbox version camera angle is slightly zoomed in compared with the PS3 version, which makes things more tricky when fighting multiple enemies. To be fair i have not played on the PS3 but have had no problems with the camera angle whatsoever. The combat controls are incredibly simple, you start out with a strike attack which you can repeat to increase you combo, as long as the combo timer still running. On top of that you have a stun attack which daze the bad guys or even disarms them. The best feature is the counter attack (Y) and you hit this as soon as an bad guy has what looks like little lightning strikes over their head. If pressed within time you unleash a fantastic counter which looks amazing, if used correctly with the other attacks you can boost your combo increasing your XP points that can in turn be exchanged for upgrades. Other attacks when unlocked include various different stealth takedowns, a envade move, a bat boomerang / bat claw attack which are all upgradable. You can also unlock several other attacks as you work through the game but i wont go into these as not unlocked them all yet.

Graphics
The developer has really captured the comic book style in the game. The boss look great and the voice acting is brilliant. As this is a kind of a detective game you will be required to listen into conversations and will be encouraged to speak to NPC all through the game. This game does sometimes suffer from 'bug eyes' on some NPC but no big deal. Overall one of the best games visually i have played with lots of detail around every corner. Apparently this games is best played on the PS3 but xbox owners should not fret as I cant see much difference between the two formats.

Check out the head to head to see what format is best

Conclusion
I'm very much enjoying playing this game but once i have completed i think i probably go back for any reaming achievements / trophies then xchange whilst the price is still good. Not because its a bad game i just don’t see myself playing this 6mths down the line. If it had some sort of online mode rather then leader boards it would encourage me to keep. I'm a massive FPS fan so having a game like this is great so i can invest my time in a brilliant story and i just hope i can drive the bat mobile by the end (i've seen it ... but was not allowed to drive - lets hope this changes by the end). This is one game which everyone should play. According to other AVF users it only takes around 10 hours to complete so a prime candidate for rental. If you do get this dont bother with easy as its not the hardest game in the world, especailly the bosses.

I will vote on the score once I’ve completed but it’s looking like a 9 at the mo. I purchased from new from Blockbuster for £44.99 but if returned within the next few weeks i can get a brand new title for £9.99, plenty of time to work through the game twice and 100%

[Mattk84]

a 9 from me. repetitive boss battles take it down a notch. too many of them running into walls!

[mudstuff]

10/10 from me, best comic-game I've ever played and with so much fan service. The thought and attention to detail is really superb. The combat and predator elements are well done also and I feel there's replay value too, I'll happily do the single player again.

Some of the boss battles are average and the game is also a little bit disjointed, having the story and exploring element and then taking on a load of bosses in fairly quick succession without much in-between. The game world is also fairly small and I'd have liked more free-roaming although maybe that would have detracted from the story. You also back-track quite a bit and I'd like to be able to make more than one save for redundancy.

None of that matters at all though with a game this good. Excellent gameplay, great voice-acting and cinematics, great graphics, brilliant audio and sound effects, cool gadgets (you feel like you ARE Batman), great environment design, decent combat, fantastic predator mode etc etc!

[Tiger Feet]

Best thing since Bioshock - Easiest desision all year 10

[snorbawod]

As carlsberg (had to involve beer) would say, probably the best comic game i have ever played. Just the way Batman should be. Hope this becomes a very successful franchise and we get plenty more helpings of the Dark Knight. There are a few teething problems, but i don't think any game will ever be perfect.

A stonking 9/10 from me.

canae wait for the next one.

[DrinksInBars]

it would be a ten but for crocs lair. awesome game

[BamBamMickey]

Outstanding!!!
I haven't enjoyed a game like this in quite some time.
10/10.

Spoiler text below, funny observation
Oh and anyone else heart stop when the Joker takes over the Xbox and makes it feel like your about to get a RROD, then it starts at the beginning with Batman in the chair.

[Officer M168]

Gave it 10/10 as i've not been able to put it down. There was the right blend of everything in it, Action, Puzzle & Stealth.
And i actually felt like i was playing as Batman.
The Riddlers Collections where good & i even enjoyed reading the Bio's on other characters. Even the Characters i'd never heard of.
It never got boring & Arkham was neither too big or too small.
Great game can't wait spoiler to face Two Face in the next instalment

[shagaboopon]

Originally Posted by chrislad

Excellent game. I don't believe there is a 10 game so nothing will get a 10 from me. I tend to look at games in terms of enjoyment, and this was 8 hours of pure fun. Yes, it's not the longest of games (I refer to the 10e for 2 hours of cinema to the 45e for 8 hours+ of gameplay scenario in these cases), but it's entertaining throughout. Graphically, very impressive, immersive, and, ummm, immune?

Well worth picking up and a must have for any Batman fan.

You shouldn't think of 10 as being a perfect game though as every single game without exception will have flaws. If you only rate games a maximum of 9 then there is no point in a scale of 10 at all. That being said you read very few reviews where games get below 5/10 too so perhaps there is merit in the 5 star ratings that movies use rather than gamings traditional percentage or 10 point scale. After all the text of a review is far more important than the score printed at the end.

OT - Great reviews guys, ordered my copy today!

[trayfenny]

Originally Posted by MrAntz

Best thing since Bioshock - Easiest desision all year 10

ok I'm actually gonna purchase the game on the back of this post.

[monkey00]

10/10 for me, best game ive played since i cant remember when, COD 4 probably

[jamienufc]

10/10 a masterpiece.

Rocksteady have nailed the Batman character to a tee in this game. It would have been easy to release a generic fighting and action game and fill it up with some of Batmans rogues gallery, but what they've done is used the source material and captured the essence of the dark knight. They've included the many sides of his charcter into the gameplay. Firsty, they've played up to the fact that Batman is the worlds greatest detective with the detective mode, the following of trails and solving riddles. They've included stealth into the gameplay, interesting fighting, included batmans gadgets in the game, included supporting cast like Oracle and Jim Gordon and have an interesting and twisting story filled with some of the most interesting members of Batmans rogues gallery. But, what makes this game truely special is that it emphasises on the complex relationship between batman and the joker. Dialogue between the two characters is fantastic, and if you dont really know much about batman, you immediatly know that these two have a long and complicated history and you find yourself becoming vey interested and completely sucked into the story as the game unfolds.
Fans of the comics will lap this game up and appreciate all the little nods, touches and mentions, but non fans will have just as much fun because this truely is a great game and is a joy to play even if you've got no interest in Batman. This game for me is up there with the greats (COD4, L4D, Bioshock and Fallout 3) and deserves to be played.

[kopchoir]

9 from me and thats only because of the riddles and the other section of the game i found the game at first a little bit of a drag i think this is what detered most people from carrying on with the game.
Whilst getting into it it really did reel me in i found the Joker parts quite amusing at times as well and the story was top notch also interactions between different carachters was cool.
Gameplay wise wasnt very challenging finding all those riddler items was quite challenging but i did find it a tad easy though it could of been a bit more puzzely if you will a la tomb raider but enjoyed it a lot

9/10

[signs]

Definitely the best single player game i have played ..so far

[Bonessi]

I'd give it a solid 8, verging on 9.

Best single player I've played on the 360 so far (can't see anything ever beating Half Life on the pc)

[S7005H]

8/10 from me.

Still got some riddler challenges to complete and some of the combat and stealth challenges.

The main reason it didn't get a 9-10/10 are the boss battles are far too simple usually the case of avoid attacks then hit and rinse and repeat.

[PaulieBeef]

10/10 from me (unashamedly a Bat-fan). I absolutely loved every minute of it. In fact I was almost sad to finish it. That's always a sign of a really great game to me. Let's hope they've started on the sequel already!

[skink]

Ill give it a 7.5/10, found the gameplay a bit samey after a while although the presentation was very good and made up for it.

Reminded me of Bioshock in some ways but Bioshock is a lot better than this IMO.

Definately worth a play through though

[runam0k]

Solid 8/10, almost 9.

It's hard to talk about things "holding the game back" when, frankly, the game was so good. It's an easy recommendation and one of my games of the year.

A touch more variation, particularly for the boss fights, and it would have been near perfect.

[A Legal Beagle]

A 9/10 from me

Agree with the comments about boss battles being repetative but everything elso, is fantastic.

Really enjoying the storyline, character Bios and listening to the interview tapes, I didnt realise Batman had so many enemies!

I recommend this to anyone and is a must for Batman fans. One of the games of the year IMO(we all know which game will be voted the game of the year though)

[jpb82]

A 9/10 for me

My game of the year so far, fantastic gameplay, story and characters
and was blown away at just how good the art design is.

[jegan111]

Excellent game, but not quite 10/10 tho. As mentioned before some of the boss battles are repetative, as well as reused a fair few times which lacked a bit of imagination for me. Still a great game tho.

[CAS FAN]

I gave this a 9/10. Visually it captures the feel of the Batman universe perfectly, the acting is great and the game plays well.

It did seem to lack that special something though, which stops me giving this the top mark. It is a very good game however and is certainly a highlight of the year.

I guess that once you've played Uncharted 2, nothing else is really going to come upto that standard.

[OLDCell]

I gave Batman Arkham Asylum a 9/10...

I felt this game had a darker feel that I remember from Tim Burton's Batman films over Joel Schumacher's style, which I liked. Gritty and although going to sound weird less comic book super hero and more edgy vigilante.

The game plays very well, controls are easy to use and are intuitive, and although the game play can become repetitive in some area's there is enough to do and explore to keep you interested.

Great game, well worth having in the collection and playing again some time down the road.

9/10 Get it know!!