Batman: Arkham Asylum [Game of the Year Edition] (Standard Version)

When you first fire up Batman: Arkham Asylum, you're going to be impressed... and if you're a Batman fan, doubly so. The visuals are stunning, and the game really marks the first time players will feel like they are the Dark Knight Detective, from whichever medium. Indeed, Arkham Asylum draws the best stuff from the comics, the movies AND the animated series for a Batman experience that will satisfy fandom across the spectrum. And for being wrapped up in such a Technicolor Dreamcoat of licensing, a lot of extra time went into Arkham Asylum that normally would not be the case, especially when partially tied to a movie franchise. Nevertheless, even with the extra time and effort afforded, the game falls short of a perfect package.Even if you haven't played the game, you're probably already familiar with the general premise considering all the trailers, demos and general hoopla that surrounded it long before its launch. The Joker had briefly escaped the asylum, and Batman brings him back into custody only to find that is exactly what the Joker had in mind to spring his trap into motion. Now the whole island is on lockdown, but unfortunately for the hospital staff, a handful of cops, Commissioner Gordon and Batman, the lockdown doesn't include the inmates' cells. The Joker and Harley Quinn are now running the show, and, well... madness ensues. The mere fact that it takes place within the island compound of Arkham Asylum sets the entire game up for a who's who of the Batman rogues gallery. Whoever you don't actually run into, you will experience in plenty of other ways, many of which are fairly creative (Clayface immediately comes to mind). Some of these encounters will thrill you to the core. I remember my girlfriend was watching me play and she actually got frightened by the first time Killer Croc lumbers onto the scene.There are many such creepy moments in Arkham Asylum, ranging from the slightly disturbing to the downright terrifying. Whether it's the flickering flourescent lamps in the dilapidated corridors of the infirmary, or the soft glow of moonlight smothering the Gotham City skyline from afar, you'll always feel the darkness and asylum walls closing in on you. It's sort of the first time I've felt virtual claustrophobia (is that even possible?)But where Arkham Asylum really shines is in the gameplay. The hand-to-hand combat engine is quite simply the coolest I've ever seen. It's fast, fluid, easy to learn, hard to master, and loads of fun. You feel and look like Christian Bale in Batman Begins [Blu-ray] when he seamlessly takes out a dozen of Boss Falcone's men at the docks. Batman is not a novice or some street fighter-in-training in search of experience points. In this game, Batman will kick your crazy butt. In fact, unless you're as strong as Bane and Killer Croc, or protected by poison spitting plants, you're most likely going to go down with a mininum of fuss once the Bat's gloved fist penetrates your face. I personally loved this about the game, because let's be practical, very few supervillians let alone minions could ever hope to beat the Dark Knight fist acuffs. That's WHY he's the Dark Knight and WHY he's lived long enough to have twenty plus supervillians hate his armored guts. This point couldn't be emphasized any better than when you face Harley Quinn: she's neutralized with a single takedown!The other great part of the gameplay is how you are able to utilize Batman's legendary stealth. You will grapple, glide, and hang from the highest perches and darkest shadows, only to snatch up your enemies and dangle them by their toes, literally. This is kept even more interesting with multiple gadgets and upgrades as you progress. Trust me, you haven't lived until you've thrown a batarang across the asylum courtyard and switch the camera to the batarang's P.O.V. only to have it nail some whack job in the head. The game is loaded with little nuances like this if you take the time to play around and explore.The first half of Arkham Asylum is flawless. The pacing is perfect with just the right mix of action and investigation around every corner. I found myself frothing at the mouth to find the next Riddler trophy, and even more so to gain access to a new area on the island. The cinematics are great, especially those leading up to the showdown with Poison Ivy (who is by far the toughest foe in the game). It's the second half of Arkham Asylum that starts to lose steam, and the pay-offs become less and less. It truly seems as if the developers just ran out of time towards the end. The ongoing battle with Killer Croc is one of the most redundant experiences in recent video game history, the pay-off for completing the Riddler challenges is nearly nonexistent, the final battle with the Joker is absurd, and the game's ending is all of 45 seconds in length. Even the credits are uninspired and use the same six images and music track over and over again for twenty minutes.And did I mention that you can't go back and view any of the sweet in-game cinematics? That doesn't even make sense for a game like this. One of the main reasons why I pre-ordered it was because of its awesome production value--the fact that Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill and Arleen Sorkin reprise their roles as the definitive voices of Batman, Joker and Harley Quinn, respectively. So I have to keep replaying the game to experience half the reason why I bought it? That's inexcusable and could have been easily fixed with an update patch or some free downloadable content.Ah, yes... downloadable content. For a game that boasted a good amount of ongoing downloadable content, Batman: Arkham Asylum had exactly two downloads. Are you kidding me? The possibilities for downloadable expansions were endless. How about adding a level or two to the main game as side quests (e.g., Resident Evil 5)? More Riddler challenges perhaps? Maybe have a combat challenge that includes a real fight with Harley or Killer Croc? Hell, maybe be able to play as Harley or Killer Croc in a combat challenge? Extra gadgets? Different batsuits (yes, there is one new armored outfit after you complete the game once, but come on... we're talking about Batman)? A theatre mode that allows us loyal fans to view the damn cut scenes by themselves? Gee, are we worth that much, Warner Brothers?I digress.So for what could have been in my top three favorite console games of all-time, Batman: Arkham Asylum instead takes the number five slot in my favorite Xbox 360 games. It's a great game, don't get me wrong, and I highly recommend it if for no other reason than just to finally experience a great Batman video game. There's so much there to like, but dammit, there's so much more they could have given us! It's like tasting a big spoonful of hot fudge sundae, and then your given three scoops of vanilla ice cream. It's good, but where's the hot fudge, nuts and cherry? I guess those will come in the form of the sequel, Batman: Arkham City (which I've already pre-ordered). Man, they've got me by the balls...

Damn, what a breath of fresh air this game was! A solid, fun throwback to the old days of platform narratives and the first kick-ass batman game possibly ever. If you haven't played it yet, seriously put it on the list right now. Bump it up a few notches if it's already there.So let's jump right in; this game does everything right. There are some minor imperfections here and there but they aren't even worth mentioning as nothing harms the experience overall. Sometimes the animations aren't cleanest, some of the investigating is repetitive, blah blah who cares.Gameplay can be broken into three parts: multi-enemy battle royals, stealth sections, and investigation. Which, if you're making a Batman game, is probably about as perfect as you can get. The fisticuffs are incredibly fun and designed to put you alone against a group of unarmed or lightly armed badasses. It plays out like a rythm game (which the game was originally intended to be... seriously, google it) and Batman's at his best when he's moving swiftly and precisely from one punk to the next. Once you've got the beat down (no pun intended) you can really build your combat multiplier which unlocks more speed and more bone-breaking attacks. It's the most definitive 'easy to learn, hard to master' style I've ever seen: it's only a couple of buttons, but getting to the point where you can take down twelve inmates weilding knives and stun batons without taking a hit requires real practice and some quick reflexes.Occasionally the inmates of Arkham actually manage to pick up a gun or two, which force the Batman to hide in the rafters and take down his enemies one by one. These sections are harder, as being spotted means being gunned down pretty quickly. But thinning their numbers with suprise attacks, explosive booby traps and what have you is incredibly satisfying. Leaving unconcious bodies for the others to find, like some kind of twisted calling card, really gives the feeling of being a vigalante lunatic baddass. By the end of the hunt, the remaining goons will be twitchy and nervous, scanning the room for you and shooting at shadows. It's a real reward and makes all the patient planning feel worthwhile.Each of these segments are distinct and, on their own, wouldn't make for a terribly impressive game; fun but not impressive. It's the moving from one to the other while trying to piece together the pretty tight storyline that makes it all work so well.And speaking of... all of this rests within one of the most fun video game stories I've ever seen. I put it up there with Bioshock, only without those repetitive fetch quests in the third act. Without spoiling much - we open with Bats bringing the Joker into Arkham Asylum... which In Gotham, I guess, doubles as due process. But whatever. After a brilliantly tense opening walk as you lead the Joker to his cell, he finally springs his trap! From there things go downhill: the inmates have been released, the Joker's in control and Batman is trapped in what feels more like a house of horror than anything else. Seriously, I was shocked at how much the game plays out like a horror movie or something, or like being trapped in a really awesome amusement park funhouse. Especially the mind-bending segments with the Scarecrow, which are probably the best in the game. The Joker racks up a serious body count and the stakes are pretty high. The atmosphere is taught and consistent, the voice acting is top-notch (Mark Hamill's Joker steals the show by far); again, Rocksteady pretty much did everything right.I've gone on long enough, but it's a game so well put together that most anyone will find something to like about it. A real step in the right direction. Here's looking forward to Arkham City!

To start off I am not a huge batman fan but, the last Batman movie that came out was great so I thought I would give this game a shot. The cut scenes in this game are outstanding and really make you feel like you're in the game. Another huge plus is development of friends and foes throughout the game, throwing bio sheets and audio recordings in was a lot of fun to unlock. There are many villains from the series in this game and you will have a lot of fun with how the environment changes as you play through the game. But if anything took away from this game more it was pore camera views, nothing worse then doing a boss fight and having to dodge with a camera that's off to your side or right in your face. The controls also felt like they were lacking somewhat, just never felt vary smooth and when using that bat claw to jump to a roof or ledge you only had the option to climb up and not to drop. The fights in this game tend to repeat themselves over and over, some more depth in game play would be nice. Having to run out the whole way you just came from is a bit of a letdown but overall not to bad. To sum up anyone that enjoys batman or even just the movies will love the play though of this game and you wont be disappointed by the story it takes you through. If they spent a little bit more time on cleaning up controls for this game I would have given it 4-5 stars.

The product was as per our expectations.

Very good game - I played it in 2014 and it still rocks. Graphics and gameplay are superb. Dark ambiance in the Arkham Asalum where you get to meet many of the greatest Batman Vilain ever.Me, not a hardcore gamer; i have put this game on easy and played for the story line. Even on easy, a few of the bosses were a moderate challenge.Plenty of stuff to collect. Lotsa fun. For a few bucks, this game is definetly worth it..

映画「ダークナイト」「ビギンズ」からバットマン好きになったニワカファンです。ホットトイズのバットマンフィギュア、頭がデカくて足が短いですね。個々のパーツはいい出来なんですが。2010年に出るリニューアル版も予約済みです。まず、操作してて思い通りに動いてくれなくてイライラすることが全くなかったです。と言うより程よく操作をアシストしてくれたり、押すべきボタンを画面でアナウンスしてくれるので大変助かります。海外のゲームは不親切で難易度が高いイメージを持っていたのですが、このゲームは遊ぶ上で求められる反射神経やプレイセンスのハードルが非常に低く、バットマンが好きなら誰でも楽しく遊べる内容になっています。逆にバットマンをよく知らない人が遊んだら、このゲームの影響でバットマンファンになるかもしれません。そのくらいこのゲームのバットマンはグラフィックスやモーションともに洗練されたかっこよさを持っています。敵キャラの存在感もすごいです。個人的にはスケアクロウが気味が悪くて良かったです。舞台も精神病院監獄（？）というかキチガイテーマパークな感じで独特の気が滅入るかのような暗さで発狂しそうです。洋の東西を問わず、キャラゲーは詐欺覚悟で買うのが半ば常識というか、ファンの証というか、踏み絵のようになっていますが、このゲームはそんな無間地獄に奇しくも終止符を打つ、一陣の風のような存在となっています。当然、字幕も音声も英語なので会話の妙や粋を感じることが己の無学ゆえ難しいのが悔やまれるのですが、バットマンのかっこいいアクションを見るだけでも十分楽しめました。もし日本語字幕版が出たらまた買いたいです。

ちょっと子供むけ。バットマンのファンの方面白いかも。