Batman: Arkham Asylum

Riddle me this, Batman... how many mediocre and downright awful games do people have to play before they get a good Batman game? For a while there, it looked like the answer to that riddle was going to go the way of "how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop?" Then along came Batman: Arkham Asylum...

The plot of Arkham Asylum (the game, not the similarly titled comic ) revolves around a plan set into motion by the Joker to trap Batman in Arkham Asylum and, well, kill him. It's your job as the Dark Knight to foil the Clown Prince of Crime's schemes while battling thugs and Batman's super powered rouges gallery that inhabit the island. The story was crafted by Paul Dini, who has had experience with Batman in both the comics and the animated series and that experience shows in all of the (sometimes obscure) nods to character's 70 year history in the game. (Seriously, Ratcatcher?)

But what impressed me most about the game was not the story. The story itself is your basic, "move the plot along so you can fight the bad guys" kind of story you'd expect from a videogame. No, what impressed me the most is the storytelling in the game. As a guy who's in the storytelling business, I'm excited to see how videogames act as a storytelling medium. Arkham Asylum doesn't reinvent the wheel in that regard, but it does use the medium the way few games do. However, there are a few instances where things seem to not fit with the overall aesthetic of the game. For the most part, there's a real feeling of fluidity. From the combat to the cutscenes, things feel energetic and interesting. Not so when you interact with some of the inhabitants of Arkham Island. In those interactions, you see a very stiff character model having a conversation with a very stiff character model of Batman. It's not a huge problem, it just seems out of place in a largely dynamic game.

Gameplay is split equally between combat, stealth and detective work. The combat system is simple yet surprisingly deep. You start out with a few moves (strike, counter, stun) and can string those moves into combos to take out a room full of enemies. But as you progress into the game, you'll unlock new moves and gadgets that you can incorporate leading to longer and more impressive combos. There's nothing quite as satisfying (or as brutal) as taking out a room full of 20 guys without being hit once.

The stealth mechanic is similar to other stealth games, except now you've got Batman's trusty utility belt. The game adds a vertical element to the normal stealth type gameply, so now you can drop down on unsuspecting inmates and string them upside down on a gargoyle (called the "inverted takedown", a favorite of mine...) or you can glide kick onto an enemy and incapacitate them. You can also use Batman's gadgets (primarily used for platforming and reaching new areas) to KO baddies in a variety of different ways. (Placing an explosive charge on a wall and detonating it remotely to take out a patrolling guard is a lot of fun!)

The last part of the trio of gameplay is the detective work. You can enter a "detective mode" which puts a filter on the screen allowing you to follow a trail of blood, find walls to explode or ventilation grates to pull off and lurk around in. But more than just forwarding the plot of the game, detective mode is used to find riddles and solve riddles (set by, who else, the Riddler) that are spread throughout the map which unlock various bios and challenges in the game.

A lot of times, when a game tries to combine disparate gameplay elements, it ends up being weaker overall. But somehow Batman: Arkham Asylum manages to blend the three into one seamless experience. The combination is so compelling that the 10 to 12 hour story mode seems somewhat short. There are challenge maps to play after you've finished the main story mode, but I would have rather been able to roam around Arkham Island and beat up random groups of thugs... or uncover more riddles. As it stands now, the only riddle left is, "When is the sequel coming out?"

Rating

Although I wish the game were longer, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a great game. It doesn't really break the mold (except for the fact that it's a great Batman game) but all of the parts work together so well, that this one is totally a "buy" for me. There is talk of doing downloadable content for Arkham Asylum, so here's hoping that they add more content to the story mode and hopefully not just new costumes or challenges...

I should also mention that there are two versions of the game, the regular edition and the collector's edition with a batarang. Unless you're going to cosplay as Batman, you're probably going to want to stick to the regular edition since it's like 40 bucks less. (But when those collector's editions go on clearance at Best Buy, I'm totally picking one up!) Also, for those of you with both a PS3 and Xbox 360, you might want to take a look at the PS3 version since you can play as the Joker in the challenges. While the Joker has similar moves to Batman, the slight variation in those moves makes it a whole new experience.

Recommendations

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition - When I reviewed this game back in May, I thought it was the definitive interactive representation of Wolverine. (Also it was a lot of fun.) I feel pretty much the same way about Batman: Arkham Asylum.