Batman Arkham Asylum Review: Show em how it's done, Hamill

With the holiday season fast approaching, I thought it might be a good idea to remind gamers of a fantastic game that came out just a few months ago, Batman: Arkham Asylum. While I enjoyed this game, with its Current price tag of $52 on Amazon, is this newest Batman game worth your hard earned cash?

Pros:

Make me laugh, clown: So after The Dark Knight came out last year, people had a renewed respect for The Joker character. However, there are only 2 people who can play the Joker well, and that's Heath Ledger and Mark Hamill. The original voice of the Joker in the 90's animated series, Hamill has stated this is his last time voicing the Joker. Regardless if it's true or not, Hamill's voice personifies and brings life to the Joker character that no one else can do. That includes YOU, Jack Nicholson.

Suck it, Bond: One thing that Eidos did a great job of nailing was the different bat-gadgetry and stealth elements. Batman is NOT James Bond, he's a predator of the night on criminals. There is a great satisfaction you feel when you're able to hang above any enemy and do a silent take down, or make them hang upside down from a gargoyle. Couple that with Batarangs that actually have good aim and a laundry list of other Bat-Gadgets, you really get the feeling the developers respected both the character and world Batman comes from.

This is NOT a movie game: When the Dark Knight came out, it was generally expected a Batman game would come out at the same time & the game would suck. While there was news of a Batman game in the works, at no time did they indicate it would be a Dark Knight movie game, and it worked out perfectly. While there are obvious references such as the Joker's face model in the game, the game's story & universe is completely disconnected to the movies, shows, or comics. This works because the developers aren't limited as to whats going on in other media, they get to make their own Bat-Universe and run with it so you don't feel cheated or know what's going to happen.

Cons:

The Sum's greater than its parts: While Arkham Asylum does a fantastic job of integrating multiple different game elements in the campaign (stealth, combat, investigation, etc), these elements don't hold well on their own. I.E., the challenge maps are generally just testing your skills on specific areas but hold little to no overall value in playing. You may find yourself playing a challenge map once or twice before never coming back again.

No Multiplayer: I can understand why Eidos didn't make this a multi player co-op or competitive game, but I tend to enjoy games more with friends. Therefore, I find it hard to understand at least in the Challenge Map area why there couldn't have been competitive or vs play. Personally I like the idea of having a Robin or Nightwing on the island to play coop with, but maybe it'll happen in the sequel (which should happen. And it should happen in Gotham City).

Batman: Arkham Asylum is quite literally not only the best Batman game ever, but it's quite possibly the best video game based on a comic book ever. Its solid gameplay and story make for a great single person experience, but it suffers the same old issue of "So I beat it. Now what?" As such, this is a game that might just sit on your shelf for a while after completing the campaign or just be traded in if you buy it. As such, while I do recommend playing this game, I can't justify the price point on this one.

Recommended buy price: $35-$40
Game Score Ratings - HORRIBLE - Pass - Meh - Good - EPIC
Good