I might not have wound up playing Batman: Arkham Asylum if is wasn't for the confluence of a three-day weekend, my first paycheck in ages, and the Internet collectively flipping its shit for the game. Lucky thing for me, then, because Arkham Asylum is an amazing game, one of the best of the year and probably one of the best of this console generation.
One of the things that separates video games from other forms of entertainment is that gaming places less of a premium on creativity and innovation and more of a premium on execution. It's why game sequels are more often than not improvements on the originals, while sequels in other mediums are generally watered down cash-ins. Games borrow ideas, techniques, and entire gameplay mechanics more or less shamelessly from one another with little penalty incurred from the critical or consumer communities as long as the execution is solid and the game is compelling. Simply put, a large part of Arkham Asylum is one of the best examples of creative borrowing that video games have yet produced.
Breaking Arkham Asylum down into its constituent parts probably illuminates the game better than any straightforward description. The game adopts BioShock's hybrid of free-roaming yet linear gameplay and Art Deco environments (obviously, the Art Deco aesthetic is also woven into the DNA of the Batman mythos, but the execution and the fact that both games use Unreal Engine 3 graphics really accentuates the comparison). It incorporates Crackdown's joyfully kinetic character movement and liberal reward of exploration. It also adopts the techno-gadgets and balance between tense stealth gameplay and multiple viable routes of attack found in the better Splinter Cell games (i.e. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory). To top that off, it blends in a truly satisfying hand-to-hand combat system; which it sort of like the one in Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, only much better.
For those of you who didn't understand a damn bit of that previous paragraph, let me sum it up thusly: Arkham Asylum takes many of the best parts of many of the best action games made in the past five or six years. The truly special thing about it, however, is that rather than playing like some Frankenstein's monster, Arkham Asylum pulls together a cohesive experience that really does make you feel like you're Batman. So when you're fighting six thugs hand-to-hand, rather than deal with clumsy and awkward controls or fall back on the dreaded Quick-Time Events, the game autotargets for you and chains together smooth animations as you time your attacks and counters, pulling off all sorts of really cool looking moves as you go. If this were to be explained to you by a helpful Australian with visual aids, it would look like this:
The stealth gameplay is also obscenely well-done, and logical within the context of the gameplay. Essentially, whenever you come across a gang of armed henchmen, you can't allow yourself to be spotted, or they will shoot you and you will die. There's a ton of very cool stealth-attack options, such as gliding down from a height into a kick, rappelling upside down from your grappling hook and snatching up the bad guy, or the stealth-game mainstay of grabbing a patrolling guard and flinging him off a ledge. Arkham Asylum does an excellent job of recreating the warehouse scene for Batman Begins across a variety of scenarios in gameplay and making it fun, and enough new gadgets and twists are introduced that the conceit stays fresh throughout. There are plenty of little touches of user-friendliness, such as the option to grapple out of accidental falls without dying, that make the game feel more fun and less frustrating.
The storyline and presentation of the game are also worth applauding. Arkham Asylum takes its cues from Batman: The Animated Series (which I haven't seen, but I understand is quite good), a gutsy move when one considers the financial allure of aping Christopher Nolan's mega-popular "realistic" Batman movies. It pays off, though, by opening up the gameplay and plot into more fantastical avenues. The story has an appropriately dark and adult tone without becoming tedious or obtrusive, and the voice acting is excellent, especially Mark Hamill as The Joker, who absolutely nails the character. As a plus, there's tons of Batman trivia in the game in the form of discoverable character biographies, which are remarkably comprehensive, especially for Batman novices such as myself. I learned from Arkham Asylum that the Batman universe has a truly ridiculous number of villains (side note: who the fuck is Calendar Man?).
I basically can't imagine anybody not enjoying Batman: Arkham Asylum, even people who aren't particularly fond of Batman or fond of video games. It's likely going to be remembered as one of the signature games of the 360/PS3 era, and it's already a massive hit. If you have the opportunity to play this game, take it.
Some bonus entertainment by way of closing: the Zero Punctuation review of Arkham Asylum, which I think summarizes the game nicely and with trademark wit. Enjoy:
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