Batman: Arkham Asylum Review
12.18.2022
Games based on the Batman series have been hit-and-miss, as is the case with most movie/comic book-based video games. The newest one, Arkham Asylum though, immediately made an impression even before it was released – the amount of polish that was thrown in the game's pre-release media made it obvious that this one has been designed a bit more carefully and sensibly. Batman fans and video game fans alike were, naturally, very excited about the upcoming release of the title.
Gameplay
Batman: Arkham Asylum puts the player in the feet of our favorite comic book character, who's on the trail of his arch nemesis the Joker yet again. The game is played from a third person perspective, and is a combination of action and stealth – there are scenes where you'll be mopping the floor with your enemies, reliving your favorite scene from a Batman movie in your head, but at some other points of the game, you'll be forced to lay low and sneak behind your enemies' backs if you are to survive.
It wouldn't have a true Batman feeling if it wasn't packed full of gadgets though – Batman: Arkham Asylum gives you access to a small arsenal of unique high-tech toys made by Batman himself, including the all-famous Batarang. The Riddler makes a cameo in several places as well, leaving the player clues to guide them through the levels. You'll have to solve some puzzles from time to time, though nothing too challenging – and the main focus is on the action and stealth elements. Also, you have access to a “Detective Mode”, which is sometimes required in order to progress through a specific area.
Graphics and System Requirements
The developers have utilized the latest Unreal Engine 3.5, spicing it up with some PhysX support (those of you who've got a PhysX component in their computer should enjoy a lot more eye candy and better framerates). The game looks terrific, mimicking the noir feeling of the movies and comic books almost perfectly. The asylum has been designed with lots of imagination – even though it's a cliched, beaten-to-death setting for creepy games, it still feels fresh in this one.
Arm yourself with at least a 2.8 GHZ dual core processor and 3 GB of RAM, plus an ATi HD 4770 or better if you want to fully enjoy this game though – it is quite heavy on the computer and will make it cringe in the heavier scenes if you're not prepared accordingly.
Other
If you're playing on a console and not on the PC, you sadly won't get to enjoy the PhysX effects, as they're PC-exclusive. You won't be missing out on that much though, mostly small details like leaves floating around, pieces of clothing getting torn apart realistically, etc – certainly nothing that's absolutely necessary to experience the game in its fullest.
Conclusion
Batman fans who haven't played this yet better take a few days off and hit the couch with the joystick – because once you've started up Batman: Arkham Asylum for the first time, it can be pretty damn hard to let go.