I had very little familiarity with Batman when I bought this game years ago. I tried playing it once and was put off by all the references I didn't get. I didn't have access to comics as a kid, and my only understanding of Batman was from the Adam West series. I remember when the Michael Keaton one came out thinking "Wait, they're trying to make a serious Batman?"
Still, it's the only super hero franchise I have any connection to at all, and with it being such a beloved game I thought I should give it its fair due. This time around, to prime the pumps a bit, I watched the first season of Batman: The Animated Series. This was extremely helpful to get a bunch of the backstory and feel like I was in on the references.
It's a ton of fun to see how many gadgets and activities from Batman's escapades they were able to translate into gameplay. I don't remember him crawling through quite this many vents though; seriously the guy spends more time in ducts than Harry Tuttle, heating engineer. I don't normally like stealth gameplay; it makes me feel weak and I feel like you spend all your time waiting for something. But here they did a great job making me feel like a predator. I like the way the chatty enemies slowly getting more and more freaked out as you thin their numbers gives you a sense of power even when you're hiding in a drain.
Both the gameplay and the stakes of the plot built up at a nice steady pace that kept me moving forward. I really liked how Batman looked more haggard and unkempt as the game progressed. The voice work is amazing; I know it's been said a million times but this is the performance of a lifetime for Mark Hamill. His voice is in every scene but I never got sick of it because it was always in flux. He's constantly sliding between high and low, rough and smooth, fast and slow, loud and soft; he uses his full vocal and emotional range and through all of it never lets up on the energy. It's like 10 straight hours of him dialed to 11.
All in all it was a grand old romp; the combat was sweet, the bosses were a little iffy, the environment was amazing, the stealth was exciting and it really made me feel like ductman. I'm looking forward to the second one!
Still, it's the only super hero franchise I have any connection to at all, and with it being such a beloved game I thought I should give it its fair due. This time around, to prime the pumps a bit, I watched the first season of Batman: The Animated Series. This was extremely helpful to get a bunch of the backstory and feel like I was in on the references.
It's a ton of fun to see how many gadgets and activities from Batman's escapades they were able to translate into gameplay. I don't remember him crawling through quite this many vents though; seriously the guy spends more time in ducts than Harry Tuttle, heating engineer. I don't normally like stealth gameplay; it makes me feel weak and I feel like you spend all your time waiting for something. But here they did a great job making me feel like a predator. I like the way the chatty enemies slowly getting more and more freaked out as you thin their numbers gives you a sense of power even when you're hiding in a drain.
Both the gameplay and the stakes of the plot built up at a nice steady pace that kept me moving forward. I really liked how Batman looked more haggard and unkempt as the game progressed. The voice work is amazing; I know it's been said a million times but this is the performance of a lifetime for Mark Hamill. His voice is in every scene but I never got sick of it because it was always in flux. He's constantly sliding between high and low, rough and smooth, fast and slow, loud and soft; he uses his full vocal and emotional range and through all of it never lets up on the energy. It's like 10 straight hours of him dialed to 11.
All in all it was a grand old romp; the combat was sweet, the bosses were a little iffy, the environment was amazing, the stealth was exciting and it really made me feel like ductman. I'm looking forward to the second one!
Decided to buy the double pack of Asylum and City cos it was $8 on sale and its been a while since I played both. For a 15 year old game, it stands up so well. This is probably my 4th playthrough, and the atmosphere, voice acting, gameplay, combat, and overall presentation is so fucking great, even if the graphics def look like PS3 graphics. This game accomplished something that a hundred other modern AAA games just cannot: it made the collectables fun! Every time I play, I love finding all the tapes, Arkham stones, Riddler question marks, and working out the riddles. Why oh why is it so hard for other games to make finding collectables not a fucking boring grindy slog??? Just goes to show, Rocksteady really gave a shit about every single aspect of this game.
Oh, and I totally don't remember it being this short, its like 8 hours to beat, probably get it down to 5ish if speed running. And can I just reiterate how fucking awesome the voice acting is? Hamill is the GOAT.
Oh, and I totally don't remember it being this short, its like 8 hours to beat, probably get it down to 5ish if speed running. And can I just reiterate how fucking awesome the voice acting is? Hamill is the GOAT.
If you were into third person action adventure games back inn 2009, you were really eating with the likes of Uncharted 2, Assassin's Creed 2 and Infamous. Arkham Asylum was a game that kind of came out of nowhere as superhero games had a poor reputation at that point and Rocksteady were fairly unknown. Then they came and knocked it out of the park with this one.
Set in the titular asylum which gives plenty of excuse to interact with Batman's fantastic array of villains, the game tells a fun story. They make great use of the setting with a unique atmosphere mixing the modern aesthetics of a hospital/prison with the old gothic manor that it was built upon. I do think the Metroidvania aspects of the setting are a little overblown by people who don't like the more expansive sequels but it is quite enjoyable to unlock more gadgets that allow you to delve deeper into the Asylum. Even if I don't agree, I do get why people don't like the city setting of the sequels and prequel because the Asylum does have a lot of character and it's an interesting setting to explore.
The gameplay loop may have lost some lustre after being repeated a few times but I still think it is pretty fun. It bounces back between hand-to-hand combat with unarmed foes and stealth takedowns with gun-toting goons. It may not be deep but I still find the combat to be really fun. I do enjoy combat based on contextual commands rather than learning a string of combos based upon light and heavy attacks. It truly set a trend for combat in video games and I don't think any of the copycats have been as good. Batman just has the right mix of style and gadgets that no other game with this type of combat has matched. It is a bit simpler in Asylum compared to the later games but still very enjoyable. It's a shame they couldn't make any real decent boss fights with it here. The stealth gameplay, while again being a bit simpler than later games, is pretty fun. You do have a decent number of options and it satisfying to get creative with it. The game does try to encourage you to mix up your strategies by blowing up gargoyles and attracting attention to enemies who have been taken down but I don't think they're that successful in preventing you from using the same tactics that work over and over again. The challenge rooms end up being the best showcase for the gameplay. Still, I never get tired of wittling down rooms of men and watching them get more and more terrified. In between these segments, you get some light puzzle solving. A lot of which comes in the form of Riddler trophies. These have to be my favourite collectables in all of gaming. The Riddler is the perfect excuse for why someone would be scattering random crap for someone else to collect and I really like hunting them all down. The riddles could be a bit more challenging but it's difficult to translate something like that gameplay.
All in all, this is still an excellent game. As far as remasters go, this one is not anything special. It looks a bit better in some cases although would 60fps have been so hard moving to a new generation? Whatever version you have, this is still worth playing today.
R.I.P Kevin Conroy
Set in the titular asylum which gives plenty of excuse to interact with Batman's fantastic array of villains, the game tells a fun story. They make great use of the setting with a unique atmosphere mixing the modern aesthetics of a hospital/prison with the old gothic manor that it was built upon. I do think the Metroidvania aspects of the setting are a little overblown by people who don't like the more expansive sequels but it is quite enjoyable to unlock more gadgets that allow you to delve deeper into the Asylum. Even if I don't agree, I do get why people don't like the city setting of the sequels and prequel because the Asylum does have a lot of character and it's an interesting setting to explore.
The gameplay loop may have lost some lustre after being repeated a few times but I still think it is pretty fun. It bounces back between hand-to-hand combat with unarmed foes and stealth takedowns with gun-toting goons. It may not be deep but I still find the combat to be really fun. I do enjoy combat based on contextual commands rather than learning a string of combos based upon light and heavy attacks. It truly set a trend for combat in video games and I don't think any of the copycats have been as good. Batman just has the right mix of style and gadgets that no other game with this type of combat has matched. It is a bit simpler in Asylum compared to the later games but still very enjoyable. It's a shame they couldn't make any real decent boss fights with it here. The stealth gameplay, while again being a bit simpler than later games, is pretty fun. You do have a decent number of options and it satisfying to get creative with it. The game does try to encourage you to mix up your strategies by blowing up gargoyles and attracting attention to enemies who have been taken down but I don't think they're that successful in preventing you from using the same tactics that work over and over again. The challenge rooms end up being the best showcase for the gameplay. Still, I never get tired of wittling down rooms of men and watching them get more and more terrified. In between these segments, you get some light puzzle solving. A lot of which comes in the form of Riddler trophies. These have to be my favourite collectables in all of gaming. The Riddler is the perfect excuse for why someone would be scattering random crap for someone else to collect and I really like hunting them all down. The riddles could be a bit more challenging but it's difficult to translate something like that gameplay.
All in all, this is still an excellent game. As far as remasters go, this one is not anything special. It looks a bit better in some cases although would 60fps have been so hard moving to a new generation? Whatever version you have, this is still worth playing today.
R.I.P Kevin Conroy
I liked the killer cock sex scene
Acredito que esse jogo tenha sido a experiência mais imersiva, até o momento, em como é ser o Batman.
Se por um lado nós temos a ideia de que certas mecânicas desse jogo estejam um pouco "ultrapassadas", por outro vemos o quanto ele se sobressaiu na época em que foi lançado e se mantém como uma boa entrada a série Arkham.
O estilo "metroidvania" adotado nesse título se entrelaça de maneira tão orgânica a sua narrativa que você não acaba enjoando, muito pelo contrário, isso só te faz querer ir até o fim da campanha e logo depois ir explorar setores nos quais o player não tinha acesso antes.
E como se já não bastasse esse detalhe, os tais setores citados vão mudando conforme nosso progresso ocorre no Asilo Arkham. Isso desde precisarmos cortar caminho pelo sistema de esgoto até lutarmos com plantas mutantes.
Com relação ao combate eu senti que ele se mostrou bem limitado, apesar de eu ter vindo do Arkham Knight para o Asylum pude notar que o Batman "apenas" perde o combo sem mais e nem menos. Isso não é tão perceptível durante a campanha e seus inúmeros inimigos, mas quando você vai testar os Desafios aí sim essa tal limitação se mostra mais do que deveria:
- O inimigo no lado do Batman mostra que irá atacar? Sem problemas! Estou terminando de dar esse último soco em outro inimigo e irei casar o combo nesse do meu lado... certo? Errado. Mesmo entrando em câmera lenta o inimigo consegue ser mais rápido, fazendo você ficar put# com isso;
- A câmera consegue, em certos momentos, mais atrapalhar do que ajudar, fazendo você perder a noção de profundidade do cenário e tendo que se reposicionar no combate;
- Mesmo que o jogo contenha apenas 9 variações de combate elas se mostram bem competentes, mas experimenta errar um golpe em um "cara com facas" e um "cara com bastão-elétrico"... hmmmmmm, tenso.
As partes de stealth se mostraram muito boas e imersivas. A cada eliminação nossa os capangas são alertados pelo Coringa ou pela "Coleira X9" (nome dado carinhosamente por mim), e quando sobram 3 ou menos inimigos na área eles acabam entrando no modo Aterrorizados e começam a temerem a própria sombra.
Muito bom.
A narrativa tem como objetivo mostrar o plano do Coringa e seus prisioneiros no Asilo Arkham, como cada um reage ao caos no local.
O local e seus setores ajudam bastante na hora de criarem uma atmosfera de insegurança (o pessoal do Corredor da Morte que o diga), e carregando esse aspecto de ser um pouco mais escuro acaba dando ainda mais identidade visual para o jogo.
Crocodilo, você não gera medo nesse jogo.
Agora os prisioneiros, mais precisamente os vilões principais do Batman.
Ao longo da nossa jornada podemos coletar Fitas de Entrevistas com relatos de cada um desse vilões, e assim, alguns até chegam a serem ok... mas outros são muito exagerados fazendo os cair no "Vale da Estranheza". Ou seja, "sou insano porque sim".
E as boss battles, o que dizer? São um dos pontos fracos do jogo. Se eu fosse listar as que eu gostei só colocaria a do Espantalho, já as outras deixaria na geladeira, principalmente a final.
Tendo em vista tudo isto, venho ressaltar que "Batman: Arkham Asylum" é um bom jogo que recomendaria para alguém que nunca jogou algo da série. É até satisfatório que vários jogos de hoje tenham seus combates baseados nesse jogo, isso mostra que ele é uma forte referência para a indústria (quando feito do jeito certo).
É bem nítido o carinho e dedicação do pessoal responsável pelo título, são tantos detalhes presentes que você facilmente ficaria instigado a querer saber mais.
Se por um lado nós temos a ideia de que certas mecânicas desse jogo estejam um pouco "ultrapassadas", por outro vemos o quanto ele se sobressaiu na época em que foi lançado e se mantém como uma boa entrada a série Arkham.
O estilo "metroidvania" adotado nesse título se entrelaça de maneira tão orgânica a sua narrativa que você não acaba enjoando, muito pelo contrário, isso só te faz querer ir até o fim da campanha e logo depois ir explorar setores nos quais o player não tinha acesso antes.
E como se já não bastasse esse detalhe, os tais setores citados vão mudando conforme nosso progresso ocorre no Asilo Arkham. Isso desde precisarmos cortar caminho pelo sistema de esgoto até lutarmos com plantas mutantes.
Com relação ao combate eu senti que ele se mostrou bem limitado, apesar de eu ter vindo do Arkham Knight para o Asylum pude notar que o Batman "apenas" perde o combo sem mais e nem menos. Isso não é tão perceptível durante a campanha e seus inúmeros inimigos, mas quando você vai testar os Desafios aí sim essa tal limitação se mostra mais do que deveria:
- O inimigo no lado do Batman mostra que irá atacar? Sem problemas! Estou terminando de dar esse último soco em outro inimigo e irei casar o combo nesse do meu lado... certo? Errado. Mesmo entrando em câmera lenta o inimigo consegue ser mais rápido, fazendo você ficar put# com isso;
- A câmera consegue, em certos momentos, mais atrapalhar do que ajudar, fazendo você perder a noção de profundidade do cenário e tendo que se reposicionar no combate;
- Mesmo que o jogo contenha apenas 9 variações de combate elas se mostram bem competentes, mas experimenta errar um golpe em um "cara com facas" e um "cara com bastão-elétrico"... hmmmmmm, tenso.
As partes de stealth se mostraram muito boas e imersivas. A cada eliminação nossa os capangas são alertados pelo Coringa ou pela "Coleira X9" (nome dado carinhosamente por mim), e quando sobram 3 ou menos inimigos na área eles acabam entrando no modo Aterrorizados e começam a temerem a própria sombra.
Muito bom.
A narrativa tem como objetivo mostrar o plano do Coringa e seus prisioneiros no Asilo Arkham, como cada um reage ao caos no local.
O local e seus setores ajudam bastante na hora de criarem uma atmosfera de insegurança (o pessoal do Corredor da Morte que o diga), e carregando esse aspecto de ser um pouco mais escuro acaba dando ainda mais identidade visual para o jogo.
Crocodilo, você não gera medo nesse jogo.
Agora os prisioneiros, mais precisamente os vilões principais do Batman.
Ao longo da nossa jornada podemos coletar Fitas de Entrevistas com relatos de cada um desse vilões, e assim, alguns até chegam a serem ok... mas outros são muito exagerados fazendo os cair no "Vale da Estranheza". Ou seja, "sou insano porque sim".
E as boss battles, o que dizer? São um dos pontos fracos do jogo. Se eu fosse listar as que eu gostei só colocaria a do Espantalho, já as outras deixaria na geladeira, principalmente a final.
Tendo em vista tudo isto, venho ressaltar que "Batman: Arkham Asylum" é um bom jogo que recomendaria para alguém que nunca jogou algo da série. É até satisfatório que vários jogos de hoje tenham seus combates baseados nesse jogo, isso mostra que ele é uma forte referência para a indústria (quando feito do jeito certo).
É bem nítido o carinho e dedicação do pessoal responsável pelo título, são tantos detalhes presentes que você facilmente ficaria instigado a querer saber mais.
Batman: Return to Arkham - Arkham Asylum is a remastered version of the 2009. game released on 7th-gen consoles and PC. Now available on 8th-gen consoles and PC. The remastered version offers a more stable perfomance and overall better graphics.
The adventure starts by Batman taking the Joker to the Arkham Asylum and already in the beginning Batman was suspicious about the whole situation as he had no problem capturing him. We soon realise that he was right, Joker has been planing on capturing the Arkham Asylum for months and now Batman stepped right into a trap. It's your job to defeat Joker once more and take the control over Arkham Asylum.
The map of Arkham Asylum is very small and its divided into other smaller areas. This doesn't offer the player any other side activities other than collecting collectables and solving riddles by highlighting the solution.
The combat is basic attack, counterattack control with few other variations by using various special attacks and gadgets at your disposal.
As this is the first game made by Eidos and Rocksteady, the player has to first get used to the new combat system and gadgets, so not all gadgets are available from the start as you unlock others with progressing throughout the story.
The story is very linear and not that long, by the end of it, you will visit every location in the asylum.
The challenges achieved by solving riddles are very hard, the combat challenges takes a great amount of practice and not making a single mistake to get gold, while the predator challenges are easier.
All in all a great introduction to the Batman series, but the small map and very linear story with no side quest other than collectables and riddles which make this game a very short experience with only few boss fights.
The adventure starts by Batman taking the Joker to the Arkham Asylum and already in the beginning Batman was suspicious about the whole situation as he had no problem capturing him. We soon realise that he was right, Joker has been planing on capturing the Arkham Asylum for months and now Batman stepped right into a trap. It's your job to defeat Joker once more and take the control over Arkham Asylum.
The map of Arkham Asylum is very small and its divided into other smaller areas. This doesn't offer the player any other side activities other than collecting collectables and solving riddles by highlighting the solution.
The combat is basic attack, counterattack control with few other variations by using various special attacks and gadgets at your disposal.
As this is the first game made by Eidos and Rocksteady, the player has to first get used to the new combat system and gadgets, so not all gadgets are available from the start as you unlock others with progressing throughout the story.
The story is very linear and not that long, by the end of it, you will visit every location in the asylum.
The challenges achieved by solving riddles are very hard, the combat challenges takes a great amount of practice and not making a single mistake to get gold, while the predator challenges are easier.
All in all a great introduction to the Batman series, but the small map and very linear story with no side quest other than collectables and riddles which make this game a very short experience with only few boss fights.
Near perfect video game, the combo challenges broke me and I will not reach for the shiney plat. Beating it on hard and collecting all the riddles was enough gratification. Love this game though
It good
A very simple yet awesome Batman game with a great amopshere, the weakest part is definitely the combat just due to it's simplicity but it doesn't ruin anything so it's easy to overlook.
Arkham city is arguably a better game but to me personally Arkham asylum is simply better in every way. It’s a more succinct and beautifully designed game with such an amazing atmosphere.
A solid start to the arkham trilogy. The last boss is a bit lazy.
This game was just good fun. A great start to a series that I plan to complete. Claustrophobia done right. Wide cast of villains and memorable moments. Killer Croc in the sewers was one of my favorites. Scarecrow moments were dope as hell too. The combat is classic, I mean come on. How many games has arkham inspired. Reading the character bios and seeing the art actually made me wanna solve the riddles too. I did get stuck a few times with exploration but that’s mostly a skill issue on my part. The only thing I didn’t like too much was the backtracking and getting lost within it. The game sometimes doesn’t make it clear where to go which I personally find frustrating. Besides the final boss being a little disappointing, this game was awesome, even if I don’t see myself going back to it.
A game made for DC fans and Fans of the Animated Batman Series!
Batman: Arkham Asylum is an open world action-adventure game set deep in the heart of the Animated Series and DC Comic book universe with an original story about all of Arkham’s residence taking revenge on Batman for being thrown in Arkham time and time again.
Gameplay: This is a 3rd person open world Beat ‘em up Action-Adventure game with some minor horror elements mixed in, taking place in and on the grounds of Arkham Asylum. Combat works in different ways with a combo based, beat ’em up fighting style where you can strike combos and keep them going from enemy to enemy to get a higher rank and XP to unlock things. There is also a big stealth mechanic side to the gameplay where you use gadgets, an Xray (Assassins Creed style Eagle Vision) mode that allows you to see enemies’ weapons and important things in the environment. Batman unlocks a wide variety of satisfying gadgets to help him find collectibles and hidden areas along with fighting enemies and progress the story. Overall, all of the combat is pretty fun and satisfying but it can get a bit clunky and break when there are too many enemies on screen at once. There are bonus missions outside of the main story that have challenges in them giving the player a bunch to do with things like endless wave enemy modes and stealth missions all of which are fun to play. This game also has difficulty modes too so even after you beat the game and get all of the collectibles you can still replay the story on higher difficulties. All of the collectibles add to the story and lore too with a profile for his entire rogue’s gallery being unlockable and a vast majority of the collectibles being Riddles or Riddler trophies the Riddler has hidden across the map. This version of the game has a few glitches I ran into specifically in the Killer Croc section of the game in the sewers where killer Croc would get stuck or some miss me in spots where I should have died, a few objects were floating in this section too but aside from that this remaster played smooth as hell.
Graphics, Voice Acting& Music: The graphics are much improved on this version and looked great for the time they came out with a very accurate comic book gothic atmosphere and A LOT of lore and Easter eggs hidden everywhere making exploration very fun and satisfying. I've seen some debate on whether this game looks better or worse than the original and personally I think it mostly looks better but some cutscenes and spots on models look a little funny but overall I like this version and think its suitable to play. The voice acting is all top-notch incredible performances from the cast of the animated show seeing one of the best voices of Batman, Kevin Conroy and the amazing Mark Hamil as Joker, this has to be one of my favorite comic book video game franchises I have ever played next to the Spiderman games. The music and environmental OST are pretty well done as well making the ambiance of each area and the Dark Knight come to life.
Story/ Minor Spoilers: Basically, the story is about Batman some years into his career after meeting everyone and having his robins. Batman is returning Joker to Arkham after escaping, once back at Arkham things go wrong and the inmates take over the grounds and its up to Batman to figure out what’s going on and stop everyone. I’ll leave the rest of the story for you to figure out but overall, it’s a good story with great characters that feel like they were pulled directly from their source material and though this games story is more or less original its still put together very well with excellent gameplay. Id recommend this to anyone who is a batman fan, DC fan, or fan of Beat em’ up/ stealth games, this is an all around great experience to be had! 9/10
Batman: Arkham Asylum is an open world action-adventure game set deep in the heart of the Animated Series and DC Comic book universe with an original story about all of Arkham’s residence taking revenge on Batman for being thrown in Arkham time and time again.
Gameplay: This is a 3rd person open world Beat ‘em up Action-Adventure game with some minor horror elements mixed in, taking place in and on the grounds of Arkham Asylum. Combat works in different ways with a combo based, beat ’em up fighting style where you can strike combos and keep them going from enemy to enemy to get a higher rank and XP to unlock things. There is also a big stealth mechanic side to the gameplay where you use gadgets, an Xray (Assassins Creed style Eagle Vision) mode that allows you to see enemies’ weapons and important things in the environment. Batman unlocks a wide variety of satisfying gadgets to help him find collectibles and hidden areas along with fighting enemies and progress the story. Overall, all of the combat is pretty fun and satisfying but it can get a bit clunky and break when there are too many enemies on screen at once. There are bonus missions outside of the main story that have challenges in them giving the player a bunch to do with things like endless wave enemy modes and stealth missions all of which are fun to play. This game also has difficulty modes too so even after you beat the game and get all of the collectibles you can still replay the story on higher difficulties. All of the collectibles add to the story and lore too with a profile for his entire rogue’s gallery being unlockable and a vast majority of the collectibles being Riddles or Riddler trophies the Riddler has hidden across the map. This version of the game has a few glitches I ran into specifically in the Killer Croc section of the game in the sewers where killer Croc would get stuck or some miss me in spots where I should have died, a few objects were floating in this section too but aside from that this remaster played smooth as hell.
Graphics, Voice Acting& Music: The graphics are much improved on this version and looked great for the time they came out with a very accurate comic book gothic atmosphere and A LOT of lore and Easter eggs hidden everywhere making exploration very fun and satisfying. I've seen some debate on whether this game looks better or worse than the original and personally I think it mostly looks better but some cutscenes and spots on models look a little funny but overall I like this version and think its suitable to play. The voice acting is all top-notch incredible performances from the cast of the animated show seeing one of the best voices of Batman, Kevin Conroy and the amazing Mark Hamil as Joker, this has to be one of my favorite comic book video game franchises I have ever played next to the Spiderman games. The music and environmental OST are pretty well done as well making the ambiance of each area and the Dark Knight come to life.
Story/ Minor Spoilers: Basically, the story is about Batman some years into his career after meeting everyone and having his robins. Batman is returning Joker to Arkham after escaping, once back at Arkham things go wrong and the inmates take over the grounds and its up to Batman to figure out what’s going on and stop everyone. I’ll leave the rest of the story for you to figure out but overall, it’s a good story with great characters that feel like they were pulled directly from their source material and though this games story is more or less original its still put together very well with excellent gameplay. Id recommend this to anyone who is a batman fan, DC fan, or fan of Beat em’ up/ stealth games, this is an all around great experience to be had! 9/10
Aside from the lackluster boss battles and unpolished combat that future games would improve upon, I'd still say that Arkham Asylum is a great time. I think what I love most about this game is the asylum itself, and how it provides an evocative atmosphere. There's a feeling of something much darker beneath the surface of such a place, and that feeling is proven right by going deeper into the game and getting all of its collectibles. Definitely a game worthy of its continued praise.
This is how to do a batman game, story is good but is more of a backdrop for everything else and that includes the dark immersive atmosphere and great voice acting it ticks all the boxes and the gameplay is challenging without being overly tedious, problem solving feels authentic and challenging, combat is great, boss fights are good despite not being the best, a great game overall
This has got to be around the 5th time I have played this game and I have the same amount of fun with it each time. Batman Arkham Asylum is my favourite of the Arkham franchise and I doubt that it will ever be dethroned.
I think without a doubt it has one of the best atmospheres in gaming. Walking through the empty halls of Arkham Asylum just has this eerie feel to it which makes each segment feel tense and exciting. Being stuck on Arkham island with a great selection of Batman's greatest rogues taunting him just makes for an amazing experience.
Taking a look at the characters, this game of course features the best batman of all time Kevin Conroy(RIP), who will always be the definitive version of batman for me, and pairing him with my favourite Joker of all time Mark Hamill makes these characters amazing off the bat. Of course there are a great cast of side characters most notably Arleen Sorkin(RIP) who played Harley Quinn. As someone who grew up watching the animated series, all these returning actors made me like this game even more. I also really like these renditions of Ivy, Killer Croc and Scarecrow (Even though i much prefer the Knight version).
Gameplay wise it lays out the foundations that each game built upon. I played through the game this time on hard difficulty and I actually found it quite challenging, all it does is increase the damage you take and remove the counter prompt which really makes boss fights more difficult. It of course introduced the free flow combat system and while it definitely is the weakest showing of it, it was ground breaking and lays perfect framework to be improved upon in the next games. Traversal wise, due to the smaller scale of the map there isnt as much focus on it which works in this case luckily. The boss fights/segments in this game are the real standouts of the gameplay loop. The iconic Scarecrow nightmare segments are my personal favourite followed closely by the Killer Croc lair segment, whilst these aren't technically "Boss Fights" they really effectively use the characters without adding a needless beat em up segment. Out of the other boss fights the only real standout is Poison Ivy who has a great fight in this game. The Bane fight is just a tutorial for fighting Titan henchmen and the Titan Joker fight is well known for being disliked as it isn't really a boss fight just a gauntlet of henchmen.
Score and Visual wise this game excels. Obviously this is the Return to Arkham addition which adds a bit more of a polished look to the character models. Whilst i do think the original game looks better, outside of the janky character models this game looks fantastic. The score is perfect mix of creepy and heroic, which is a staple of the games going forward.
Side content wise Asylum lacks any beside the Riddler trophies. Strangely enough in this game only, I actually enjoy the Riddler trophy hunting. Particularly the riddles because they unlock the cool character bios for a wide host of characters that arent in the game. Im definitely glad they decided to go for the more open world feel in later installments so that they could do more with side content because Asylum has no reason to keep playing after beating the main story.
I am going to replay the whole series to see if my ranking has changed since the last time I played them years ago. As of right now Asylum will remain at the top and I dont see it going anywhere. One of my favourite games of all time.
I think without a doubt it has one of the best atmospheres in gaming. Walking through the empty halls of Arkham Asylum just has this eerie feel to it which makes each segment feel tense and exciting. Being stuck on Arkham island with a great selection of Batman's greatest rogues taunting him just makes for an amazing experience.
Taking a look at the characters, this game of course features the best batman of all time Kevin Conroy(RIP), who will always be the definitive version of batman for me, and pairing him with my favourite Joker of all time Mark Hamill makes these characters amazing off the bat. Of course there are a great cast of side characters most notably Arleen Sorkin(RIP) who played Harley Quinn. As someone who grew up watching the animated series, all these returning actors made me like this game even more. I also really like these renditions of Ivy, Killer Croc and Scarecrow (Even though i much prefer the Knight version).
Gameplay wise it lays out the foundations that each game built upon. I played through the game this time on hard difficulty and I actually found it quite challenging, all it does is increase the damage you take and remove the counter prompt which really makes boss fights more difficult. It of course introduced the free flow combat system and while it definitely is the weakest showing of it, it was ground breaking and lays perfect framework to be improved upon in the next games. Traversal wise, due to the smaller scale of the map there isnt as much focus on it which works in this case luckily. The boss fights/segments in this game are the real standouts of the gameplay loop. The iconic Scarecrow nightmare segments are my personal favourite followed closely by the Killer Croc lair segment, whilst these aren't technically "Boss Fights" they really effectively use the characters without adding a needless beat em up segment. Out of the other boss fights the only real standout is Poison Ivy who has a great fight in this game. The Bane fight is just a tutorial for fighting Titan henchmen and the Titan Joker fight is well known for being disliked as it isn't really a boss fight just a gauntlet of henchmen.
Score and Visual wise this game excels. Obviously this is the Return to Arkham addition which adds a bit more of a polished look to the character models. Whilst i do think the original game looks better, outside of the janky character models this game looks fantastic. The score is perfect mix of creepy and heroic, which is a staple of the games going forward.
Side content wise Asylum lacks any beside the Riddler trophies. Strangely enough in this game only, I actually enjoy the Riddler trophy hunting. Particularly the riddles because they unlock the cool character bios for a wide host of characters that arent in the game. Im definitely glad they decided to go for the more open world feel in later installments so that they could do more with side content because Asylum has no reason to keep playing after beating the main story.
I am going to replay the whole series to see if my ranking has changed since the last time I played them years ago. As of right now Asylum will remain at the top and I dont see it going anywhere. One of my favourite games of all time.
Batman? more like Beat-'em-up-man.
É engraçado jogar Arkham Asylum pela primeira vez, sabendo o quão influente ele é. Se por um lado há alguns aspectos que me fazem pensar "isso funciona melhor no jogo x que saiu anos depois", há outros, bem mais frequentes, que me surpreendem pela qualidade e alto nível de detalhes.
Mais precisamente o próprio Asilo Arkham do título. Explorar seus diversos setores que vão mudando conforme o contexto da história, encontrando novas áreas e segredos enquanto novas habilidades vão sendo liberadas é de longe a melhor coisa do jogo pra mim. Esse aspecto "metroidvania" funciona muito bem e é uma pena que seja justamente a parte menos copiada por outros jogos.
O combate "freeflow" já mostra certa idade, mas ainda é competente. Há situações onde a câmera, ao tentar um ângulo mais dramático, mais atrapalha do que ajuda, e isso piora a partir do momento em que o jogo introduz inimigos com armas de fogo. Apesar de não haver tanta variedade no combate, cada diferente ação que o Cavaleiro das Trevas pode executar tem muita importância, principalmente na maior dificuldade, que pode ser bem brutal. As seções de stealth eu achei mais divertidas, um bom número de diferentes possibilidades de abordar cada inimigo e as reações deles, conforme o Homem-Morcego elimina um por um, funcionam muito bem a favor da imersão.
Talvez o que mais denuncia a época do jogo (além do visual "primeiros anos de Unreal Engine 3") seja sua história e personagens. Há um grande esforço para mostrar que os residentes de Arkham são, de fato, insanos. Mas alguns diálogos (especialmente dos audiologs coletáveis) parecem forçar muito uma reação exagerada de "ooohhh mas que psicopata esse sujeito". Mas o ponto mais fraco de Arkham Asylum são suas boss battles, a maioria é bem desinteressante. Há claro personagens bem explorados como o Espantalho e o Crocodilo, que geram cenários memoráveis, mas especialmente o combate final decepciona um tanto.
Por fim, Arkham Asylum é um jogo muito bom e facilmente recomendável, não só para ver a influência de vários jogos que saíram nos anos seguintes a ele, mas também para apreciar uma adaptação tão boa e tão cheia de carinho sobre essa franquia.
Mais precisamente o próprio Asilo Arkham do título. Explorar seus diversos setores que vão mudando conforme o contexto da história, encontrando novas áreas e segredos enquanto novas habilidades vão sendo liberadas é de longe a melhor coisa do jogo pra mim. Esse aspecto "metroidvania" funciona muito bem e é uma pena que seja justamente a parte menos copiada por outros jogos.
O combate "freeflow" já mostra certa idade, mas ainda é competente. Há situações onde a câmera, ao tentar um ângulo mais dramático, mais atrapalha do que ajuda, e isso piora a partir do momento em que o jogo introduz inimigos com armas de fogo. Apesar de não haver tanta variedade no combate, cada diferente ação que o Cavaleiro das Trevas pode executar tem muita importância, principalmente na maior dificuldade, que pode ser bem brutal. As seções de stealth eu achei mais divertidas, um bom número de diferentes possibilidades de abordar cada inimigo e as reações deles, conforme o Homem-Morcego elimina um por um, funcionam muito bem a favor da imersão.
Talvez o que mais denuncia a época do jogo (além do visual "primeiros anos de Unreal Engine 3") seja sua história e personagens. Há um grande esforço para mostrar que os residentes de Arkham são, de fato, insanos. Mas alguns diálogos (especialmente dos audiologs coletáveis) parecem forçar muito uma reação exagerada de "ooohhh mas que psicopata esse sujeito". Mas o ponto mais fraco de Arkham Asylum são suas boss battles, a maioria é bem desinteressante. Há claro personagens bem explorados como o Espantalho e o Crocodilo, que geram cenários memoráveis, mas especialmente o combate final decepciona um tanto.
Por fim, Arkham Asylum é um jogo muito bom e facilmente recomendável, não só para ver a influência de vários jogos que saíram nos anos seguintes a ele, mas também para apreciar uma adaptação tão boa e tão cheia de carinho sobre essa franquia.
An overall pretty enjoyable Batman metroidvania game.
The scale isn't grand and that was for the better as it allowed for the game to focus on a few characters and locations along with giving them the appropriate development.
Combat is on the simpler side, but enjoyable regardless.
There are plenty of instances where you'll have to use stealth and those areas were designed pretty well.
Platforming, even if on the slightly automated side was nice.
Overall atmosphere and vibe were fantastic.
The story is pretty much what you'd expect from a standard Batman comic or movie.
Bosses felt on the more gimmicky side, but I didn't mind that.
The scale isn't grand and that was for the better as it allowed for the game to focus on a few characters and locations along with giving them the appropriate development.
Combat is on the simpler side, but enjoyable regardless.
There are plenty of instances where you'll have to use stealth and those areas were designed pretty well.
Platforming, even if on the slightly automated side was nice.
Overall atmosphere and vibe were fantastic.
The story is pretty much what you'd expect from a standard Batman comic or movie.
Bosses felt on the more gimmicky side, but I didn't mind that.
Arkham Asylum is one of the best Batman games there is and after all the time that has passed since it was first released, it still holds up as a great adventure game. With collectables and exploration, a great combat system, and of course the Batman story, this is a great title to play over and over.
Remaster of one the best modern beat em ups out there combining a Metroidvania-like exploration across Arkham's Asylum.
it’s got some cool shit and a true comic storybooky feel to the story, but man it’s just so dated. playing the new ones really makes this one worse. scarecrows cool tho. riddler and challenge maps kinda annoying but not too bad
7/10
7/10
A pioneer for the superhero genre, it re-invented the way that comic characters could be accessed in video games with its well developed combat and atmosphere.
why does poison ivy have her cheeks out like put on some pants girl damn
Those were some frustrating boss fights on hard mode. Fun but very hard. Joker was way too easy tho.
The first Arkham game ever made and what an introduction to this series. From the moment you load this game up and pull up on Arkham Asylum ready to kick some ass, you know the developers of this game are big Batman fans.
The atmosphere of Arkham is bang on the money, having that creepiness and uneasiness the whole way through. The colour scheme is dark and bleak, the music is eerie, the structures are all old and worn. I truly feel like I've been thrust into hell itself. Even the small things such as guards being dead when you come back to them after the beginning of the game. They nailed the profile of Arkham on the head.
The characters are written superbly and the voicework quality is exactly what you'd expect of a Batman product (especially Mark Hamill as Joker and Kevin Conroy as Batman). They really kept true to the source material which is something I can really appreciate.
And let's get on to what makes the Arkham games great, the combat. While understandably, Asylum has the worst combat out of the series, it's still very impressive for the time. While simple, its very fun to watch and truly does make you feel like the Bat. For this title, it does feel a little janky at times with you not being able to flow as nicely but again, it's understandable for it's time.
The story of Asylum is in my opinion a mixed bag. It starts really good, involving many different Batman characters and maintaining a tense feeling as you try to take back the asylum but then slumps out at the end with a disappointing end. The final boss fight is very clearly rushed and no effort has been put into it. It’s just ‘hit a couple of buttons and then defeat some thugs’. Very underwhelming ending for an otherwise great game.
These things in my opinion stop the game from getting that 5/5 mark. However, despite this, I do believe the game is definitely worth trying as it is still a top game, especially if you’re a fan of Batman
The atmosphere of Arkham is bang on the money, having that creepiness and uneasiness the whole way through. The colour scheme is dark and bleak, the music is eerie, the structures are all old and worn. I truly feel like I've been thrust into hell itself. Even the small things such as guards being dead when you come back to them after the beginning of the game. They nailed the profile of Arkham on the head.
The characters are written superbly and the voicework quality is exactly what you'd expect of a Batman product (especially Mark Hamill as Joker and Kevin Conroy as Batman). They really kept true to the source material which is something I can really appreciate.
And let's get on to what makes the Arkham games great, the combat. While understandably, Asylum has the worst combat out of the series, it's still very impressive for the time. While simple, its very fun to watch and truly does make you feel like the Bat. For this title, it does feel a little janky at times with you not being able to flow as nicely but again, it's understandable for it's time.
The story of Asylum is in my opinion a mixed bag. It starts really good, involving many different Batman characters and maintaining a tense feeling as you try to take back the asylum but then slumps out at the end with a disappointing end. The final boss fight is very clearly rushed and no effort has been put into it. It’s just ‘hit a couple of buttons and then defeat some thugs’. Very underwhelming ending for an otherwise great game.
These things in my opinion stop the game from getting that 5/5 mark. However, despite this, I do believe the game is definitely worth trying as it is still a top game, especially if you’re a fan of Batman
i feel like joker
The original title didn't have any additional content aside from the PS3 exclusive playable Joker and a few challenge maps. So this is basically just a higher resolution version of the 2009 epic. It's probably the definitive way to play this game moving forward but I will admit I miss the hazy visuals of the original. It added an almost grimey texture to the whole experience.
Despite sounding negative here this is still an excellent time and I'm happy I finally went and got the platinum. I'd be inclinded to do it again with the original release if Batman would just break his no kill rule on the Riddler.
Despite sounding negative here this is still an excellent time and I'm happy I finally went and got the platinum. I'd be inclinded to do it again with the original release if Batman would just break his no kill rule on the Riddler.
I'm going through a Batman phase right now leave me alone.
Upon my initial playthrough of Batman: Arkham Asylum, I believed it to be good but not exceptional. How mistaken I was! This game transcends greatness; it stands as a masterpiece. Considering that Rocksteady had only previously developed Urban Chaos: Riot Response, marking this as their second game, it's remarkable how they transformed from an obscure studio with only an FPS in their portfolio to an industry powerhouse. Batman: Arkham Asylum not only solidified their reputation but also paved the way for two sequels, Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Knight, along with a prequel, Batman: Arkham Origins, crafted by Warner Bros. Montreal under Rocksteady's endorsement. In essence, this game truly immerses you in the role of an orphan hunting down the infamous Birthday Clown, exemplifying Rocksteady's evolution into gaming royalty.