Arkham Asylum is truly phenomenal, introducing the Arkham series’ world with a first-class tour through Batman’s rogues gallery! This game stands out in the trilogy for its small, manageable map as well as its tight and impressive story that moves from major beat to major beat rapidly. The gameplay is fun, especially in open combat scenarios where the game becomes a rhythm game as much as a superhero action game. I want to particularly shout out the Scarecrow and Croc missions in this game for outstanding and unique design that doesn’t feel like novelty for novelty’s sake. The only thing holding this game back is its poor stealth design for many of the stealth arenas (relative to the other games in the series).