As an avid comic book and video game fan, I cannot express how frustrating it is that comic book games are generally a letdown. With the boom of comic book-related cinema in the last 10 years, there has also been the creation of another tangential market for toys and video games. The three now go together like Snap, Crackle, and Pop. As a comic fan, I get to read about my favorite characters monthly and get my 2D fix. And every so often, a comic movie will come out, and it will be either hit or miss. But with games, the odds are even worse, leaving fans with a gap in their video game demands.
We are tired of reading about grand adventures or sitting in the theater and watching them. We want in on the action. And, of course, it should be no surprise that if you read comic books frequently, you also game. When I read my favorite stories, I think about how they would translate into my gaming console as opposed to how they would look on the big screen. A lot of us fanboys share the same feelings. And that’s exactly why Batman: Arkham Asylum is such a, for lack of a better word, “mitzvah.”
The game itself is, quite simply, great. I had the privilege of picking up the collector’s edition, which includes an extra CD, an Arkham journal, a faux batarang, and a semi-bat symbol carrying case. As far as the extras go—they were good. I’d have liked better, but the important thing is the game itself. It starts out with Batman taking the Joker back to the madhouse, where all hell breaks loose, and it’s up to you to stop his scheme. The action is flawless. The designers of the game nailed how you would imagine Batman fighting thugs and criminals. At many points in the game, you are completely outnumbered, but the thing that the designers definitely took into account is the fact that Batman never loses through sheer force of will and physical prowess. The game is designed for you to use your environment and really think your way through levels. You could either outright attack or use the shadows to your advantage and take down the baddies. After all, criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot. Any fan of the animated series can tell you that the choice to have Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil lend their voices to the game was a stroke of genius. The familiar voice acting does a great job of immersing you into the game that much more. You also have a set map of the entire Arkham island complex. And even though you do a lot of backtracking and visiting of the same places more than a few times, you are continually treated to new twists and turns as the story moves along.
Just one of the components that makes the Batman character and mythos so uniquely grand is his rogues gallery of supervillains. Although you only get a peak at a few baddies in the game, you get treated to little nods of the hat to a variety of different ones. For example, you actually battle Bane, Joker, Poison Ivy, Mr. Zsasz, Killer Croc, Harley Quinn, and Scarecrow. The inclusion of these characters and no other bosses opens the door for a sequel. You also get little fan nods in seeing Clayface, Two Face’s cell, Mr. Freeze in his frozen confines, and the various weapons employed by Batman’s foes. Another sweet little add-on is the inclusion of the Riddler’s side quests. He chews your ear off in the game egging you on to solve his riddles or find his trophies. Within the game, you will also find over 200 riddle challenges, making the game that much more in-depth. And once the game is complete, you can spend hours in a free roam picking up the items that you haven’t found. You also get character trophies, bios, the chance to find audio interview tapes from certain inmates, and a pretty sweet challenge mode, which breaks down high-pressure situations within the game where you fight thugs in certain areas. The more you play, the more you unlock.
Batman is the world’s greatest detective, and the game doesn’t forget it. You actually have a detective mode which lets you analyze clues, track characters, and find unlockable items. You also get a full array of bat gadgets that actually aid you in the game, rather than being just for show.
The game is excellent. I would even go so far as to say that it could possibly be the best superhero game of all time. But really, the experience is so much more than that. It doesn’t stop at being a game. As a Batman fan, it really makes you look back and appreciate the character and the rich history that started with Detective Comics #27 (May 1939) all those years ago. The game does well to show you what makes Batman tick. It shows you why he is one of the greatest fictional characters of all time. He may be a single man, but his indomitable spirit will makes him a force of nature. The game is packed to the brim with Batman facts and stats that give you a better understanding of Gotham’s underbelly. It also does a good job of reminding you how disgusting Batman’s world is and how we have come so far from the campy Batman of old. This game brings your fantasies to life, where you can do all the things a Batman can.
And it’ll ensure that the next time you run into an alleyway full of thugs, you’ll ask yourself, “What Would Batman Do?”
Rich Stambolian is a fan of Batman, clearly, among other things.