Batgasm!

More Batman?! Fuck yes.

Batman: Arkham Asylum. Our first game review!

I don't have much to say other than the fact that it's the single best comicbook character based game ever made. I worded it that way because the game's story doesn't follow anything in the comics canon.

As a game, the controls are top-notch. You feel like you're the Batman skulking through the shadows after your prey. The combat, though mapped to a single button for the most part, is intuitive and fully visceral at the same time. Taking out thugs ten at a time is such a fucking blast you won't even be bothered to get on with the campaign. Speaking of campaign...who scripted this bad-motherfucker out? Comics legend Paul Dini, that's who. The same Paul Dini that created Batman: The Animated Series in the early 90's and Batman: Mad Love in comics form. You can also credit him for creating Joker's girlfriend and Kevin Smith's daughter's namesake...Harley Quinn.

What's a great game without great voice acting? Most of the cast from The Animated Series returns...namely Mark (Luke Skywalker) Hamill as The Joker...in his last performance of the role:( and Kevin Conroy as The Batman.

There are a few hang-ups I have with the game, but they're minor... Things like having to walk across Arkham Island most of the time... Ease of defeating most bosses (I AM The Fucking Batman after all) Detective mode being 'on' all the time.

These things aside...you'll be hard pressed to find a better comics-based game for a long long long time.

Score: 9 of 10


Tyler