I and many others have been looking forward to Batman Arkham Asylum for months and  I have been counting the days until it’s release  since sampling the demo some weeks ago. The game has been getting excellent reviews in the gaming press but I can now confirm first hand that it is a contender for my Game Of The Year, sure there are a few great releases out between now and Christmas but it’s going to have to be something very special to beat this for me.

From the outset it’s clear that Batman Arkham Asylum is a tribute to the character of Batman and his universe, it’s steeped in comic book references, accurate depictions of the characters, hell it even features Keven Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as Joker in roles reprised from their voice work on the animated series. The environment is detailed and decrepit and a believable representation for the central nut house of Gotham. Each section has an unique identity, the environment is used extensively for visual narrative and almost becomes a character in the game itself. The story begins with Batman returning the Joker to the asylum, however he is less than convinced by his easy capture of one of Gotham’s leading criminals and before long his concerns manifest themselves as the Joker with the help of Harley Quinn and his goons takes over the asylum setting all the inmates loose. The Joker has apparently planted bombs throughout the city and will detonate if anyone approaches their location, once again it is down to Batman to save the day.

Arkham is a vast open ended location full of hidden twists and turns and which you are free to roam through as you see fit. Certain areas may require certain abilities to access and the setup is very similar to that of Rapture in Bioshock. Areas are revisted with Batman gaining abilities to unlock previously unattainable areas upon entering a zone again. The game generally can be broken down into three or four discreet elements; combat, exploration/detective mode, solving puzzles and overall story progression. The combat is simple in premise but hard to master, comprising off strike, counter, jump and gadget or special ability. It works really well, looks mighty impressive and feels right as you play. Chaining attacks together allows for special moves to be pulled off for instant takedowns. Blows connect with satisfying force and some of the combat moves are really impressive and representative of what you might expect Batman to do.

There are two approaches that can be taken for the most part throughout the game, at times you will just have to engage a group of enemies and fight well to succeed, in others invisible predator mode comes into play where Batman will take to the shadows and stalk his enemies one by one. The coolness factor goes through the roof here as inverted take downs, batarangs, glide kicks and bat tech comes into play. It is extremely well done and the game succeeds in giving you a real sense of being the Dark Knight. In addition to gaining XP for dispatching enemies you gain xp for solving Riddler clues and finding hidden items. The puzzles are done really well and tied quite closely with the Batman universe at times, something I think will really make fans happy. XP unlocks new abilities and tech. The concept works really well and the new abilities provide fresh and more interesting ways to tackle situations.

Graphically the game looks stunning and the attention to detail must be complemented, sure it tears a little here and textures pop occasionally but when you get this immersed in a game it doesn’t really matter. Audio production is stellar with the voice cast mentioned although lip syncing could be improved I guess. Boss battles prove to be memorable experiences and the overall flow of the game is spot on. There are some lovely touches such as how Batman becomes scarred as the game progresses and his suit tattered and torn, details like this really make the experience of playing even more special. I don’t want to talk too much about the story here, suffice to say that Paul Dini was involved in it’s production and I think fans would much rather experience it for themselves, all I will say is that so far it has been excellent! In addition to the main game you are provided with a series of challenge rooms to complete, each requiring different critieria to be met, for example kill all guards without being detected. They add a nice element to the overall package, I for one spent ages in the last room of the demo working out different ways of dispatching the guards so this is a more developed form of that.

I had dedided not to go for the collectors edition but my willpower is weak when it comes to the Dark Knight and couldn’t resist. A batarang, journal about the inmates, making off DVD and collectable case are now in my possession. I traded some games in which left the actual cost to me quite low, I think it might be a little over prices at the RRP of £60 but I don’t think Batman fans will complain. All in all then Batman is a fantastic experience that I believe anyone interested in video games will really enjoy, Batman fans will get even more from it. It is without doubt the best comic book game ever and at this moment in time it is the best game I have played this year.

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