Best Batman game ever.

Rocksteady, the developers behind Batman: Arkham Asylum, didn't have much of an established hits background that I'm aware of, outside of a Urban Chaos sequel on PS2 from a little ways back. So going into Batman: AA, I didn't expect much, both because the developers didn't ring a bell, and because I haven't played a Batman game that I liked since Sunsoft's NES title. That said, Batman: AA really blew me away, it's a fantastic stealth/action hybrid that puts to shame quite a few other titles that fall into that category, and really, it's one of the best games this year (and quite possibly THE best).

If you own a PS3 or 360, do yourself a great favor and just pick this title up now. There's no need for a demo, hell, you don't even need to be a Batman fan to appreciate that it's one of the most polished experiences you can get on either system. The game makes use of its stealth, combat, and exploration systems in such a manner that nothing ever feels tedious or unwelcome, and there's not a low spot in the entire game, outside of a boss fight or two that lacks some of the imagination most of the combat has. The game will last you around the 10-12 hour mark on a straight play-through, but it's packed with so much hidden content spread around the Arkham Asylum grounds that you can easily squeeze a few more hours out of it, in addition to all the really interesting challenge maps and online leaderboards that you gradually unlock via single player. There's a lot of content here for your buck, and there's not a single thing about it that I found to be boring or tedious, and that's really saying something for me.

The script is by Paul Dini, of Batman: The Animated Series fame, and making a voice over comeback we're treated to the talents of Mark Hamill as the Joker, and Kevin Conroy as Batman/Bruce Wayne. Both of these guys slip back into their respective roles so well, it never feels like they left. It adds to an already entertaining cast made up of a few familiar friendly faces, and a lot of Batman's personal rogues gallery. I was pretty surprised to see who made the boss villain list with this one, most of the superhero titles will try to throw every significant name at you that they can, but Batman: Arkham Asylum actually plays that card conservatively, offering up a handful of strong villains that are more interesting grouped together than a series of short encounters with more well-known names would have been. The Scarecrow sections of the game, in particular, are easily the best use of that villain that I've ever seen in a video game, and make for some of the most interesting and compelling sections of the entire game. That said, even if your favorite villain didn't make the list, rest assured there's a cameo or reference for them at some point in the single player campaign.

Visually, Rocksteady has done an outstanding job in capturing that classic gothic architecture of Batman's world, and while Arkham has seen plenty of use in the comics over the years, I'm not sure we've ever been treated to such an in depth look at the place up until now. This Arkham, in particular, stands out against different versions for using a certain amount of high tech containment necessary to house some of the beasts there, but it's still filled to the brim with dirty, dingy, and overall ugly areas that resemble something out of a Silent Hill or Bioshock experience more than anything else. Nothing feels odd or out of place in the visuals, and while I'm not a huge fan of a couple character redesigns (Harley, I'm looking at you), for the most part they all fit the world quite well. Killer Croc and Bane, in particular, are excellent designs in this game, and they still hold true to the other variations we've seen throughout different media over the years. Of course, your appreciation of the character models will only go as far as how much you like the typical Unreal look of this generation, and I'll admit a few of the regular civilian and police faces seem odd and ugly.

However, the gameplay is where Arkham Asylum really shines, and that's easily the most important part. There's a lengthy set-up to the plot, with Batman delivering Joker to Arkham after his last crime, wherein Joker springs a trap and a riot breaks out on the grounds. From there you need to navigate the asylum grounds in an effort to get things under control, and figure out what Joker is up to so you can put a stop to it. It's a pretty original tale, which is no short feat considering how many Batman stories there are in existence at this point, but this feels like a darker take on something that Dini would have wrote for the Animated Series, and I really enjoyed the dialogue as something instantly familiar as a fan of the show. To get Batman from point A to point B, there are a number of tools that you'll gather along the way, all of which is controlled via the D-Pad for selection. A few of these are simply used to get past obstacles, by breaking down walls or taking out security panels, while others have combat applications, and they can be used in a variety of ways to take down the various thugs patrolling the grounds.

Combat in Arkham Asylum is one of the best things about the game, and it makes use of a fairly unique combat system that's not entirely comparable to anything I've played before. Most encounters in the game are against unarmed inmates or thugs, and you can tap the action button to punch or kick, which seems to be random depending on the animation. Pressing a direction on the analog stick will direct the enemy you wish to hit, with the ideal situation being that you bound back and forth between every enemy in the area, taking them down as you go, and either beating them unconscious or literally submitting them with a takedown move. As you gain more gear, you can implement things like a Batarang or a Bathook into the mix, and finally there's a series of upgradeable talents that you earn as you level up that will unlock things like throws and instant submissions. When you really get into the swing of how the combat works, it's almost a work of art to see Batman flawlessly bound about from criminal to criminal, cape billowing out behind you as the animation slows down for the bigger impact hits, and finally zooms in and comes to a crawl when you take out the final guy in the room. It never gets old to fight against these nameless enemies, and there's something almost satisfying about just jumping into the middle of a group of unsuspecting enemies and just beating the holy hell out of them.

Not all of the basic foes are entirely defenseless, some will come equipped with stun rods or knives, and you'll need to stun these guys before being able to break their defenses. The real threats, however, come from guns, which make sense in the reality that Batman is just a rich guy in a suit, and not someone packed with superpowers. Guns are a definite threat in the game, and when you highlight someone (using the super effective Detective Mode), they're always the first person you'll want to take down. Where the game tends to get really interesting, though, is when everyone in the room is packing some heat. These sections put Batman in a predatory role, using various secret passages, crumbling walls, and high perches to take down each bad guy one by one, before swooping out of view and lying in wait for the next guy to be caught unawares. This is where the game really shines, as each room usually has a number of options available to take down unsuspecting enemies, and you'll rarely see the same encounters play out the same way twice.

Obviously Rocksteady felt pretty confident that they had something special with both the combat and stealth sections, as both of those make up the entirety of the unlockable challenges. The stealth, or predator challenges are timed events, usually with certain takedown requirements to get the higher rankings, while the combat sections toss waves of enemies at you in an effort to pull out the best, seamless combo of moves that you possibly can. Both of these have online leaderboards, and they're spread out across a number of maps and variations, and they're great to play in short bursts outside of the single player game, and probably the best way to train for the actual stuff you'll encounter in the single player mode.

Like I mentioned earlier, the game does have a couple weak boss encounters, and it's not so much that they're horrible or unfair, but more that they're not nearly as inventive as the basic enemy encounters you'll come across. Some of the boss fights are very linear in their approach, there's not multiple ways to take them down, and they'll only have one weak spot or particular animation you can really exploit. Other than that, there's nothing I can find to complain about with this game. It's excellent in nearly every aspect, and certainly one of the best games you'll play this year, let alone the best licensed game I've ever played (sorry Riddick). If you've been on the fence about this one, I highly suggest you pick it up, there's nothing here that'll disappoint, and like I mentioned, the gameplay is so great that you don't need to be a Batman fan to appreciate how great the gameplay is. Absolutely worth buying, and worth keeping for that matter, as it has a fair amount of replay value packed in. Batman: Arkham Asylum is easily in my top three or so for the year, and a serious contender for Game of the Year.