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Batman Arkham Asylum Review

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you see the Bat Signal in the air? It is likely to be either A) Run like Hell, B) I'm cool to walk at night or C) Alfred, get the car ready! If your answer is C, then you are in the right place my crime-fighting friends. It is time to put on your cape and fire up the batmobile because Gotham City is going through a laugh riot thanks to your arch nemesis "The Joker" and the worst part is he brought his comedic mayhem to Arkham Asylum, his home away from home. So DC fans get your utility belts strapped and ready for our review of Batman Arkham Asylum.

It is the late evening and the first thing to do is escort The Joker back to Arkham Asylum, but as the Dark Knight you are suspicious on how easy it was to capture the psychotic jester of Gotham. Still with that unsettling feeling about the situation you press on, meeting another more deadly villain Killer Croc who has no hesitation for eating your flesh! At this point you can not go any further and you leave the Joker to the guards, however that's where things go horribly wrong. The Joker gets loose and of course you take action, however it is already too late. You realize the whole plot was wide and clear that Joker wanted to be back to take over the control room with full access to Arkham. Now here is a riddle for you, "How does one break into a prison run by prisoners?" Not really a riddle but hey work with me here! So of course now your task and your first test is to take out some freed prisoners.

The unique combat style that comes with being Batman is right at your finger tips. I have to say I am very impressed with the combat being used for the Dark Knight. When I say you are able to use everything available to defeat the enemy, I do mean every one of Batman's abilities. You have your basic strike buttons where you can chain combos and by pointing the analog stick in a certain direction of another opponent; you will automatically chain combos for each person. You can also stun your opponent with your cape just in case you are over whelmed by enemies especially ones with guns. Your bat-a-rangs will come in handy for quick strikes that will daze your enemy or more targeted attacks which have a lock on feature. The finishers are impressive when an enemy is down, you can get close and do a finishing take down which is added with a slow motion cinematic that helps the player visualize the impact that Batman is putting on these low lives. Depending how quick you are will determine if you can live up to the title of 'knight of vengeance'.

Video Games | Batman: Arkham Asylum | Playing the Game Featurette

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

"Video Provided by Gametrailers.com"

Combat is great and all, but what about the detective aspect of being Batman? This is where you get to use some of the best gadgets that Bruce...ahem I mean Batman can buy. With one click you can switch to your detective view which gives you an extra display of all the people in your vision or close proximity area. This view also gived you a full side window of their weapons and what the situation is in the area. Not only that but you can take snap shots (when prompted) of evidence that will help you find hidden items and people that you need to follow. This feature impressed me because it is true to the style of Batman. Of course with gadgets there are upgrades to unlock with points you obtain throughout your campaign. You are able to visit your batmobile for items if needed especially explosives for hidden items.

The best thing in any game is when you have choices about how you want to play. You can either take the suicide route or try to take on everyone you meet head on or in true batman fashion use the shadows and fear to work your way through. Hanging off of gargoyles and ensnaring enemies forcing more enemies to come to that location. This is you being a hunter baiting your prey to where you want to be so you can take them out one on one. You will be able to use Batman's cape to glide to areas and land softly doing stealth take-downs in a more tactical sense while gathering what you need to hunt down the Joker.

The graphics and voice acting are amazing, because of the nice unreal engine and the fact that they kept the original actors for each character. If you ever saw the old cartoon back in the 90's you will recognize them all. The most known is Kevin Conroy as Batman and the famous Mark Hamil as the Joker. Speaking of villains you will go up against Two Face, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and many others. The best part is you will obtain battle damage throughout the game which makes a lot of sense if you get hit and you're still untouched. Little things like that are a plus and you will see cuts getting bigger throughout the game depending on how skilled you are in combat.

When we have so much good, it is inevitable that there will be some bad. Don't worry, the only negative thing about the game was that only the PS3 version got the joker challenge. Now how did that slip through that part of the deal? Hopefully that feature will come to the 360 so others can enjoy playing as the Joker.

All right lets wrap this up with the bat-rope synopsis. You have great fluid combat with intense graphics and deadly enemies while trying to stop one of the deadliest villains of Gotham from taking over Arkham for whatever reason. Nice detective mode that will put all your skills to the test to see how keen your abilities are in tracking down evidence. With a scary environment that has many interactive characters that either will help you or kill you. Not having the Joker playable challenge is a downer but hopefully the developers will give the 360 gamers that privilege, but if you don't care then keep playing. DC has finally got a winner here and I am giving Batman Arkham Asylum 5 bat-a-rangs out of 5. With all of the great releases coming up over the next few months, we are ready to call this 'The Year of the Gamer'. So stay glued to the GameFlavor Network for more reviews and previews, and remember to stay frosty gamers!