Batman: Arkham Asylum, PC Version Review

Quite a few next-gen console ports to the PC lately and since none of the currently released PC titles appeal to me, I thought I'd try out another console port Batman: Arkham Asylum to give my underused graphics card a workout.

The story begins with Joker being taken to the asylum but it turns out to be one of his clever plans in yet another attempt to take down the superhero, Batman. Pretty much a very typical storyline for your Western superhero.

I used to watch the show on TV every evening. Too bad they don't have any of those big "Pow!" sound effect bubbles in this game ^^;

Gameplay

Most of the time you're fighting enemies as you navigate a map and the controls work well, similar to Assassin's Creed. Taking on multiple enemies, you click the left mouse button to attack and by pressing a direction key, you can direct the attacks to different enemies that surround you. Timed key presses and use of the right mouse button to counter knocks up the tempo and it is pretty satisfying - It can be as easy as you want simply by mashing buttons or keep it stylish by testing out your own combo.

There's also an element of stealth allowing you to use Batman's gadgets, usually boosting you up into the air where the enemies don't look then swoop down to take them out one by one. It feels kind of too convenient and easy because there's no time limit to this part of the game. As long as you stay up high, you can swing around like a monkey and the enemies won't notice whereas unlike a real stealth game such as Splinter Cell, they make it more difficult looking around and you must keep yourself in the shadows.

And perhaps that's the downside of the game because even the bosses can prove to be easy as long as you dodge at the right time, you can spam the Baterang to beat them.

On the other hand, you do have a plethora of gadgets to play around with. Most of the time you will be going into a "detective mode" which turns the screen into a kind of x-ray vision to identify what objects you can interact with to solve puzzles such as tracking down the enemy by looking for traces of their alcoholic breathe, finding the next hidden crate that blocks your route or blowing up walls. There's plenty of stylish moments.

Then there's also a bit of an RPG element thrown in too, allowing you to gain experience as you make your way through the game which in turn, lets you upgrade your health or increase your attack combos etc. Customisation's always good for a unique experience.

Presentation

The game makes great use of the Unreal 3 engine and runs smoothly on my setup with a Geforce 9800 GT card. Story maybe very cliche but the voice acting and characters are top-notch really bringing them alive. I really can't find anything to fault and if you've seen enough games using the engine such as The Last Remnant, I think you'll recognise the visual effects right away even if the logo wasn't there.

As expected of a "next-gen" game, there is support for 5.1 surround sound which helps knock up the overall eery atmosphere of the asylum and at some parts of the game, it can be pretty scary - Almost like a survival horror game.

Summary

The gameplay can be too easy at times in Batman Arkham Asylum with its very simple battle system, feeling like the usual button mashing game. Saying that, it is a very stylish game in terms of presentation with plenty of familiar gadgets to fool around with. I would probably have played longer just for this factor if there was a more intricate storyline involved.