Games and Sports

The onslaught of comic book adaptations for the Silver Screen has brought with it a host of rushed, half-hearted games that exist to squeeze every ounce of cash out of our beloved heroes. It came as a huge surprise then, when Batman: Arkham Asylum was announced with no ties to the phenomenally successful Dark Knight film. This move marked Rocksteady’s intention to create their very own vision of the Batman universe, free from damaging time constraints.

The result is looking very promising indeed. The visuals and artwork seem to have been lovingly pulled straight from the pages of a Batman comic and brought to life using the Unreal engine, creating some of the best graphics seen this generation. Our first hands-on in March, where we were shown the brawling and stealth  aspects of the game, proved that there was some substance behind the impressive style, but it remained to be seen how this would all add up to create a competent game. We were excited then, when we were invited to play the first four acts (about 4-7 hours of game play) of Batman: Arkham Asylum, unabated.

The game opens with Batman taking the Joker to Arkham Asylum after an attempt on the Mayor’s life.  While the credits roll, you escort Joker past the many security measures designed to keep Arkham’s inmates behind bars. Reminiscent of Half-Life, this opening sequence gave us the opportunity to really appreciate the work that has gone into pushing the Unreal engine to its full potential. The Joker’s smirking face is so brilliantly expressive it’s hard to look away from him, while Batman’s towering stature and menacing prowl makes it almost a shame to have to run through parts of the game. Although when you do, the fluttering movement of his cape is a sight itself. Meanwhile, next to the larger-than-life comic book characters by comparison make the corridors of Arkham Asylum almost seem a little dull, drawing focus to the stars of the show. That’s not to say that they’re ugly, as the reflective tiles and detailed scenes catch your eye.

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