TITLE:Batman: Arkham Asylum
DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER/PLATFORMS: Rocksteady Studios/ Edios Interactive/PC, PS3, XBOX 360
FUN FACT:Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy reprise their roles as the voices of Joker and Batman.
WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: Let's be honest, 99% of superhero-based video games suck. After the super noob-friendly Batman Begins game and the awful Superman Returns game, it was looking down hill for DC. But much like the newest Batman film, the Dark Knight is here to save them. To put it in simplest terms, Batman: Akrham Asylum is not only a fanboy's wet dream but it also holds its ground as one of the best titles of this year.
STORY: Screw Sherlock, the Dark Knight will always be the greatest detective of all time. While most other superhero games stick close to the comics, BAA is original while still paying respect to comic history. The new plot, which focuses on Batman battling everyone he's locked up in the past, is an interesting and new idea, but it's the dynamic gameplay that's most impressive...
GAMEPLAY: Stiff-moving and generic trademark attacks are the hallmark of horrible movie-to-game adaptations (we see you Fantasic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer). Arkham Asylum isn't flashy, and Batman just kicks ass like any other non-superhuman. Aside from basic button-mashing, the game gives a certain amount of freedom to players. Although there are a lot of options available on how to dispose of enemies, the game's most difficult setting provides a challenge even for serious gamers. We suggest you start out playing on the normal mode, then work your way up instead of acting like one of those I-start-playing-on-the-hardest-level dickheads.
GRAPHICS: While the movie version of Arkham Asylum was...eh...okay, the graphics of this game do a great service to Gotham's little slice of hell. Featuring broken furniture, scribbles on the walls, and disgusting housekeeping, BAA provides players that disconcerting "Where the hell am I?" feeling that isn't seen in games anymore.
DOWNSIDE: The only really bad thing that we can say about BAA is an overdrawn introduction with the Joker being taken inside Arkham. We get it, he's crazy, he's going to do something that starts the game, blah, blah, blah. After that though, it's smooth sailing all the way to the end of the game.
