Batman: Arkham Asylum

[Winnow]

Quality game.

People will like:

Graphics
Fluid Animations for Batman's fighting moves
Combat
Character Trophies
Slight RPG Character Building Elements
Voice Acting
Character Bios

I got 234pg Brady Games Guide but the quality of the scan is awful and it's a 315mb file.

[miir]

I tried the demo...
It's got great production values but the gameplay is just meh... kinda slow, kinda boring.
The game is getting great reviews but I don't really see what the hype is about.

[Fairweather Pure]

I'll be picking this up for sure. The demo was fantastic.

[miir]

For the Canadians:

Futureshop has the PS3 and 360 version on sale for $38.83 until Aug 27.
Online only.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/prodde ... atid=24295
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/prodde ... atid=23354

[Animalor]

For the Canadians:

Futureshop has the PS3 and 360 version on sale for $38.83 until Aug 27.
Online only.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/prodde ... atid=24295
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/prodde ... atid=23354

WalMart and BestBuy are doing this also.. Apparently EBGames is selling it for 39.99 to match in Canada.
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetai ... pg1_slide4
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetai ... pg2_slide4

[Fairweather Pure]

Gotta love that Best Buy site. $38.83, free shipping on any order over $39.00!

[Aslanna]

Which one is better? Does the PS3 version only have half the textures?

[Animalor]

Which one is better? Does the PS3 version only have half the textures?

Wrath of Miir INC!!

[Funkmasterr]

Which one is better? Does the PS3 version only have half the textures?

Pretty sure I read in Game Informer that they are pretty comparable, but that the PS3 version allows you to play as the Joker in the challenge rooms and the 360 version does not.

[Animalor]

Got my pre-order from EB over lunch. 39$ for the 360 version.

[Fairweather Pure]

Toys r Us is giving a 30$ gift card.

[Kwonryu DragonFist]

Was hopin for a multiplayermode where i, as KillerCroc, could chase around the Asylum after Batman, stopping batmanplayer from reaching his objectives within timelimit!

[Hesten]

I just ordered this, along with a PS3 Slim.

[Fairweather Pure]

There is a huge portion of the community calling this Game of the Year up to this point. I hear nothing but good. I thought I was almost finished with Wolfenstein, but I actually have quite a ways to go until I can get to Batman.

[Fairweather Pure]

Wolfenstien has been defeated. That game was fucking great. It had some of the most fun and elaborate boss fights I have seen in a FPS. But now it's on to Batman.

I really got into this game today, playing about 2ish hours in my initial sitting. All I can say is "Belive the hype". This game is incredible. The immersion factor is off the charts. Detective mode, stealth mode, and combat are equally thrilling and fun to do. I love the fact that each room or challange can be completed in any way you want. You really have to take a momment and examine each situation and develop a plan before you advance. I think this makes the gameplay extremely rewarding. The amount of character info, bios, statues, audio files, secrets, and riddles are amazing. There is always something to examine or listen to. You are also awarded loads of acheivements. Sure, it's only 5 and 10 pointers here and there, but you always seem to be accomplishing something. I noticed it also has the "Metrovania" style made popular again by the recent game Shadow Complex. As you unlock new abilities, you can go back to previously explored locations and access new areas.

Game of the Year so far? I'll have to finish it before I pass judgement, but goddamn it very well could be. I am looking forward to playing more of this than any game in recent memory.

I have never had so many great games to play in my life. What a great time to be a gamer!

[Funkmasterr]

I'm sorry to rain on the parade here, but there is no way in hell a comic book game is game of the year - maybe so far but that isn't tough considering the only thing that's really came out this year is a few rhythm games. I guess we'll see if I eat my words.

[Fairweather Pure]

The Dark Knight was a movie that was just based on a comic book and it was one of the best movies of 2008. It's all a matter of how the material is treated. I think that if you play the game you'll realize how silly your comment was.

[Funkmasterr]

The Dark Knight was a movie that was just based on a comic book and it was one of the best movies of 2008. It's all a matter of how the material is treated. I think that if you play the game you'll realize how silly your comment was.

I just don't view action/adventure games like that to be on par with games like Bioshock, Fallout, Oblivion, Assassin's Creed (to name a few candidates) or even upcoming games like Dragon Age Origins, Borderlands, Assassin's Creed 2, Dante's Inferno. That's largely to do with the fact that I just don't like those kind of games, and I hate stealth type games (Splinter Cell series is one of the worst series of games ever made imo). But a big part of the reason I say that, is whether the community at large loves the game or not, that type of game never wins the award. It always goes to a big name shooter or RPG and this year won't be an exception.

[Fairweather Pure]

There may be games that I enjoy as much as Batman, but I don't see myself enjoying a game more than Batman. I look forward to many more games this year, but I don't imagine giving my GotY to a MW2, ODST, or anything else that is a sequel. Rockband 1 may have been GotY material when it was released, but as long as it never changes a sequel will never be in the running for me personally.

The only other stealth game I played was Theif on the PC back in the day. I never played a Spliter Cell game, but have Conviction on preorder. So for me, the experiance is quite unique. I think another thing that sets Batman apart is that the character doesn't use guns. Everything is dependent on getting up close and personal. There is kind of power trip to the experiance, kind of like Prototype in the sense that your character is just a bad ass. If you get a few guys alone and unarmed, you are going to fuck them up. But you better hurry because guys with guns are running down the hallway towards you!

It's just one of those games where I had heard good things but never really got on they hype train. Then when I played it, I'm thinking "yeah, ok, this is pretty fucking great". It's getting rave reviews because it's earning them.

I think Anirask is playing it. He may be finished with it for all I know. I'm curious what he thinks about the game.

[Animalor]

I loved this game. This isn't really a stealth game per-say. Look at how batman behaves and this is what the game is like. Extremely well done. I think this one is absolutely worthy of contention for game of the year.

At the very least I highly recommend renting the game. My position is that the game is absolutely worth the price.

[Hesten]

I just got it this weekend, and DAMN its good, having a LOT of fun as batman .
And stupid Riddler trophies

[Aslanna]

I just started on this one so it might be too early to judge. But Game of the Year? Nay!

[Fairweather Pure]

I just started on this one so it might be too early to judge. But Game of the Year? Nay!

But, you hate everything so all is right in the world!

[Aslanna]

Wrong. And I didn't say anything about hating it. I just think there's been better out this year.

[Aslanna]

I really got into this game today, playing about 2ish hours in my initial sitting. All I can say is "Belive the hype". This game is incredible. The immersion factor is off the charts. Detective mode, stealth mode, and combat are equally thrilling and fun to do. I love the fact that each room or challange can be completed in any way you want. You really have to take a momment and examine each situation and develop a plan before you advance. I think this makes the gameplay extremely rewarding. The amount of character info, bios, statues, audio files, secrets, and riddles are amazing. There is always something to examine or listen to. You are also awarded loads of acheivements. Sure, it's only 5 and 10 pointers here and there, but you always seem to be accomplishing something. I noticed it also has the "Metrovania" style made popular again by the recent game Shadow Complex. As you unlock new abilities, you can go back to previously explored locations and access new areas.

I had typed up a long response but my UPS decided to die so here's the summarized version:

While there are stealth sections, especially early on, there will be encounters where you have no choice in the matter. Also other than armed enemies, or sections where the game forces you to go stealth, there's really no reason to. It's much quicker (and xp rewarding) to just go in and melee your foes.


Overall I liked the game. It's definitely worthy of a rental. Or a purchase if one likes button-pushy fighter type games. It wouldn't personally be my game of the year but I'll give it 8/10. My main complaints, while nothing major, would be something nice for them to implement if there's a sequel. Which I'm sure there probably will be at some point:

Batman walks to fucking slow! You pretty much have to hold down X (A on the 360 I imagine) all the time to run if you don't want to fall asleep while moving from one area to another. This is especially frustrating during fights when you're trying to scarper away from the baddies and instead get hit in the back of the head with a pipe.

Whenever you encounter a cutscene, if you are in detective mode, which I usually was, it would not place you back into detective mode when it had concluded. Not a gamekiller but a bit annoying having to set it back all the time considering the number of times the game takes control. This could easily be set as an option somewhere.

The camera omg! While it is acceptable in most parts of the game there are some places where it's just retarded. This is mainly in encounters where you're in a room that's too small. A perfect example of this is near the end where you have to fight 16 enemies in a narrow hallway. If you stand in the middle you're fine but when I try moving to one of the hall the camera freaks out and I end up going the wrong direction.

Some of the upgrades seem pretty pointless and unused in the game. For example the remote controlled batarang. I only used this once and that was to get the trophy for catching it.

I haven't finished the game yet but pretty close. Some of the Challenges are pretty crazy though so I don't see myself getting a Platinum trophy for this game. I suck at getting high combos.

[Aslanna]

Microsoft Store has this for $30 at the moment. Not a bad price. Only for this weekend though so come Monday I am guessing it will be back at $60.

[Winnow]

Batman: Arkham City

This 12 minute game play preview (rescuing Catwoman from Two-Face) looks awesome. Looks like fun getting around the city.

Catwoman looks hot. I can't wait to see Harley Quinn in action as well.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/01/watch ... -you-dare/

[Aslanna]

I'm actually considering pre-ordering this game but I don't know why. I'm not a huge fan, or any amount at all really, of Batman. But I thought the first one was pretty decent and I actually found the combat enjoyable/challenging especially in going for the Platinum. A few of them were actually pretty frustrating but I got them eventually. I sort of hope they don't make them quite as tough in the sequel. Or if they do don't require 3 bats (or whatever it was) in ALL the challenges to get the trophy/achievement.

There will be no multi-player in this one either which doesn't bother me since it means more content and effort were (hopefully) put into the single player game.

I heard they didn't like people using Detective Mode all the time in the first game so they are doing things to discourage that. How about looking at why people used it all the time and go from there? Crazy idea I know!