Finally, Batman done right!

User Rating: 9.5 | Batman: Arkham Asylum X360
I was very skeptical about the latest Batman game, and deservedly so after the last few Batman games that have graced consoles. But thanks to some fantastic reviews and a taste of the demo I decided to give this game a shot. I am very glad I did. This is not only one of the best superhero games in a long tiem but one of the best games of this generation. It was nice to see developer Rocksteady give this game extra developement time to polish it and do the license justice. One advantage this game had is not being tied to a movie so they managed to spend extra time making sure they got things right.

First of all let me say the graphics are fantastic. The look of the characters is truely the highlight as they definitely have been inspired by the Dark Knight graphic novels and comics. The voice acting is first class with standout performances by Kevin Conroy (Batman) and Mark Hamil (The Joker). The script is pretty tight too and was helmed by famous Batman writer Paul Dini.

One of my favorite parts about this game is the fluid combat system. It is simple in design but its so easy to string together face pounding combos and counters. I love how the camera zooms and slo mos your fight ending blow. The real challange is stringing together combos over x20. Speaking of combat this game offers up a series of challenge modes which add to the replayability. In this mode Batman must take down a select number of badguys before being taken out himself. This mode is a great way to learn and master Batmans combat skills.

My only gripe so far has been the lack of a true checkpoint system. There are checkpoints in the game by they aren't clearly identified and its very easy to miss the little saving icon at the bottom right corner of the screen. Several times I found myself having to start further back than I expected because I wasn't clearly notified of a checkpoint save. They should have incorporated a save anywhere feature or placed some kinda laptop or card reader device around the asylum so you could walk up to it and save.

If you like 3rd person action games that have a good story, graphics, gameplay, chracters, action and elements of stealth...this is a game for you.

Batman fans rejoice....justice has been served.