THIS is what happens when you decide not to do a stupid movie tie-in game.
The games industry is heavily reliant on creativity, and if this isn't proof, I'm not sure what is. If it were limited by the plot of a movie, I am absolutely certain it would not be nearly as good. Batman: Arkham Asylum is pretty darn awesome, and here's why:
I don't think I've been quite sucked into the atmosphere of a game this much since Bioshock. It's dark, it's slightly disturbing, and it looks a lot like what most people would think a comic book mental institute would look like. Most interestingly, the island changes as plot events unfold. The cutscenes are well done, and the Scarecrow sections are particularly hair-raising.
Well, you're Batman, so obviously you're going to beat up thugs, right? Combat is fluid and fun, but most importantly, you feel like Batman in the sense that he's got no super powers. He's just a dude with big brains AND muscles. Get in a fight with 10 criminals and you'll find Batman on the floor in relatively few hits if you don't counter/dodge well, and even faster if the enemy has guns. Which is why stealth works in this game. It's just as satisfying to beat up 20 thugs in a brawl as it is to pick them off one by one stealthily. Essentially, this game makes it fun to be Batman.
The adventuring is also fun. It's sort of got this Zelda vibe to it in that you can't reach certain areas without a certain gadget, but most of it just comes from exploring Arkham. It's obvious that a lot of time went into designing Arkham Island. Detective mode useful to a fault though. You'll be using it to solve just about everything, and unfortunately, it comes in... well, standard form comes in blue and more blue. Detracts a lot from the atmosphere when everything's blue.
Here's the thing. If you're a comics fan, and you like constantly getting rewarded, you'll probably like what they've done here. See, Enigma's set a TON of riddles/trophies around this island, and you'll get character bios, therapy session recordings, and even Arkham's diary entries (awww) as you solve them. I've never really gotten into comics, but this had me hooked. I love reading about backstories and random tidbits, and this reward system hit the nail on the head. The only downside is that guide maps are also provided, with a little searching. And while they're not necessary, I was tempted more than once to use it. It makes the whole process far too easy.
I think I've gotten through most of what I thought was good so here's the bad...
Hold X to run. Really? I mean... I thought they've done away with that YEARS ago. I honestly don't remember seeing this since PSX days. What's this outdated control scheme doing in here?
The bosses. Notice I left out the word "fights". In Arkham Asylum, you don't really fight bosses. You just kind of experience them. This is probably my biggest gripe. They'll spend every section hyping up the area's boss, and then... usually, something lame happens.
Case in point. And spoilers.
Croc. You beat him...
...by dropping him into a hole.
...What? He pops up on multiple occasions throughout the game ready to separate Batman into bite-sized chunks, and all you get to do is drop him in a hole? I could go on and on about this. It's really disappointing.
Finally, I'm a little bugged at the camera. It's stuck a little too close to Batman's overly broad shoulders sometimes. Only sometimes though. Most of the time, it's fine.
Overall, this game is great. I don't think anyone should miss it, really. Even less so if you love comics, third-person action games, muscular men in tights, ...Okay. I'll stop there.