Color me impressed.
Scratch that: it's really good.
When I first saw the early trailers for Arkham Asylum my initial response was an overwhelming sensation of "meh". Maybe I just wasn't looking close enough but it's presentation at first seemed to resemble that of the "Batman Begins" movie tie-in game made a few years back. Since it was a movie tie-in, you can guess how much fun it was. The combat, exploration, and general impression of the two games looked extremely similar to me, so my reaction was to pretty much stop caring about it then and there.
I am incredibly glad I changed my mind.
After hearing people go ballistic over this game for a while I figured I'd pick it up at a discounted price and give it a whirl. Much to my surprise (and my delight, might I add) the game was incredibly fun. No, that's too understated: rather, let's say that it was possibly the best action game I'd played in a good while, and without a doubt the best superhero-based game I've played period.
First off, the gameplay. This is notable for one very specific reason: you *feel* like Batman. Even simple movement like walking or running feels like it should, with that purposeful and powerful aura that can only be exuded by one such as Bruce Wayne. The way you go about combat is equally Batman-y. When you get in a fistfight, the combat flows like an unhindered river. Punches, kicks, and counter-moves can all be strung together in what feels like a well-choreographed dance. Only in this dance, you're not wearing a pair of tight-
Oh, right. Well, you know what I mean. Listen, it's Batman, it can't be sissy, so you just shut up.
My point is that this is one of those games where you can actually feel the satisfaction of landing a good punch, and that's just cool. What can sometimes be even cooler is when you *don't* take the baddies head-on, but when you act like the Dark Knight, striking from the shadows, preying on the fears of the "superstitious and cowardly lot" that are Gotham's criminals. There are few things more satisfying than dropping inverted from a gargoyle statue to snag thug by the throat, and then watching as his remaining comrades tiptoe around the room in terror, letting their horrified trigger fingers indulge themselves on threatening-looking inanimate objects. It's good to be the Bat.
Now the above mentioned factors would almost be enough to carry this game to greatness on it's own, but it needs a little something extra to take it all the way. Luckily, it has it, and "it" is an amazing sense of actually being in the Batman universe. I am admittedly a big Batman fan so some of you reading this might simply facepalm at the profound levels of nerd that I'm about to exhibit, but hey: you're looking into a Batman game so shove it.
Arkham Asylum knows it's source material, and remains loyal to that source material throughout. If you've at least dabbled in the DC universe, then you'll likely appreciate the amount of stuff they throw in here. The Joker (voiced expertly by voice actor and Jedi Knight Mark Hamill) is back and just as delightfully insane as ever, and he's brought friends. Along with Clown Prince of Crime come a plethora of familiar faces. You'll also fight Killer Croc, a re-costumed Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow... basically there's enough fan service here to make any Batman fan fall to their knees and thank the heavens for this gift from on high. Besides the above mentioned faces, you'll receive regular challenges from the Riddler, many of which will lead you to traces of dozens of other Batman characters, all the way from Catwoman to Prometheus (Yeah, I know nobody knows that last one, but he's in there and that's exactly the kind of fan service I've been raving about). Along with all these familiar faces comes what is actually a good story. While you traverse the halls of Gotham's notorious insane asylum, you're led to question Batman's own sanity in comparison to that of Arkham's inmates. After all, you are an eccentric billionaire dressed up like a bat...
Ultimately, I was extremely satisfied with this game, much more so than I would have thought. If you like action games, or if you're just looking for another chance to leap into the world of the Caped Crusader, then you owe it to yourself to check out this game. After all: there's always room for one more in Arkham.
Ha. Hahaha. HAHAHA, HEE HEE HEE HAHAHAHA!