the best comic book games ever made
Much has already been shown in the run-up to Arkham Asylum's release but, while it's enough to whet the appetite, frankly nothing you've seen so far does the game justice. It may sound obvious but Batman is a game that's best experienced by wholly immersing yourself in its world, soaking up Asylum's broody atmosphere and hanging on every twist the story throws at you. It's this immersion, this faithfulness to the original DC comics that really brings the game to life. When you first take control of Batman you really do feel like a master of all martial arts - you're able to take on half a dozen foes and bring them down without breaking sweat, right from the start of the game, and that's exactly as it should be. Similarly, gliding through the rafters and puzzle solving is second nature, again just as it should be if you're filling the boots of Bruce Wayne's alter ego. That's not to say the game is a pushover – it'll take a steady seven or eight hours to finish the story mode – but it's more recognition of the praise that deserves to be heaped on the controls, which are intuitive and extremely rewarding.
Take the opening fight as an example. Confronted by a group of the Joker's henchmen, in order to continue the chase against the clown prince of crime you need to take them down as quickly as possible. Batman has two basic combat moves – attack and counter-attack – but these are context-sensitive and his moves change depending on a handful of variables, like his position compared to your opponent and the weapons he's being attacked with. Time your attacks correctly and you're able, with practice, to take down every guy in one long combo, combining punches, kicks and counters without the need to remember complex button combos – it's simply a case of hitting the two buttons at the right time. Even when you're deep into the game and have unlocked more attacking options, there are still only a couple of simple combos to remember - yet the result is arguably the most fluid, intelligent and downright exciting melee combat system we've seen in a very long time.