Batman: Arkham Asylum

[Overweight Manatee]

I played through the thing on hard. Combat was hard for the first 30 mins, but after you figure out the system the game becomes really easy, and only gets easier as you obtain incredibly strong new abilities, while the enemies you fight never get much stronger. Frankly I don't have a problem with that, the game didn't pretend to have a DMC or NG amount of depth to the combat style. In the end its fun to prey upon hapless minions from the shadows above while the *insert well voiced villain here* taunts you constantly and yells at their subordinates for fucking up all the time.

That said, the boss battles were mostly lame. The actual *boss* bosses pretty much consisted of evasion + batarang spam. The titan battles were interesting, but FAR over used. You fight 1 titan, then 2, then 1 titan with lots of cheap minions, then for the grand finale you fight 2 titans with lots of cheap minions. Meh. On the other hand, I can't really fault them for this, the combat system isn't really complex enough to handle things more then this, and making it more complex would probably make it feel a lot less like a batman game.

The game definitely gets the batman atmosphere right though, there's a bunch of hidden secrets and backstory information to unlock, and batman controls very, very well for a brawler. Considering how bad most games that are made around already existing book/movie/comic franchises are, Arkham Asylum definitely stands out above most of those trashy cash in games. It feels batman, it plays like batman.

 

[Luzur]

That's Batman: The Movie: The Game.

First stage was a platformer sequence through a factory, second stage driving in the Batmobile (grappling lampposts to make high-speed turns), third stage a Mastermind-type puzzle, fourth stage a flying sequence and finally another platformer sequence through a really tall building...think it was a church, can't remember for sure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_FWZuePdJ0

yep, it is correct. i remember liking the driving sequence more the the other parts.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Watching that video and hearing the song being played brought back some memories. Shame that both the C-64 and the Amstrad versions are trying to play the same song and failing abysmally (not the SID chip's finest hour). The Youtube comments make me go "WTF?" though.

It could be worse, it could be the music from The Caped Crusader game - at times it actually sounds like the Spiderman theme!

 

[Imbecile]

Just picked this up - and its pretty good.

Is it me though, or does the joker remind anyone else of queenie from Blackadder?

Just me then.

 

[BLOBERT]

GO AHEAD BRO SUCK THIS DOWN LIKE THE REST OF THE SHEEPLE

 

[Satori (original)]

Teaser trailer for Arkham Asylum 2
http://www.arkhamhasmoved.com/
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/batma ... 9?type=flv

A sequel so soon?! But how will have time to insert tonnes of useless easter eggs into the game to make nerds spunk to cover up the lack of actual gameplay?!

 

[Vibalist]

I'd gladly pay 50 bucks for another 10 hours of AA.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

I'd gladly pay 50 bucks for another 10 hours of AA.

 

[thesheeep]

I'd gladly pay 50 bucks for another 10 hours of AA.

Seriously, I was astonished by how much fun this game is. Yeah, it is very easy (when it comes to combat, and except most boss fights), but it's so atmospheric, full of detail and.. fun.
By far the greatest license game since... No idea.

 

[Silellak]

I'd gladly pay 50 bucks for another 10 hours of AA.

 

[Rohit_N]

I'll play it.

 

[Lesifoere]

I'd gladly pay 50 bucks for another 10 hours of AA.

This. It's the first game since TW that I'd pay for--installed a few days ago, plan to pick up a legit copy some time this week (though the locally licensed edition is much cheaper than 50 bucks--$18 is the full price, and by now it's probably hit bargain bin). After slogging through so many non-games, Batman: AA surprised me by reminding me how much fun a game can be.

 

[Silellak]

I'd gladly pay 50 bucks for another 10 hours of AA.

This. It's the first game since TW that I'd pay for--installed a few days ago, plan to pick up a legit copy some time this week (though the locally licensed edition is much cheaper than 50 bucks--$18 is the full price, and by now it's probably hit bargain bin). After slogging through so many non-games, Batman: AA surprised me by reminding me how much fun a game can be.

Not to mention that what the small team at Rocksteady managed to pull off with the Unreal 3 engine is nothing short of a small technical miracle, as pointed out by Annie earlier in this thread.

 

[Lesifoere]

Reading Annie's post does remind me of one thing: I'd have liked it lots if Batman's LOVINGLY RENDERED CAPE didn't fill a third of my screen all the time. :/ And Jesus he's huge. I know jack-shit about Batman lore; has there ever been an incarnation of him that's so... bulky?

 

[Panthera]

By far the greatest license game since... No idea.

Goldeneye?

 

[denizsi]

Can't beat Batman The Movie C64/Amiga.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Reading Annie's post does remind me of one thing: I'd have liked it lots if Batman's LOVINGLY RENDERED CAPE didn't fill a third of my screen all the time. :/ And Jesus he's huge. I know jack-shit about Batman lore; has there ever been an incarnation of him that's so... bulky?

He's actually sized in his classical blue-cape measures in this. Frank Miller's 55 year old Batman looks like this:

BTW, Dark Knight Returns is a must if you want to see what makes Batman so special.

Yes, there once was a time when Frank Miller made something awesome and it looked good.

 

[Twinkle]

I'd gladly pay 50 bucks for another 10 hours of AA.

This. It's the first game since TW that I'd pay for--installed a few days ago, plan to pick up a legit copy some time this week (though the locally licensed edition is much cheaper than 50 bucks--$18 is the full price, and by now it's probably hit bargain bin). After slogging through so many non-games, Batman: AA surprised me by reminding me how much fun a game can be.

Too bad quality goes down to the shitter at the later stages: instead of not very challenging, but rather clever mix of exploration, stealth and brawling with nice art design and cool psychodelic stuff you'll get samey encounters + samey bosses and the last one is just a POS.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

Reading Annie's post does remind me of one thing: I'd have liked it lots if Batman's LOVINGLY RENDERED CAPE didn't fill a third of my screen all the time. :/ And Jesus he's huge. I know jack-shit about Batman lore; has there ever been an incarnation of him that's so... bulky?

Well, in a way - he looked that bulky in his Frank Miller incarnations, which came about as a result of Frank Miller suddenly deciding he was capable of drawing and nobody having the heart to tell him differently.
That and the fact that the Unreal Engine 3 permanently removes itself from your system if you use it to render a character who hasn't reached advanced stages of steroid abuse.

 

[Felix]

well, it's fun until you realized you just do the same things over and over.

 

[BLOBERT]

BROS WE NEED SKYWAY BACK YOU STUPIF FAGS JUST PLAY WHATEVER SHIT THE MEDIA TELLS YOU QUEER ASS SHEEPLE

 

[Lesifoere]

Reading Annie's post does remind me of one thing: I'd have liked it lots if Batman's LOVINGLY RENDERED CAPE didn't fill a third of my screen all the time. :/ And Jesus he's huge. I know jack-shit about Batman lore; has there ever been an incarnation of him that's so... bulky?

He's actually sized in his classical blue-cape measures in this. Frank Miller's 55 year old Batman looks like this:

Ahahaha the thighs. I know it's supposed to be muscles, but damn they must rub together badly when he walks.

 

[thesheeep]

By far the greatest license game since... No idea.

Goldeneye?

Yes!
That would be perfectly possible.
Though I also had a blast with the Jedi Knight 2 and 3 games. But only in multiplayer, so that probably doesn't count.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Reading Annie's post does remind me of one thing: I'd have liked it lots if Batman's LOVINGLY RENDERED CAPE didn't fill a third of my screen all the time. :/ And Jesus he's huge. I know jack-shit about Batman lore; has there ever been an incarnation of him that's so... bulky?

He's actually sized in his classical blue-cape measures in this. Frank Miller's 55 year old Batman looks like this:

Ahahaha the thighs. I know it's supposed to be muscles, but damn they must rub together badly when he walks.

Fuck, can't find the pic of Batman sitting in the Batcave by Jim Lee. Now that'd really crack you up in the thigh department.

Personally, I prefer the Alex Ross versions and similar when it comes to classic superheroes:

 

[Satori (original)]

Yeah Alex Ross is superb, some wax figures based on his drawings.