I have strayed away from the Batman games that have come out in recent years, due to thier... Well you know, crapiness. But in the dark night comes something gamers and Batman fans alike have waited for... A really good Batman game. Batman Arkham Asylum is that really good game.

So basically Joker had some sort of evil plan and has taken over Arkham Asylum, as well releasing some of it finest inmates. You get the pleasure of dealing with the likes of Bane, Harley Quinn, Joker himself and a few other famous villains. I must say, I took large enjoyment out of the Scarecrow encounters, which were more original and unique compared to the other villains. Some of the other big boss villain encounters felt lacking. Too simple, or too easy. But you are Batman... Its not like you're gonna kill anyone today.

I was rather suprised by the games combat system. Being its very simple, it is not disappointing in the least. You have one main attack button that does 75% of the work. You bring in a few other buttons here and there to do takedowns or throw your opponents. The power you feel from the combat system is great. It really does make you feel like Batman! But heres where you really feel like Batman... When you have to takedown opponents using pure stealth. Using stealth is really the only way you can stop 9 armed men. You can do silent takedowns when approaching an unsuspecting enemy from behind. You can also perch on gargoyles and attack them from above. However, sometimes using stealthiness can be difficult. You can find yourself waiting around a corner or on a gargoyle for sometime before you can get the perfect angle at the right bad guy.

The visuals for Batman are rather impressive. Simple things like the animations of Batmans cape are pretty neat. Character models and animtaion is done well, and the environments are nicely detailed and varied.

The voice acting in the game is great. And it is awesome that we get original character voices... Like Mark Hamil as the Joker. Musically wise, its Batman. It sounds like what you'd hear from the good Batman cartoons.

Overall I am happy with this game. I find only few short commings. It was rather short for my taste. It'll take about 10 hours to rush through the game, and a couple more if you find all of the Riddlers Riddles. Boss battles don't feel much like Boss battles, and are not that impressive. Mostly refering to the final fight with Joker. And I mentioned the deal with the stealth thing already. Blah blah blah, done.