Ever since Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, Batman has been on a quality comeback. And this comeback doesn't just apply to film! In a weird way, it's kind of like the quality of Batman films and Batman videogames have followed the same rollercoaster of a timeline.
Batman for the NES was one of the very best Batman videogames ever made. Actually, scratch that: Batman for the NES may be the only good Batman videogame ever made. And the same goes for the films: The first two Batman movies were pretty darn awesome, and -- until Batman Begins -- well ... not so much.
Because of this, I was very curious to see how Eidos's very anticipated Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 game Batman: Arkham Asylum would hold up.
After meeing with Eidos I can confidently say things are looking up ... with a few small exceptions. I know we have already covered this game to death on the site, but hit the jump to read my overly dramatic impressions of my E3 hands-on with Batman: Arkham Asylum.
There were two things I really liked about Batman: Arkham Asylum and two things I really didn't. Since Anthony talked a lot about the details of the gameplay, let's just focus on these.
Do you want the good or the bad news first?
No, I will not take off my top. Please just answer the question!
Okay, the good news. Thank you.
When I first started up the game (what seemed like the full retail version), I was greeted by a stunning cutscene showing a very Dark Knight-esque Batman taking a very non-Dark Knight-esque Joker into Arkham Asylum for imprisonment. Of course, along the way, things go horribly wrong and the Joker escapes, causing havoc and chaos throughout the facility.
The first thing I noticed was not just how gorgeous the sequence was, but how cinematic it all came across! From the beautiful cinematography to the pretty decent voice acting, everything about the game's opening cutscene felt like a really well-produced movie. And since I love Batman movies this was a very good thing!
Most importantly, the reason all of this got me so excited was it was one of the first videogames in recent memory that sucked me into its story this quickly. And not that much happened! It surprised me, but after I saw the opening cutscene I was genuinely looking forward to what was going to happen next. I can't wait to play the full game and see where Batman's adventures in this very gloomy Gotham City takes him.
The second thing I liked about the little I got to play of the game was the focus on its detailed polish. Sure, it was fun to perform fighting combos as Batman, but that was a given: I liked the little details as I was playing through the first few levels of the game. I liked how every time a new character was introduced this slick interface popped up telling you their profile was added to your record accompanied by an actual link to take you there. I liked how some shadow bats appear and surround the enemies that you have recently defeated, telling you that they are dead and not just knocked down.
Batman: Arkham Asylum is full of little touches like this and it made for quite the polished, high-quality experience.
And now for the bad news: Well, not so bad ... just a couple of concerns.
The action in Batman: Arkham Asylum, while amazing to look at, feels a little slow -- which is odd given the game's amazing combo/experience system. Fighting a huge gang of thugs was satisfying, but each kick and punch felt like it was going through molasses, and that is not even counting the numerous slow motion shots the game utilizes to emphasize a powerful final blow. I get that the slow motion shots look cool (and they really do!), but once you see a few in a row you will be a little over it.
On a similar note, I was worried after a few levels that the action in Batman: Arkham Asylum may feel a little repetitive over time. For a game that is as beautiful as this game is, I was surrpised at the lack of variety in what I got to play. Granted, I played a very small chunk of the final product, but what I experienced felt little more than walk-into-a-room-and-fight-a-group-of-enemies.
But with the promise of some awesome bosses and cool uses for Batman's multiple tools (Batarang!), I am thinking (and hoping) everything will turn out fine.
Based on my hands-on time with the game, I am giving my impressions of Batman: Arkham Asylum a 7.0.*
*This is a ridiculous scoring system and has nothing to do with the final game. I just thought it would be fun to score all the games I play this week based on my hands-on time with them all.
UPDATE! After playing a little more of the game again this morning (6/3), I am upgrading my first impression score to a 7.0. I saw something (without trying to ruin anything) that made me really happy.
Contest:
8:40 PM on 06.02.2009
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As for Arkham Asylum, I'm still ambivalent.
If this is indicative of the final game, I will be pretty disappointed.
Did you notice any options for stealth, or was it really just all fighting as you seem to describe?
... I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, it was just there waiting to be said and I thoughtsomeone should just get it over with.
I'll go now...
This kinda bothered me in all those villain reveal trailers. They all seemed too immature and cartoonish. Still I'll prolly get the game.
Actually, I see what you are saying, and, in that context, Batman being a little slower makes sense. I don't know, maybe it is because I am used to crazy fast action like God of War that everything felt slow. I will definitely take into account everything you said, though, when I play the game again. Good point! :)
Yes, definitely work-in-progress -- the full game could turn out AWESOME! It is a completely arbitrary score and is only based on my very limited time with the final build ... and also it is just fun to score things. :)
Actually, I should stress that I only played the early levels -- the ones set in Arkham Asylum's outer hallways and offices. I think, given the stuff that is happening in the story, these first few levels are more action-centric. I have a feeling there will be much more stealth to follow ... or, at least, like you, I hope there will be. :)
I agree with Chad's assessment. I did feel like it was rather slow. I enjoyed it though, and it did feel fluid: but slow. Also not being able to jump is just....weird.
I wouldn’t go as far to imply that games involving more “human” themed action demonstrate more “skill”. These sorts of games simply represent a different gaming aesthetic or sensibility. It’s similar to the debate of theatrical movies/literature based on reality vs. similar works based on fantasy….there is no better or worse in my book.
Fans of games like Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden would probably argue that those games require great skill and timing while fans of Splinter Cell and Metal Gear might argue that these games necessitate a more cerebral approach….in actuality, both game types challenge your brain in one way or another.
This Batman game fights the same fight the character does with readers…he is a “superhero” with no powers…my assertion was that the game might fair better when not competing with other “SUPER”hero
titles. I believe Infamous may suffer from a bit of the same dynamic now that Prototype is out, but not quite as bad since the character does have some super abilities (in watching the game it still leaves me flat tho’).
Personally, I prefer my superheroes “powered” just as I like movies and books revolving around fantasy (I like to experience things outside of mundane every day scenarios the sense of escapism is a joy), but that doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy characters like the Bat …..It’s just hard for him (by nature of only being human) to stack up against larger than life characters within a video game environment.
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