Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3)
Pub: Eidos/Dev: Rocksteady
ESRB: T/Players: 1

Batman has had better luck than most of his superhero cohorts in terms of starring in some awesome games. Developer Rocksteady continues that trend of awesome Dark Knight gaming with their first effort, carefully melding one of the finest 3D interpretations of the Metroid-style format yet.

Batman is an amazingly fluid combatant in this game. He’s able to leap into full-on scraps with several criminal toadies and hold his own thanks to the game’s Freeflow combat engine. Batman is able to smash multiple opponents with ease, counter incoming blows and bob and weave his way through the horde. These are thrilling to take part in, but this is only half the equation. Batman is also able to utilize stealthy maneuvers and covertly eliminate threats as well in some sections of the game. These too are incredibly fulfilling to conquer. Rocksteady gave players a surprising amount of ways to take out Joker’s goons, and as his toolset deepens the possibilities increase. Challenge Mode allows you to relive this glorious setpieces over and over again, and they are definitely among the finest stealth moments in any game I’ve played. Boss fights do creep in from time to time, and luckily, most of them are pretty engaging. The final fight was the only one I felt was a little weak, but the others were all solidly executed. Scarecrow in particular is a standout.

So the gameplay is amazing. The game is fully bolstered by an stunning group of voice actors and actresses and a topnotch script. Mark Hamill’s performance as the Joker powers the game’s plot, and his skillful rendering of the character is masterful. It’s clear Hamill relishes this role. Despite some repetition, there’s little question this is one of the better overall dubs in a game. The game’s visuals are dark and appropriate, although the character design is more on the “steroid” and “sexy” side of things. Commissioner Gordon’s a little too pecked out, for example. Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, the two visible female characters, also suffer a bit from oversexualization. Ivy is understandable given her character history, but Quinn should have kept some more semblance of her original design than she does here. The nurse getup doesn’t quite work for me, I guess. There’s also plenty of awesome cameos and nods to other Batman bits of lore all throughout the game, with the Riddler providing the incentive to find them all.

Beyond a disappointing final boss, slight vocal repetition and the occasionally awkward character design, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a brilliant piece of software. It captures the essence of a Metroid-style game in three dimensions like few others have, and also throws in some ingenious gameplay. It’s a remarkable experience well worth considering.