Product ReviewsBatman: Arkham Asylum (Microsoft Xbox 360, 2009)

The very best

this has proven that batman games can be great . action puzzles and an awesome story line .

Game keeps saying "can't read disc"

I put the game in and it wouldn't read this discussion after the credits. I wiped it off and tried again and then it got just a little further before it wouldn't read it again.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: promptoredux

Great Single Play Game

I enjoyed the game thoroughly.

Sometimes you're amazed by how long they got the story line to go and some of the twists you can get... However, at others you can seem to wonder, "Did they really just do that" cause at seldom times there are points where it seems to drag... Other ppl have told me they didn't think so but saw what I meant. Just an observation from me. Cousin said he thought his movements where clunky, I never thought so... THought it was rather smooth and excellent combat coordination.. It's pretty much automatic just keep pressing punch punch punch and the direction of an enemy.

The game's quite enjoyable and pretty clever with some of the arsenal you get. Some of the gadgets really bring out the most fun and let you torment some of Joker's Goons.

only big con I had:
******Following Paragraph Contains one Spoiler, Not for the Whole Game Storyline but A Side Mission You'll Be Going After over the Whole Campaign****
I love the game I would give it Excellent but stick with good as I was a little dissapointed with the game for making it seem as though if you got all of the Riddler's prizes and riddles you'd get to a last mission to go after him. But no. That's the spoiler....
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Good game to play, but I'd buy it a little cheaper and late as I did here this past month since there was no online gameplay and it's all single person.Read full review...

A very excellent game.

Overall, i enjoyed this game very much. The best part about it is that finally there is a game that lets you feel what it would be like to be Batman. It's not a straight up brawler and it's not a splinter cell clone. It is a Batman game.

The different components work well together, and along with an engaging and story line, thanks to actual Batman writers working on it, makes this probably one of the more addicting games I have played in the past year. And there's plenty of hidden items that will keep people busy, if they're into that sort of thing.

Really, my only problem with this game is a few stealth sequences that seem more chorish than they should be. While they add a distinct flavor to the game, it's a little unsettling, like mayonnaise on french fries.

Even so, I would recommend this game to anyone, be they Batman fans or no.

Even so, I would still recommend this game toRead full review...

Batman is worth every penny

Graphics: Excellent 9.5/10
Sound: Excellent 9.5/10
Controls: Great 8.5/10
Gameplay: Excellent 9.5/10
Replay: Very Good 8.0/10
Overall: Excellent 9.0/10

Note to the reader: This game has been played through and completed in its entirety.

Graphics: Excellent 9.5/10

The graphics are excellent, the cut-scenes and in-game graphics are seamless, and this is a great addition to the Fall 2009 line-up. It looks, feels, and has undertones of being "Bioshock-esque". This title pushes this generations graphics and leaves the purchaser wanting more. The shadows, lighting effects, colors, but more importantly the motions and combat animations are great, and really immerse you into the game. The bad guys, though repetitive, are detailed along with the backgrounds, and environments. This is a rich, and engrossing, environment.

Sound: Excellent – 9.5/10

The thing that sets this game apart is the voice acting. Games have had problems with cheesy actors, but this title gets Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil to do the voices of Batman and the Joker (from the Animated series). This game has the sound, from the sounds of the punches, groans, the heightening tension of the music when an attack is coming, and the sounds of The Asylum. The ambiance is set in the different areas by the increasing tones of heightening sense of importance through the use of music in this game.

Controls: Great - 8.5/10
Very well done and responsive control set. During combat, the controls can be pinpoint accurate, and makes it fun when playing the challenges. The downside is the use of Batman's arsenal, which the controls are lack accuracy.

Gameplay: Excellent – 9.5/10

Let me start by saying that when playing this game, there is nothing better than having an excellent Batman Game. With or without Batman, this game would be fun regardless, but just having this license makes it that much better. However, that being said, this game is a single player experience, and that is not a bad thing. Having a multi-player may have actually hurt this title. The computer A.I. will shoot you in the back, hunt you down, and will be aware of where you have been.

Replay Value: Very Good - 8.0/10

Once the game is over, you will most likely be wanting more. Luckily, there are many unlockables, multiple difficulty levels, and a challenge mode, with more maps to come, to keep you going. You will want to find all the upgrades for every weapon, and compare your times to your friends. After all that is said and done, you will have got your money's worth.

Overall – Excellent 9.0/10

This is an excellent game, and is almost a 10/10, but it is not perfect. This game is a nice addition to the end of the Summer 2009 release schedule and is worth every penny. This game is a great mix of pure action and stealth.

This game is a mix of Gears of War, Bioshock, and Assassin's Creed. Where this game does many things right, it is flawed and glitch in just as many areas. If this were another title name, I would still have enjoyed it still as much.

Verdict: BUY ITRead full review...

Arkham Asylum

Well first off, let me say that I played the demo off of xbox live and was sold the minute I finished it. Having played the game a little more extensively, I'd venture to say that this is definitely one of the best batman games out there. It if for sure the most realistic, but I will say that the game seems a little too short for anyone that is, or has the habits of, a serious gamer. I only logged about 12 hours into the game and I was able to beat it on the hard difficulty and collect all of the riddler trophies, maps, and vantage points. I will admit that I haven't played very extensively in the stealth predator or the other challenge modes, so there is definitely possibility for more game time. All in all, the plot is pretty good (a bit better than some of the movie plots)and the characters are a well needed revival for the Batman universe. I would easily give this game an 8 out of 10.Read full review...

Batman: Arkham Asylum sets the bar for superhero games

When die-hard Batman fans heard that a video game based on the Dark Knight was being released in August 2009, it was a dream come true. Not only was Batman coming to consoles everywhere, but esteemed players from the hit TV show Batman: The Animated Series had signed on to help create the game. With Paul Dini put in charge of creating the game's story, every fan knew that the game wouldn't disappoint.

And disappoint this game does not. It sticks religiously to the essence of Batman to the delight of all the fans who know a crappy knock-off when they see one. The game is dark, twisted and deep, with enough heart thrown in to create a compelling story--not just a backdrop to throw a few batarangs.

One of the major appeals of the game is that you are allowed complete Batman-ish freedom. You can jump/fall from any height and land unharmed, you can ascend to the ceiling and navigate through the air as much as you'd like using Batman's grapple gun, you get a bunch of gadgets to help you take out Joker's henchmen in a variety of ways, and the fighting system is complex enough to keep you on your toes but still easy enough to keep you from feeling overwhelmed if you're surrounded by thugs. I mean after all, we all know Batman could never be overwhelmed in real life.

The characters and voice acting is also top notch. Batman, Joker and Harley Quinn are all voiced by their Batman: TAS voice actor (Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill and Arleen Sorkin respectively). The game also includes Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Bane, Victor Zsasz and a recurring Scarecrow. (Note: The Scarecrow scenes are especially vivid, and the first appearance is definitely something). The script is by the book with the notable exception of Joker, who steals the show with his special brand of disturbed humor and psychotic laugh.

Overall the game has very few faults. Except for an ending that seems weak compared to the early story, the game is still quite solid and deserves the ratings it has been given by game magazines and sites. Plus the Riddler challenges and challenge maps will provide hours of entertainment aside from the main story line.

So for anyone who has ever wanted to put on the cape and cowl, this game is as close as you can get without potentially hurting yourself.Read full review...

Great Game - Button Mashers Need Not Apply

I wasn't really sold on another comic book game, I've played a comic game called "Marvel: Ultimate"-something and it was alright but I didn't really play through all it, just the first part of the game then I said "Meh" and I avoided the Lego-batman game, it reminded of a free Burger-King game

This Batman game is completely different, its also more to me because its singleplayer and it does singleplayer good. It vaguely reminds me of Bioshock One but this time I can return and re-explore everything. In this day and age of single player games, this game is actually very humane on Batmans Part, because I really dont kill anyone or I dont think I even can kill, just KO's. Being humane doesnt make Batman a wimp either, the options and controls are very responsive. Nothing beats a good beat-down by the Bat.

Yeah, I like multiplayer games thats inherent or natural for some obvious multiplayer/Co-op games like Halo, Call of Duty, Left4dDead, Borderlands ..etc these are great multiplayer games. Great Singleplayers games are like Bioshock (first one), Half-Life 2 Ep.2, Fallout 3, GTA IV, Viva Pinata.. etc.. and Batman Arkham Asylum. I like it, hopefully Batman 2 will not be ruined by "trying to be a multiplayer"

3 Modes: Easy, Normal, Hard and in Hard mode, if you choose to play that, I've learned a great deal about good tactics and doing a real good flow of planning rather than just-button-mashing-"A"-button-to-hit-knock-down-and-take out. This games has me think and play a series of planned moves that give me good rewards for tactics -< rather-than >- just hitting the same button and doing some sort of "hit A button sixty times for a triple-whammy-double-hit-combo"

There is the story, a very great story, excellent characters, the game story kept me going throughout the whole game, my regular idea of "just rushing and beating something to death" or "just shooting it until it was dead" didnt work, I had to plan and get the flow of moves, which to me work very well, once I got the hang of being button tactical rather than button-mashing, the batman moves were surprising, very flowing, I like it. Being very good at this controller gameplay makes the seperate "Batman Challenges" somewhat easy and the not-so-challenging or in my case "frustrating-sucky." The seperate challenges are good, really good, getting to know the gameplay makes these challenges fun and well.. challenging. I like it.

But button-timing and thumbstick-precision may not be for everyone, so if your the type that likes to button-mash-a rocket launcher and blast the enemy to death then your probably not going to like this game or I think you will find the "easy" setting more to your liking.

The story is great, the characters are great, to me this game is one of the best games I've played, I recommend this game to just about anyone. I am starting to really enjoy this game and luving it.Read full review...

Best game of the year!

This game is phenomenal. It has an awesome storyline that makes you feel like you're in a movie at times. The graphics and detail put into the game is overwhelmingly good. The fighting is a lot of fun. It's easy to learn but a bit difficult to master. Batman also has a detective mode which allows him some special ability. In detective mode, he can see nearby enemies even through walls, if they're armed or not, track scents or DNA traces to find people, etc. It's also fun to do an inverted takedown from a gargoyle on an unsuspecting thug.

There are lots of challenges that you can achieve aside from the objectives which aren't necessarily all that fun (e.g. finding question marks or solving The Riddler's riddles, finding patient interview tapes, scanning Arkham Chronicles, etc.), but they provide something else to give attention to briefly while completing the story. They also add XP for you which is what you earn in order to upgrade Batman's armor, fighting maneuvers, weaponry, etc.

It includes Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, The Riddler and a few other lesser names, but the primary antagonist is The Joker.

This game is not an extremely short game like many fighting/storyline games. It takes around 20-25 hours of play in order to beat the game; however, you could easily spend much more than that by doing all the challenges and such.

All in all, a really great game with a lot of attention to detail. If you haven't played it and like these kinds of games, get it. You won't be disappointed!Read full review...

Fantastic Title

Pros: You are Batman. Freeflow combat makes fighting thugs fluid and fun. Stalking your enemies from the shadows or from above in 'Predator Mode' is great. 'Detective Mode' makes you really feel like the world's greatest detective, discovering clues and gathering evidence. Level design is genious; you explore the entire island and since there are no 'levels', it makes you want to keep playing. Tons of unlockables, from combat and predator challenge modes, to hidden Riddler challenges and Spirit of Arkham recordings, to character trophies and profiles, this game will keep you playing after the main story is done. Fantastic voice acting.

Cons: Graphics, while nice, look a little 'plastic-like'. Camera can be troublesome, as well as the controls, especially in tight places. Game can be a bit easy, especially if you keep your visor on 'detective mode' the entire time.Read full review...

Excellent game!!

If you ever dreamed of feeling what it would be like to be in Batman's shoes, we'll, this game will definitely rock your world. This game has excellent graphics that makes Batman look real, to every ripping muscle to the way his cape flows as he runs or the way he fights.The sound is great with Batman sounding really cool and the joker sounding like himself and crazier than ever.
The playability is great, I never had in controlling issues or camera issues so no worries there.
Many parts of this game is taken from all the comic books so you'll see many enemy's just from the comics. some huge bosses and great fights.
The Asylum is huge with a lot of open space to play in and freedom to roam if want before taking on the next mission area. The part I love the most is taking out all the thugs, by taking them out silently from behind, jumping up from a grate below or stringing them up by their feet from the gargoyles above.
The next best thing about this game is that you can't beat it in just a few hours but you won't care because you'll be to busy being Batman.Read full review...