Does the caped crusaders new outing do justice

By Paul Everitt

In my youth and beyond I have always found myself mesmerised with comic books. Growing up on Spiderman, X-Men and Superman, my childhood dreams were fuelled with rein-acting their stories.

Becoming a hero.

One of my favourite characters from the comic books universe was the dark, tortured avenger Batman. There have been various movies based on the character, cartoons, and TV shows. Some good, some bad. The same can be said for video games based on this hero. I will admit to playing the majority of them, hoping they would capture the character and give us the fans the game we pined for. Some have come very close to this, whereas others have left us wanting.

So imagine my excitement when I first clapped eyes on Rock Steady's Batman:Arkham Asylum, I couldn't believe my eyes it looked great. Now I am pleased to be able to give you my views on this exciting title. So is it hit or miss read on.

The game opens up in a true movie style with the Batmobile tearing down the streets of Gotham. Destination Arkham Ayslum with the mission to return the escaped convict the Joker. Very quickly it becomes clear that the Joker has other plans, with a takeover bid of Arkham Island high on his fiendish mind. And so begins the game, with Arkham Island and all the facilities ending up in lock down. The Joker takes control with only one person able to stop him and return Arkham back overto the authorities. This person is you taking on the mantle of Batman. Also in Jokers favour is he has managed to get the help of several of Batman's other famous foes including Bane, Posion Ivy and Harlequinn.

The storyline to this game is definitely one of originality. You can tell from how Batman and Joker react with each other that this has been a labour of love.

Being Batman has never felt so real and good. The graphics are dark and moody just as Batman, should be all the characters have been lovingly recreated. Arkham itself has been designed so well, immersing you totally into the game and story.

Special mention must go to the voice acting as well, the original actors who voiced Batman and Joker in the award winning 90's cartoon series return, making the dynamics of the central characters really work overtime. The rest of the cast perform just as well making all the character spring to life from the screen.

Everything from the comic book characters have been retained, this is not a simple run in beat everyone up and walk on to the next section. Just like the character, you have to plan your attacks, sneaking up on enemies so the rest aren't alerted to your presence. This sometimes can take some time, as you sneak around the area taking in all advantages available to you. Truly making you plan your assault. To help with this there's the new detective mode which allows you to see enemies through walls, it also helps pick up DNA traces of people you might be searching for allowing some detective work to take place as you search for clues, determining the true purpose of Jokers takeover.

This system works brilliantly, as do the gadgets ranging from radio controlled batarangs to the bat grapple. Everything is in place and works like a charm.

Combat works very well as well allowing for combos galore for which you gain experience points used to unlock upgrades for the gadgets which you manage to unlock. Controls are very responsive and although to begin with can feel a little disjointed they soon become second nature, before you know it you are switching gadgets whilst hanging from Gargoyles, waiting for the next goon to show there face.

As well as the main story Rock Steady have thrown in the challenge modes, these allow you to take on Jokers henchman wave after wave attempting to beat the high scores, a little like Horde mode on Gears Of War 2. Of course though in this you are on your own, perfect place to practice new unlocked combos. There are also plenty of little Easter eggs available to unlock including character bios, interview tapes with certain convicts. For even more of a challenge you have the riddler trophies to collect as well as riddles posed by the Riddler through out the game for you to try and solve.

The whole package has been delivered with a punch, Rock Steady have managed to make this the best comic book hero game released in years, possibly ever. Batman is back in gaming and what a game. If you love Batman you will love this, if you love first person adventure games, then you will love this. Rock Steady I salute you this has got be one of the best games of the year.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Batman: Arkham Asylum Batman: Arkham Asylum exposes players to a unique, dark and atmospheric adventure that takes them to the depths of Arkham Asylum –Gotham’s psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. Gamers will move in the shadows, instigate fear amongst their enemies and confront The Joker and Gotham City’s most notorious villains who have taken over the asylum.

The Old Man's Top 5

	# 1: ★★★★★ Red Dead Redemption is an open-world, third-person, action-adventure game set at the tail end of the American West West era. Action takes place in the first few years of the twentieth century and revolves around the choices that the protagonist, former outlaw John Marston, is forced to make due to his blemished past.
	# 2: ★★★★★ Follow-up game to 2007's critically acclaimed Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, the PlayStation 3 exclusive Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a continuation of the adventures of Nathan Drake, a fortune-hunter with a shady reputation and an even shadier past. Chock full of all the action, adventure, cinematic story elements and beautiful graphics that set the first game apart, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves adds deep online multiplayer options, including co-op and competitive campaigns, and a whole new supporting cast of characters.
	# 3: ★★★★★ Modern Warfare 2 is a first-person tactical shooter and the sixth entry in the popular Call of Duty series. True to its name and following the lead of its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, it places players in modern combat settings, as opposed to the WWII environments of the earlier Call of Duty games. This modern approach brings with it new weapons, action and options. Coupled with a variety of gameplay modes including single player, multiplayer and the co-op Special Ops Mode, it is destined to be one of the most popular games of 2009 and a worthy addition to the Call of Duty series.
	# 4: ★★★★★ Get ready to plunge into the lush and deadly world of the Italian Renaissance, an era of arts, riches and murderous conspiracy. Assassin's Creed II introduces you to Ezio, a new assassin carrying on the deadly lineage of his forebears. Confront an epic tale of power and corruption as you hone your assassin's art, wielding weapons and instruments designed by the legendary Leonardo da Vinci himself in this gripping and deadly sequel.
	# 5: ★★★★★ The third game in the Fallout series, Fallout 3 is a singleplayer action role-playing game (RPG) set in a post-apocalyptic Washington DC. Combining the horrific insanity of the Cold War era theory of mutually assured destruction gone terribly wrong, with the kitschy naivety of American 1950s nuclear propaganda, Fallout 3 will satisfy both players familiar with the popular first two games in its series as well as those coming to the franchise for the first time.

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