The Dark Knight As He Was Meant To Be

VIDEO GAME REVIEW: When I first heard that Eidos and Rocksteady are working on Batman: Arkham Asylum, I thought that Christopher Nolan (director and writer of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) had changed his mind into doing a third Batman film and that this Batman video game will be based on that.

It's a good thing that it isn't (although another Batman sequel by Nolan wouldn't be such a bad idea). Why? Because movie-based video games are just the "bottom feeders" of video games in that they are no more than $60 ($40 for the PC) advertisements for whatever movie (usually superhero and CG animated kid flicks) they're based on. Isn't it?

(But then again, this blog does the same, but I'm not getting paid!)

Eidos and Rocksteady do a tremendous job of making their version of "The Dark Knight" which, I think, is the best superhero video game right now. It's almost immediately noticeable the amount of detail and sensitivity for all gamers they put into this project. It won't make everyone happy (what does?). But, the game has all the right tools to appeal to just about anyone.

Unlike many professional and amateur video game critics who value a list of areas for a video game to be considered a hit or a miss, I prefer to look at only two things that are often overlooked by developers more often than it should be. Gameplay and replay value to me are the two things any video game should never ever fall short on.

Gameplay in Arkham is one of the most polished I've seen in years. More specially for a superhero game which usually tends to rely on the popularity of the superhero used as the vehicle for gamers to buy and "enjoy" it. There are many sides to Arkham that really captures and engrosses the universe of Batman and what it's like to fight crime as "The Caped Crusader." But, the one thing that stands out to me the most is its simple yet ingenious combat system called, FreeFlow.

FreeFlow consists of two buttons. Yup, just two. You only need to use the "Strike" button (Square for the PS3 or X for the XBox 360) to attack with your hands and feet and the "Counter" button to block or redirect an attack to incapacitate your enemy the way only Batman could. The beauty of FreeFlow is that the more you continuously hit the "Strike" button and directing your attack from one enemy to another (with the control stick), the faster and more elaborate Batman's moves become. There's really nothing else in the game as satisfying as controlling Batman's every jaw-dropping and brutal martial arts move bring down one henchman after another.

This combat system is designed to take out the frustration of fighting and makes gamers enjoy the fighting even more rather than forcing them to remember certain moves and the combination of buttons to execute that move. I mean what's more enjoyable really, remembering moves and combos or just taking it to your one enemy after another and another in one fight sequence with such precision and devastation?

Be honest now.

But with so much emphasis on fighting the inmates and brawny henchmen, that only leaves very little into the boss fights. Instead of putting much of the challenges (which aren't much) into defeating each boss (such as The Scarecrow, Croc, Poison Ivy, and eventually The Joker), Arkham is way too content with keeping the theme of universally appealing to every gamer (seemingly to the novices).

In other words, hardcore third-person action-adventure enthusiasts need not apply.

In fact, only two out of four are real boss battles, and those two only require your ability to dispatch henchmen while using one of Batman's trusty gadget to attack and defeat the arch-nemesis boss. There's not even any degree of difficulty to figure out how to beat each boss. It is as if the game wants it to happen on your first try. Very disappointing and boring indeed.

Arkham's replay value, however, isn't as up to par as its gameplay. While there are certainly a few things (and I do mean few) that the game tries to reward gamers without having to go online for downloadable contents or for online competition, solo gamers are left in the dark.

Once you've collected all of Riddler's trophies and solved all of his riddles, there isn't much left but to try your hands on the "Challenge Mode" which consists of no more than a dozen maps that require you to either defeat hordes and hordes of henchmen in a brawl or through stealth and specified type of take-downs as fast as possible. Come to think of it, why also isn't there an option to keep all gadgets and upgrades for the start of a brand new game for those who have completed the entire game?

But with all of its unacceptable shortcomings, Batman: Arkham Asylum will keep you entertained for hours and hours no matter what type of a gamer you are.

Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady Studios/Eidos Interactive/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment/Square Enix Japan). Platforms: Playstation 3/XBox 360/PC. Genre: Third-person Action-Adventure. Player(s): 1. ESRB Rating: Teens (T)
GAMEPLAY: A-
GAME DESIGN: A+
STORY: A
GRAPHICS: A
SOUND: A-
MUSIC: A
VOICE ACTING: A+
REPLAY VALUE: B+
RENT OR BUY?: MUST-BUY!