Batman: Arkham Asylum

[Ghambit]

Console releases today.
What's the word on the best platform to play this on?  PC release isnt for another 3 weeks, so I might just say screw it and buy this now probably for PS3.

[Cyrrex]

Have heard that the 360 version is graphically better.  PS3 version has Joker DLC.

[NiX]

I don't know, the game looked gorgeous on both PS3 and PC. Haven't seen it running on 360. Not that it matters, it's probably pretty much the same.

[jason]

If you don't own Lego Batman and always wanted to, buy Arkham Asylum for 360 or PS3 through Toys R Us Online and you get Lego Batman for free. Link

[jakonovski]

I changed my avatar because of this game. 

[NiX]

Ugh, adblocked. Nasty.

[jakonovski]

It's just a fruit-eating bat species with a funny bone structure that allows it to bite through thick fruit. I think it's totally cute, looks like a little goblin!  

GiantBomb has a quick look on the game. The other guy (Ryan?) is totally nerding out over it. http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-batman-arkham-asylum/17-1245/

 

[Phire]

Beat the 360 version last night! Somewhat disappointing last boss fight in an otherwise terrific game. Bring on the sequel!

[LK]

I'm picking this up now. hoping for good times...

[Cyrrex]

Through the course of the day I've gone from being kind of unsure about this game all the way to the point where i must have this game RIGHT NOW.

[Khaldun]

Fucking good so far. Really atmospheric, smooth integration of story elements and gameplay, even when it's on rails I don't feel too railroaded. (Not the least of which because the premise is that the Joker has put Batman on the rails). Even though you're just mashing the same buttons in some basic fights, I really dig that it's not the same *looking* moves, that the game engine varies how it looks. Makes it feel much more Batman-ish.

[Samwise]

I've only played the demo so far, but I was really struck by how it didn't feel like I was doing the same moves over and over during the fights.  They obviously put a lot of work into creating a LOT of different combat animations and having logic to trigger them at appropriate times.  Easily the best-looking combat I've seen in a brawler-type game.

[ghost]

Yeah, I just ordered this.  I don't, as a rule, typically get movie based games, but this looks too good to pass up.  Butcher Bay was the last move based game I played and liked. 

[NiX]

I'm tired of hearing people class this with movie based games. It's based off the comics and it's so far off from Dark Knight that the most they're going off of is peoples new interest in Batman.

Bad ghost, bad!

[Triforcer]

Fuck the lack of PC support until next month.  The game won't come up until a week after my short trip to America!  WANT NOW. 

[Venkman]

I'm tired of hearing people class this with movie based games. It's based off the comics and it's so far off from Dark Knight that the most they're going off of is peoples new interest in Batman.

Bad ghost, bad!

Yes. And worse, calling it movie-based is an insult to the quality of this title.

And yes, boo on the effing delay for the PC port. Gnash. Teeth.

[Hindenburg]

Fucking good so far. Really atmospheric, smooth integration of story elements and gameplay, even when it's on rails I don't feel too railroaded. (Not the least of which because the premise is that the Joker has put Batman on the rails). Even though you're just mashing the same buttons in some basic fights, I really dig that it's not the same *looking* moves, that the game engine varies how it looks. Makes it feel much more Batman-ish.

As you advance and buy upgrades you'll start to realize how much finesse you can extract from the melee system, with button mashing giving much less xp and preventing you from using the finisher moves. This'll become especially apparent in the challenge rooms.

But yes, you  can button mash to victory. Will take a bit longer to level and you'll eat more damage than needed, but it's perfectly doable.

[Venkman]

When I see "button mashing" I think of Lord of the Rings: Conquest. Arkham has certain times when button mashing occurs, but that's not really the road to victory as far as I could tell even from the limited demo. Yea, some random dude or two in the hallway. But even three or four armed bad guys, button mashing just isn't going to work. This is yet another departure from the movies.

So personally, I think they put those random "cinematic fight sequences" in just to break up the real thinking that needs to happen in all the major and minor challenge points. And give you enough tools to be creative with sneak attacks and take downs.

Really, I just can't get over how good that demo was. If even 1/2 the actual game is that good, it'll be my own GOTY. Because my personal list matters or something...

[ghost]

I'm tired of hearing people class this with movie based games. It's based off the comics and it's so far off from Dark Knight that the most they're going off of is peoples new interest in Batman.

Bad ghost, bad!

Fair enough.  But it wouldn't be out without the success of the movies.....

[Falwell]

Surprise of the year as far as I'm concerned.

Very, very good game so far. One that I can see myself replaying now and again for quite some time, much like Bioshock.

[schild]

Surprise of the year as far as I'm concerned.

DEMON'S SOULS.

[Falwell]

Demon Souls is Atlus, who I expect good games from. I don't expect good games from a place called Rocksteady based out of the UK whose only other credit is Urban Chaos.

[Rasix]

Demon Souls is Atlus, who I expect good games from.

From software is the developer. What would you expect from From.

Ohh, heh, Bioshock.   

[Falwell]

Demon Souls is Atlus, who I expect good games from.

From software is the developer. What would you expect from From.

Ohh, heh, Bioshock.   

STOP TEASING ME RASIX OR I'LL TELL MOM!

[schild]

Demon Souls is Atlus, who I expect good games from. I don't expect good games from a place called Rocksteady based out of the UK whose only other credit is Urban Chaos.

This is a bad and silly statement.

From, who is incredibly mediocre, just made what I consider the best console game ever made. Period. It is also an original IP.

Some other place makes a batman game that doesn't suck. Our bars are set so low for IP-based games that I don't know what "doesn't suck" even means anymore. Also, they released it during the summer, when nothing is released. *brilliant*

[Falwell]

You get your monitor yet?

[schild]

You get your monitor yet?

Why couldn't you have just said "Yea, you got me." ?

[Falwell]

Oh sorry, you got me.

Now, your ego catered to, did you get your monitor yet?

[schild]

Nah, won't be in for a couple days. They haven't even shipped it yet. Thankfully, they're shipping from Texas.

[Venkman]

Some other place makes a batman game that doesn't suck. Our bars are set so low for IP-based games that I don't know what "doesn't suck" even means anymore. Also, they released it during the summer, when nothing is released. *brilliant*

Arkham is far from "doesn't suck" and into the realm of "actually a good game" that not only has awesome game play, but is a faithful representation of even the more subtle parts of an IP.

As to the summer launch, that's probably because the average person thinks Christian Bale or Michael Keaton Batman in a year without a Batman movie. Back when they had to decide when to put this one shelf, I'm sure they didn't want to put this into the Q4 slate. No movie and up against a bunch of huge ass marketing budgets.

Of course, with so much slipping into 2010, maybe this won't be overrun after all.

Still need to get ahold of Demon Souls. And borrow a PS3.

[Cyrrex]

Yeah, this goes beyond simple lack of suck.  I am by no means a Batman fanboy, but this game is loads of fun.  This is what playing Batman is supposed to feel like.  3 hours into it, it's my GOTY so far.

And we know, we know, Demon Souls.  Despite many of you having already played it, I don't think that game has had its true day in the sun just yet.  There's the nagging little detail of an actual North America release to overcome yet.

[Triforcer]

Can we make this thread about the awesomeness that is Arkham Asylum, and not about trolling by Demon Soul fanbois offended that some people also like other games?  Thanks. 

[Khaldun]

Can we make this thread about the awesomeness that is Arkham Asylum, and not about trolling by Demon Soul fanbois offended that some people also like other games?  Thanks. 

This.

I agree btw on the point that you can't just button mash. That gets hammered home the first time you have to deal with gun-toting bad guys. (Though it's not hammered home on the fight with Croc, who goes down ridiculously easily.) But what I'm admiring is that even *when* you just hit the same buttons, the game has a wide variety of animations to show you that feel visually faithful to comic-book action in general but the Batman IP in specific. I've never really seen any comic-book based video game that had that kind of alignment with its source material.

[Cyrrex]

I just did a quick BiiF on this game, not to steal the thunder from this one...I just felt that a game this good needed a BiiF.  And somewhere where we can begin posting spoilers in earnest.

I really like the counters in combat and am amazed at how well implemented and animated they are.  I haven't mastered combat yet by any means, but the counter system has made me slow down and time things, rather than just bashing the whole way through.  I also only just learned that cape slash move (B on the xbox controller) is a stun move.  Couldn't figure out how I kept stunning them all the time!

[Rasix]

Can we make this thread about the awesomeness that is Arkham Asylum, and not about trolling by Demon Soul fanbois offended that some people also like other games?  Thanks.  

Hey, I was just trying to be helpful.  

This is a planned purchase for me (well, birthday "suggestion", I can wait), and I was surprised it's any good. The fact that it uses the animated series voices is a clincher for me, even if I wasn't completely convinced by the demo.  

Feel better now?