darthhomer said:Dvader said:If you dont buy this masterpiece and support this dev you are scum. Its only going to sell a few million copies, it needs all the help it can get. Dont be a part of the problem, buy it at launch.
Well fuck you, I have to wait another goddamned month.
...
Screw it, I'll work to get the triple fixed.
Just pirate it.
Dvader said:If you dont buy this masterpiece and support this dev you are scum. Its only going to sell a few million copies, it needs all the help it can get. Dont be a part of the problem, buy it at launch.
If I could, I would walk into your house, take all your gaming equipment and throw it into a tree shredder, whilst Leo pins you down!
They I would gift you an original gameboy.
So this game is the 4th good Batman game, right?
We have Batman on the NES, Batman Return on the SNES and Batman TAS on the SNES and now this one. Am I missing some?
SteelAttack said:Yeah, Batman: Revenge of the Joker on NES. Big sprites, big music, big action.
Also one of the first games with wall jumping!
I have played for a little over an hour, this has been the most engaging, immersive, awesome experience I have had in gaming so far this year.
The intro sequence is so goood. Any fan of Batman and the Joker will be geeking out, its Mark Hamill at his best. Once the game starts and will you see that its nothing like the demo, you find that it's a pretty large world with hidden secrets all over. Paths you cant reach yet like a Metroid game. Wait till you start to do the Riddler challenges, it provides a whole load of optional puzzles to complete and if the second one is any indication they will be good puzzles.
I am blown away so far. The only thing that can go wrong is if the combat and predator segements get repetitive which I highly doubt will. I can already tell that everything else is polished to perfection. Buy this game.
(Oh and I tried the Joker for one moment, I only had the combat section available. He controls exactly like Batman, its almost like a new skin except he has a gun instead of a batarang. I need to try the predator mode which is where I assume he starts to play differently.
Iga_Bobovic said:So this game is the 4th good Batman game, right?
We have Batman on the NES, Batman Return on the SNES and Batman TAS on the SNES and now this one. Am I missing some?
Pretty much. The NES game has some badass music.Returns is a fantastic recreation of the movie...and I need more experience with TAS.
About 4 hours in now, taking my sweet time. The island is huge, this game is heaven for a person that likes to explore, they make sure there is a ton of secrets all over the place. I am slowly upgrading Batman but none of it really changes the combat up, you can basically beat everyone with your normal combos. I have seen some really cool setpieces, one involving Scarecrow which is amazing! I have fought two bosses, one really cool and the other a basic pattern boss but still fun.
Excellent game to be sure but there are a few things I don't like. My main issue with the game is that when you are exploring it gets really lonely. The game never repopulates areas you have been to before so when you go around searching for Riddler items there is no one in your way. It feels so empty. I like action and sadly when you explore you have none of it. I was also a bit sadden when I realized that the Riddler clues are all solved basically the same way, by taking a picture. I thought the first riddle was a taste of really interesting puzzles to solve, sadly it just gets repeated.
Well thats all I can find faults with at the moment, everything else is superb.
According to the normal rules of gaming it should have been safe to ignore this the moment it was announced.
It's a licensed game (if anything comic books have an even worse track record than films) from a developer whose only other game is the competent but unremarkable Urban Chaos.
And yet in this instance at least, two wrongs have somehow made a right.
Not based on any single incarnation of the dark knight detective, this shows influences from the comics, the most recent films and the animated series.
Despite the name it's not an adaptation of A Serious House On Serious Earth either, although it does feature Batman being locked in the famous asylum with a number of his most famous villains.
It's not Grand Theft Auto: Gotham City, but it's the next best thing.
Every element of Batman seems custom made for video games, from the gadgets to the villains, detective skills and unusual (for a superhero) mortality.
Sensibly enough the game starts with the combat, utilising a control system which emphasises timing and counter-attacks over complicated button combos.
Enemies often attack in large groups and although there's little real depth it always feels visceral and exciting.
In truth, no single element of the game is involved enough to survive on its own, but then it never has to.
The stealth elements, for example, cannot compete with Splinter Cell for complexity - but dropping upside down from a gargoyle to prey on some unsuspecting goon below more than matches it for sheer spectacle.
Gliding down with your cape to then disappear into the dark is even better.
Weapons like the batarangs and various explosives can be upgraded as you earn experiences, while other gadgets are employed in some simple forensic and Riddler-initiated puzzles.
All this adds variety but what ties it together is the authentic atmosphere, with villains like The Joker and Scarecrow being used to great effect.
Sadly though, the actual boss battles are anticlimactic and repetitive.
Although well hidden for most of the time, both the story progression and most individual tasks are quite mechanical and linear when broken down.
There's not enough variety in cannon fodder enemies and the game world can also seem oddly uninteractive.
But this could have had far more faults and still ended up a success purely because it makes being Batman as much fun as you always assumed it would be.
IN SHORT: Far more than just the best Batman game, this is a top notch mix of action, stealth and storytelling.
PROS: Impressively authentic atmosphere with solid combat and versatile stealth elements. Excellent presentation.
CONS: Repetitious and linear at times, with a lack of enemy variety. Individual elements can seem shallow.
SCORE: 8/10 Out: 28/8 (UK)
Congrats you found the most critical Batman review.
It's correct though (except I dont see a game being linear as being a con, especially this game which allows for tons of freedom to explore on your own, yeah you cant go to most of the locations yet but you can scout around), I just feel that the overall package is amazing.
Awesome impressions. I'm really looking forward to playing it, I just don't know when yet or on which system.
Archangel3371 said:
Awesome impressions. I'm really looking forward to playing it, I just don't know when yet or on which system.
Wha? You already got a slim?
Dvader said:Congrats you found the most critical Batman review.
It's correct though (except I dont see a game being linear as being a con, especially this game which allows for tons of freedom to explore on your own, yeah you cant go to most of the locations yet but you can scout around), I just feel that the overall package is amazing.
It's the only one I was bothered to read being that was short and on TV this morning while I relaxed in bed. Eurogamer has similar niggles, the only thing that's different is the score really.
I'm curious to know if its really only 7 hrs long though. Mainly though I posted the review so you could comment on it and let us know how it pans out vs your experience.
GamePro has similar problems with it:
"It's a triumph of mood and psychological tension," he writes, "and devoted fans will find a great deal to excite them. But they're also bound to be disappointed by its reliance on repetitive combat and a shortage of villains worth the big man's attention."
Lewis warns that some sections of Arkham Asylum become repetitive. "It's a shame that some of Batman's coolest gear and tactics are only accessible late in the game," he says. "But there's a bigger problem, and it's one that consistently holds back the joy of playing from start to finish: most of the unarmed enemies you face and the moves you use against them just aren't terribly interesting."
Lewis continues: "Timing your attacks, dodges, and takedowns to form combinations is certainly fun in a mechanical sort of way that beat-'em-up fans will surely enjoy, but when you've only got one attack button, there's little room for any personal style."
Bosses are often a disappointment as well. "Why is almost every boss battle virtually identical?" Lewis asks. "When I first met up with Bane, the ensuing clash was thrilling. When I later had to fight what is essentially the exact same creature with a different skin, my excitement took a gut punch."
Otherwise, Lewis finds the majority of Arkham Asylum a worthy play. "Batman: Arkham Asylum doesn't quite deliver on all of its big ideas," he admits, "but its rousing peaks make its low points more than bearable.
But still give it like 4 out of 5 and say its great.
I hear the Gameinformer review compares it alot to Bioshock.
Not a good thing in my book 
I will get this game but not for a while, Fallout 3 and Anno are next on my list.
SteelAttack said:
Yeah, I guess all things considered, even with its drawbacks, the overall package is far more than the sum of its individual parts.
Yeah everything in that review was correct, it is a game where the sum is greater than its individual parts. I'm not going to get into it until I do a review. Now for more impressions.
I played for 4 hours straight earlier, I am about 11 hours in and I am in the Garden just now. There are some awesome setpeices in this game like the one you mentioned above. I like that there are a few new enemy types but they really need to include more of them in the fights instead of just one per fight. Everything with the Scarecrow is amazing, man I love his segments. Riddler stuff is really addicting but I decided to just wait to get all my tools before backtracking, I wish there was more reason to go back to old locations other than the Riddler challenges. It would have helped with you slowly unlocking more locations rather than just waiting till you have all the tools to go in and sweep the place, which will probably be empty.
Oh and I love what Batman does to the psycho inmates. 
I may be scum, but I still has $60 in my pocket!