Developers: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Eidos
RRP: £49.99
Out: Now
Formats: XBOX 360, PS3
The Joker has surrendered and our pointy-eared hero has been charged with bringing the Clown Prince of crime to Arkham Asylum. Once there the Joker promptly escapes but heads directly into the heart of the prison, knowing that the Dark Knight will follow him. For those of you that do not know, Arkham Asylum is where Batman puts all the most dangerous of his foes, like Poison Ivy, Bane and of course the Joker – all of whom you will get to fight in one way or another. If that was not challenge enough, not only has the Joker freed the inmates and locked down Arkham with the help of Harley Quinn, he has apparently also rigged explosives all over Gotham City and will detonate them if anyone tries to come into Arkham. Could this be the end of the Caped Crusader? Will Joker have the last laugh? Tune in next week, Batfans!
But seriously, not only are the controls easy to use, with a three button fighting system, attack, stun and takedown which will let you beat the snot out of any thug, but for the first time we also get to use those detective skills of his. Tools at your disposal include goggles that can sense heat as well as other useful clues, a grappling hook and of course, the trusty Batarang. You are not completely on your own either, as you have help and advice in your pointed ear from ‘The Oracle’, also known as Barbara Gordon and one time Batgirl before she was paralyzed from the waist down.
The game is more than a standard beat-em –up. Having taken on the mantle of the Bat you have to do everything that comes with it, staying invisible to your enemies, sneaking stealthily behind them and dropping them silently. But sometimes you will have no choice but to rumble and with the excellent control system you can ‘Boff’ ‘Kapow’ and ‘Splat’ away with beautifully linked combos against multiple enemies. If all this wasn’t enough, the graphics are astounding and combined with the games musical score really does help to set the right mood at the right time.
As we stated earlier, there have been many attempts over the years of trying to capture the essence of Batman into a game and at last it would seem they have.
Rating: 4.5/5
Keith Souch
Ruben Lee Shaw
