A big release later next month is set to be Eidos' comic-based action game, Batman: Arkham Asylum. Billed as a gritty addition to the growing Batman universe, Batman: Arkham Asylum pits the caped crusader against the likes of The Joker, Bane and Killer Croc on the menacing backdrop of the Arkham Asylum compound. Being a huge Batman fan, this title definitely caught my attention. Sadly however, it breaks one of my gaming rules which have kept me from being disappointed thus far on my gaming ventures: Never watch a film based on a game or comic and never play a game based on a film or comic.
However, after the likes of The Dark Knight and games like Dead Space, these rules which I live by are getting harder and harder to follow. With film and game makers blurring the lines to make good product across all formats, I'm actually very tempted to give this game an honest go. However, I'm not that big a Batman fanboy, so rest assured you won't see me cuddled up under a Batman blanket, in Batman pajamas playing this latest Batman game addition, especially after a few setbacks I've noticed in game-play.
Gameplay looks, although accessible, very bland. Watching the walk-through trailer on one of the game modes made me feel the game was in fact too accessible, to the point of being pathetically easy. The voices of Batman, Commissioner Gordon and The Joker are extremely disappointing and distracting, and the plot looks rather thin. Fighting looks interesting, but with all the gadgets and gizmos, it looks like it's designed for a Batman fan to experience being the dark knight rather than for serious gamers. The graphics look great and give a real gritty sense to the whole game - something I'm used to from Eidos. However, despite the honest attempt to make a good game for all players, Batman: Arkham Asylum still fails to escape from the fan-fiction feel of other comic and film-based games. I hope I'm wrong and that this game is another great Batman release, but for now I'm going to stick to my golden rules and hopefully, I might be proven wrong for once.
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