Batman Arkham Asylum Preview
There hasn't been a decent Batman game for quite some time now, and with two blockbuster films in recent history, it's time for the games industry to catch up with its entertainment brethren.
Batman: Arkham Asylum is looking to make up for lost time, and off the bat it's easy to tell that a lot of time has been spent on making the game look authentic. Batman has never looked better in virtual form and Arkham is as eerie as expected.
The basic premise of the game is that The Joker has been captured and is being escorted to Arkham Asylum with Batman and Commissioner Gordon. However, it was all a ruse, and Batman is trapped in Arkham Asylum, with The Joker at the helm. Along the way, he will encounter many famous foes from Batman lore, while having to try and save the sane people who unfortunately find themselves trapped inside the prison.
The gameplay has essentially two elements; stealth and brute force. The stealth gameplay adds a nice touch, and shows a side to Batman that isn't often portrayed. He can survey enemies from higher ground, and take them out silently, watching the panic that ensues. Guards' heart rates will increase and they will even blind fire at things that aren't there as they become less and less confident about the predicament the find themselves in. However, most people are probably interested in the gritty combat, or as it's being called in this game, Free Flow Combat. It allows Batman to take down foes quickly and efficiently by shifting his focus between the numerous enemies that are attacking him. Seamlessly integrated into this is an efficient counter system which even features bone breaking.
Although Batman was originally supposed to come out around now, the decision was made to postpone it until the end of the Summer. Hopefully the development team take the time to add even more polish on to a game that's already looking like it will be one of the best Batman games ever made.
