Batman: Arkham Asylum is quite easily the best Superhero game that I have ever played. I remember when I got this, I was at a Gamestop going on a birthday spree, and I saw this game and thought I heard this game was pretty good and bought it. Now, this was not on my list of must play games, like some of the other ones I got that day, so it took me a while to get to this one. Once I did get to it, though, I was hooked.

Gameplay/ Addictiveness: This game, like most other Superhero games, is a beat-'em-up. The controls are pretty standard to that genre, for the most part; one button for main attacks, one to stun, one to block. However, the action is a lot smoother here than in other similar games. Rather than having to memorize a combo attack, it will come up onto the screen when you can use it. This makes the game a lot more user friendly. The combat does get a lot more in depth than just beating people up. There are many stealth elements in this game that will make it easier if you can pull it off. There will be many times where you will be in a room filled with guards armed with guns, and if you get detected they will completely obliterate you, meaning you have to find other means than just jumping into combat to take those guys out. One way you can do this is maneuvering yourself unseen throughout the area to get behind an enemy and perform a one-hit stealth kill. However, one thing that I do not like about this game is the boss battles. I mean, there are a few that are pretty good, but the vast majority of them involve jumping out of the way as they charge at you so that they hit a wall, become stunned, and can be attacked by you. That sort of gets old after about the tenth time. Like I said, there are some boss battles that play out differently than this, but it would have been nice to see more creativity than repeating a boss battle many times in a game that has such fun level design.
   There are a multitude of gadgets to collect in this game. Some of them can help out with the stealth aspect, such as tactically spraying exploding gel around the location to detonate when the guards get too near it, or the ability bat-claw down from a gargoyle and tie up an enemy goon hanging out beneath you are examples of this. The new gadgets you collect also make it possible to explore new areas, giving this game a sort of Metroid feel. For example, the explosive gel will let you break down some weak walls and explore the area behind there. 

Story: The story in this game is pretty interesting. Basically, the Joker is preparing to make an army of Super Soldiers while Batman is stuck in the asylum and trying to find a way to stop him. There are a bunch of super villains from the Batman franchise here to fight with, and the Joker is truly enigmatic throughout the game. It really does get more interesting as you make your way through the game and more of the Joker's plot becomes uncovered, making you want to keep playing on more and seeing what will happen next. There are also little bits of information sprinkled throughout the game which you can scan or pick up. You can find data logs on the backstory of the asylum, as well as many of the characters in the Batman series. I knew almost nothing about Batman before playing this game, but by the end I felt very familiar with Batman and the other characters. 

Sound: The voice acting in this game is outstanding. Mark Hamill (aka Luke Skywalker) does a great job playing as the Joker, really seeming psychotic and unpredictable. The other voice actors, of course, do a great job of bringing the characters in the game to life. The characters are really varied in personality, and the voice actors do a great job of bringing that personality out. 
   The sound effects are great in this game as well, whether it being a satisfying crunch as Batman bashes a goon's face in, or an exhilarating whoosh as Batman spreads his cape and glides down from atop a towering ledge. It really adds a nice flavor to the game.
   The music, too, was great for this game. It really helped to build up the atmosphere, as the it would really pick up when something exciting was happening and making you pumped to get there, or quiets when you are stealthing it behind some enemy guards. Much of the music I did not find all that memorable, but it did help set the mood in the game.

Graphics/ Visuals: This game looks great. The lighting is dark and gives a sort of gritty feel to the game, and the character models are really detailed. One really cool visual thing in this game is how, as you progress through it, Batman's costume will start to deteriorate. As the game goes on, you'll start to notice little details such as rips in his cape, or scratches on his costume. It is a cool little detail that really shows the effects of the long night on Arkham Asylum that Batman is having. I really like this, because in most games the main character looks like he got out of whatever happened without a scratch once you get to the end of the game, but here is just seems more realistic with this detail.

Depth: There is a lot to do in this game if you are not one for just running from the beginning of the game to its end. There are many collectibles to pick up, some holding information on aspects of the Batman universe or unlocking special challenges. There are also Riddler challenges, where the Riddler will give you a riddle and you have to find and scan the thing in that room that is the answer to his riddle. There are unlockable challenges from finding some collectibles that you can play, many featuring leaderboards to compare your score with that of people around the world who have played this game. 

Difficulty: This game is really not all that difficult, as long as you are familiar with the combat and are capable of using stealth in a video game. Some areas I had to do a few times in order to get a feel for the environment, but then after a little thinking there was not really anything that slowed me down too much. There should not really be any trouble with the controls, either.

Conclusion: This is, without a doubt, the best superhero game that I have ever played. The combat and stealth are satisfying, the graphics look great, and there is a lot to do in this game. If you do not currently own this game, but are into this genre, I cannot recommend this enough.

mariomon64 : Awesome review man! keep up the good work. Just the only thing is that your post layout is slightly hard to read but it's still fine though.

Keep up the great work!

Gosh, I loved Batman: Arkham Asylum.
Nice review, keep it up.