Batman : Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360, PS3)
Everything was now complete. The Joker had been arrested and was about to be delivered to the Arkham Asylum. Securely restrained, a buffoon could only throw mockery to the attention of his jailers and his executioner masked Batman. As usual, the fool seemed inclined to playful mocking her situation but this time his teasing hiding much more than the casual ... Gotham would pay along with all its inhabitants and his taciturn protector. The hour of revenge had struck.
Choosing knowingly inside Arkham Asylum as the setting for his title, Rocksteady installed from the outset the player in one of the most emblematic places in the series. Clever idea to confront us with some of the Nemesis of the Dark Knight while limiting the increase to a given area. By throwing us into the arms of the Joker, developers went even further by enabling us to face with neurotic counterpart of Batman's Yang, his enemy always able to do falter. Thus, with solid foundation, the studio could give free rein to his imagination in order to give Batman a work capable of propelling the front of the stage. The vigilante of Gotham was going to have to live the longest night of his life for the sake of millions of players. Hard life as a hero of pixels .
The situation is very simple. On one side Batman and his acolytes and the other helped the Joker Killer Croc, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Bane and Scarecrow. The former want out of Arkham in one piece, the latter want to scatter across the island. This state of facts will result from one of the most fantastic adventures as Batman video game has ever known. Indeed, the Dark Knight ever have been more imperial, more majestic, more alert than in Batman Arkham Asylum. Moreover, by constantly rhyming action and infiltration, Rocksteady has managed to find the right balance to avoid falling into too much facility. Certainly on the fifteen hours required to see the end of the tunnel, some redundancy will install itself but as to contain that feeling of deja vu, you will constantly have to leave the asylum and then into other buildings adjacent to the hospital. Without finding a second wind, the slowly growing intensity in the second part of game by scenery altered or simply an extra gadgets able to vary our approach techniques.
In this regard, note that throughout your progress, you have the leisure to unlock powerful combos in excess of those gadgets that will become too efficient. Thus, if we begin the adventure with a Batarang, it will then be possible to recover two or even an RC version, the player controls when the object until it touches something other than an enemy. Regrettably still some upgrades arrive a little late to the image of the triple hook to stagger to three opponents at once or destroy sections of walls. Nevertheless, the range of Batou is rather consistent, we will quickly build on our gear to trap the henchmen of the Joker. Thus, if nothing prevent you to go free on returning full foot in the melee, the stealthy approach will be to advocate for more pleasurable. To do this, you will initially use a vision "radiographic" to locate enemies anywhere, the walls then being a problem. Then, according to their heartbeats (learn about their state of anxiety, synonymous with caution), you'll more or less difficult to approach them. The goal will be to use air ducts or gargoyles (where you can quietly chopper once they pass underneath) to overcome. But not all. Another way is to use gel explosives to blow up weak structures, this technique is particularly effective in that the triggering explosions can be done remotely. Let's mention that this is only part of the opportunities, they become more numerous as we swallowed the hours of play
As I said before, if the stealthy approach is to advocate, especially where a Hard sniper's bullet just to kill us, you will regularly come to blows, sometimes against ten opponents simultaneously. But do not panic, the fighting system has been designed for these fights priori unbalanced. Moreover, there is again surprised at the ease with which it connects finish combos and other moves. In short, you will, basic, is press two buttons. The first will hit a bad-guy while the second will be used to counter an opponent, a pictogram above then the enemy about to attack. If at first, all may seem limited, it is not. The trick is indeed to print one direction with the stick as well as a blow to that Batman jumps to an enemy away so as not to break too quickly a combo. Indeed, it will rapidly reach 10, 15 or even 20 shots, some levels we are proposing to place specific catch particularly effective. And if I tell you it is also possible to use his Batarang during combat, to use his cape to stun rogues or even switch on their backs to take them from behind, you'll soon imagine arousal may arise after the fight.
It may, however, regret the fringes of the fighting against the small fry, Rocksteady has not been so inspired with the boss. Especially true that the design of these is falling. Unfortunately, most of these meetings in paying too much facility (Bane) are unnecessarily long (Poison Ivy) or represent any interest (the Joker), the prize going to Killer Croc which is done away with freezing after typing an endless sequence of hide and seek in the sewers. Damage, like the real frustration of never seeing the Riddler you can solve puzzles to unlock challenges to complete outside of Story mode. In the same vein, how can heave a sigh before the cell Clayface, the enemy before polymorphic settle for a brief appearance during which he will show us some of his talents. Courageous, especially at hand, we will have to lug several times fighting against enemies shooter the drugs Bane uses. During these passages, it will be to dodge then stun giants before control to hit their playmates. Funny the first time, minus the second, really heavy after the third.
However, do not believe that Batman Arkham Asylum withdraws himself in a straitjacket, forcing them to us we discuss regularly with various problems. Certainly, they exist but they are so diluted in a shower of qualities that all this is anecdotal. Notwithstanding, let us not be hypocrites. We would have liked to browse all of Gotham, the island of Arkham representative finally playground relatively narrow. Developers have also understood by forcing us to constantly enter and leave buildings to alternate phases outside and inside. It may also rail against sequences play fairly repetitive, the integration phase of hacks electrical boxes becoming as hard as their counterparts in Bioshock. However, this does not weigh very heavily in the balance, especially compared to the involvement of developers, the game being for example, never stingy with audio and written documents to consolidate its mythological framework. Also, some brilliant ideas (which we can not and which one does not want to talk to let you surprise) mainly related to the presence of the Scarecrow, often enough to reboot once the low rate. A stroke of good taste among many others giving the full status of black diamond. And like any jewel, it will be up to you to polish it with all the attention it requires for beyond his faults, Batman Arkham Asylum is more or less than vibrant ode to the Dark Knight with d 'already hardened fans of vigilant masked fantastic prospects video game for the future.
