We have all heard phrases like the “best game ever”, “ultimately amazing” etc. so many number of times that these phrases have lost meaning to us. It may be because we keep a high expectation of the game and then it turns out to be just “another” game.

Batman: Arkham Asylum, when I heard the name I thought it to be similar to other comic character games which have been released so far. But Rocksteady with Batman: Arkham Asylum as their third game after the famous Urban Chaos and its sequel has done an amazing job in proving me wrong. The initial idea of a whole game based on a single island as its background attracts some skepticism but it soon vanishes away in thin air once the story starts to unfold.

The mysterious Joker who is one of the most famous adversaries of Batman plays an eerie role with its omnipresence even from the first scene where he is being dragged and still he irritates everyone in the vicinity. But soon his role changes from a prisoner to a dictator making people dance as his puppets. His voice adds gravity to the already darkened atmosphere of Arkham.

Our favourite Batman(perfectly trained in Ninja arts) when surrounded by thugs do not kill them but use only his fists and kicks to make them unconscious because of his policy that he won’t kill anyone even if they are using the most lethal weapons. Although he is permitted to use his batarangs and batclaws to attack them to pull them off the ledges provided, the fall won’t kill them.  The stylish hand to hand combos soon start getting a beating when the thugs are packed with HEAT.

The use of surroundings to grapple up a gargoyle and leave the thug hanging upside down or the silent takedown keeps one fresh to advance towards The Joker. With Batman’s X Ray (every boy’s dream), one can actually note down the heart rate of the thugs before and after the Batman passes.

Once you get a hold of the stealth techniques the thugs are a cakewalk. Apart from icing the thugs, batman’s time is spent in exploring the asylum for secret trophies and riddles placed in the whole asylum by Riddler. Although Riddler does not make an appearance in the game as an adversary, he keeps you aware of his presence. The other villains who play a good role are the girlfriend of Joker Harley Quinn, the Scarecrow and the Killer Croc (I won’t spoil the surprises they have in store)

One of the few things which Rocksteady should have given more thought is the boss fights. These fights could have been made more captivating by removing the distracters and adding more of the boss characteristics. The other thing could be the ultimate bat claw which he uses to pull down the walls. Instead of that gun, a kind of throwing explosive would have been more realistic.

Just one last regret CANT drive the Batmobile.

On the whole, this is a game which can take the accolade of the Best Game of 2009. The game is just Awesome. I would give the game the following ratings:

Check out the official launch trailer:

You may use the following links to give this game a try:

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