THE GAME for the REAL Batman fan! A must have! Great graphics, great gameplay, great combat system, great voiceacting, and great story.

Still the best Batman game in the Arkham series and probably the best Batman game ever made. The story involves Batman catching Joker easily after a recent robbery and, coincidentally, Joker's gang moved to the Asylum because of an issue at the Blackgate Prison - once inside the Asylum, the Joker escapes and taskes control of the Asylum and prepares to unearth something far worse than what you initially suspect. You play as Batman trying to unearth this plot and once again stop the Joker.

To this day, this game still has amazing visuals, Batman himself covering around half the screen, looks the part and stands strong and confident as the character should as well as the texture work on his suit are top notch - the rest of the game fairs the same, since the game has been given an outstanding amount of care and work into every area you go through. Not one area in the game feels exactly the same as another even if they look similar. Very stellar work of textures all around overall.

I don't say this is the best Batman game out there for no reason - gameplay is pretty basic "Brawler" style with very minor puzzle solving, but what makes this game different, from, say a game like Assassin's Creed - is the "Free Flow combat system" the game has. The combat is slightly similar to the first Assassin's Creed, except - the flow combat system allows Batman to basically jump from one foe to another in a very fast manner, almost rythmically, to get a combo counter to go as high as you can while still making it challenging by giving the foes still standing a fighting chance and implementing counters.

You can also explore the entirety of the Arkham Asylum as you unlock areas and you can do a variety of things while exploring, you can face groups of enemies scattered around, you can do Riddler Challenges - whom are a bunch of mini puzzles scattered around the Asylum that involves the use of Batman's Detective Mode, these range from finding a specific item found in the area or marks that require the Detective Mode to find and a "Complete the Mark" type of game that involves you scanning the area from specific places to complete a full mark, etc - Riddler trophies, and a bunch of case files to find out more background information on Batman characters and villains (as well as the history behind Arkahm Asylum) that are often very well realized and fun to hear.

The Detective Mode & Gadgets: You'll be using these a LOT on your trudge through Arkham Asylum. Ranging from the standard Batarangs and Grappling hook (used for mundane objectives such as getting to and pulling out vents from hard to reach places, etc), the Explosive Gel (Used a lot to surprise enemies, to find weak walls to find trophies and secrets and to progress in the story as well!) and a bunch more. The Detecive Mode helps you analyze weak walls to use your Explosive Gel on and other gadgets as well as analyze enemy/allies conditions and, more important later on in the game, to find out which enemies carry weapons or are special enemies.).

So in general, if you ever wanted to know and feel what a life in the day of Batman is, this is definately your game, more so than the sequels (imo). From the excellent assets and sound to follow it up with, and the pitch perfect gameplay to go along with it, this sits as one of my favourite video game experiences and currently my best experience playing as the legendary Dark Knight.

A++

This game is one of the best superhero games of this generations. What makes it is so is the fact that that it makes you feel like the protagonist. The fighting the style, the gadgets, detective mode and the way you use them make an unforgettable gameplay experience. The story is dark and the conflict between Batman and his nemesis makes it brilliant. The challanges add to the game, making you play it after you finish the campaign(there is a cool skin available).This game doesn't age, since there is none like it(except for it's sequel). It is a high-class experience and a fun 100% completion. The score it deserves in todays day is 9.6.

In 2009, Rocksteady Studios, a video game studio with virtually no history restored gamers' hopes all around world with Batman Arkham Asylum. The UK based studio revived a genre long forgotten and delivered a superhero action game which is worth every cent you spend on it.

Yes, yes, there hasn't been a shortage of superhero games in the 21st century, but none of them really delivered on its potential. And there is a bunch like the Iromnan or Superman games that aren't even worth talking about. Batman always had the better track record when it comes to games, but Arkham Asylum fires on all cylinders. Great graphics, incredible sound effects, a mad story and the little details will engage gamers and not only Batman and superhero fans.

The game takes place on the famous Arkham Island where an Asylum has been build many-many years ago for the worst criminals Gotham can offer. It happens that The Joker has been captured by the Bats and taken in, but the Dark Knight suspects there is something going on in the background and takes his nemesis in himself. Shortly after a riot is started and The Joker gets loose. Now it's clear that the clown has something on his mind and Batman has to stop him. The story is intense and interesting as Bruce Wayne slowly puts together the pieces of Joker's grand plan. As you progress several of Batman's greatest foes will try to stop you, most notably Killer Croc, Poison Ivy or Bane, but others are introduced too. Some of them get bigger space others are bit players, but the point is that they are in the game and by their presence they make it richer.

The graphics are decent, but there are flaws here and there. Batman and The Joker look superb, but detail of minor characters aren't on that level and some even look ugly. Other than that, the island is looks beautiful and from the distance you can see Gotham, the city of sins. The game is very well optimized on the PC so gamers with older rigs won't have problem running it.

Even tough the island isn't overwhelmingly large, there is a lot to do. The main campaign will take around 8 hours to finish plus you can solve the puzzles and collect the question marks The Riddler left for you. By doing those you unlock character profiles, concept arts and more, so it's far from time wasting. Also by specific scanning stone tables on the island you can unlock recordings that tell you about the story of Arkham Asylum narrated by Amadeus Arkham himself. Probably the most interesting collectibles are the patient interview tapes that are scattered around the island. Some of the villains were interviewed in the facility and you can listen to these well composed dialogues. If you want to complete the main story with all the collectibles you will spend around 14+ hours on the island. When this is done you can try challenge missions where you have to beat scores by beating thugs. Sounds interesting and it adds to the game. This is the place where you can perfect you combat skills as the challenges get more and more difficult. The other half of them puts you in rooms where you have to complete 3, mostly skill-based tasks.

With the near perfect free flow combat Arkham City is a near perfect game that finally delivers not only to fans of the genre but also to Batman and superhero fans. In fact, those who are not really in comic books should consider this game for first. It's a joy to play every second of this game. Arkham Asylum set the bar for every single superhero game that comes after 2009. It's a benchmark and an example to follow for every publisher and developer.

Rating: 90/100; Replay Value: 3/5; To Beat: 8 hours (main campaign), 14 hours (campaign with collectibles); Played on: normal.

The best Batman game ever created and I would have to say that it ranks among the best superhero games. Arkham Asylum does a great job of making you feel like you are actually the Batman with it's excellent formula of action, stealth, gadgetry and puzzle-solving. The cleverly designed freeflow and combo combat systems allow for a lot of flexibility in direct combat situations and the silent predator gameplay allows for a more indirect and stealthy way to take out enemies. What amazes me the most about this game is how well the story flows with the large number of antagonists and how it does a magnificent job of progression and pacing to keep things interesting without losing focus. The atmosphere of the asylum setting and the perfect voice acting really adds to the immersion of the game. If you are a Batman fan, or a fan of superhero games, then you should find a lot of fun in this game.