Pros & Cons
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- Rich in references for true Batmaniacs.
- Exciting action sequences.
- Considerable replay potential.
- Solid online components.
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- Potentially repetitive, frustrating battle scenes.
- Story mode is on the short side.
Batman: Arkham Asylum Specs
| ESRB Rating: | T for Teen |
| Genre: | Action Games |
| Platform: | PC |
| Platform: | PlayStation 3 |
| Platform: | Xbox 360 |
Comics fans know Arkham Asylum as the place where Gotham City's most dangerous criminals fester after Batman captures them, but trips inside have been rare. Eidos' energetic Batman: Arkham Asylum throws the Caped Crusader into Arkham to unravel the Joker's fiendish new scheme to dominate the inmates. With special appearances by Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Bane, Scarecrow, and others, you get a wide view of the Batman universe's underworld. The voice talents of Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, and Arleen Sorkin (from Batman: The Animated Series), meanwhile, lend the game some vocal gravitas. Not that it needs it. The tools and talents at your disposal—from batarangs to stealth takedowns—summon the shadowy mystique of Batman at his best. And highly acrobatic fight scenes keep the action persistently percolating, although by the two-thirds mark the game just piles on the pugilism (and thus the potential frustration) without upping the tension. The main story mode is maddeningly short—I breezed through it in a weekend—but three difficulty modes, lots of in-game collectibles (supplied by the kinder, gentler Riddler), and online challenges will keep you absorbed even after Batman's flown the coop.
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