I'm not a huge Batman fan, but there was a free demo, so I checked it out.  Turns out it's pretty good.  More of a stealth game than I was expecting, and that's a good thing.  Story seems well polished so far, but the camera is a bit rough.  Detective mode is a souped up solid eye, and is really what makes it cool, at least in the demo.  The demo's available for both 360 and PS3, so check it out.

It does look spiffy.
Does Batman actually kill anyone, or does he only "incapacitate" them? I heard Mark Hamill is voicing the Joker! Pretty nice... might be a winner here. Anyway, give us some more details on the demo when you can. How is the music of course?

cheers,

-avatar!

He only knocks them out in the demo.  I could talk more about it, or I don't know, you could just download it for yourself.  It is free you know.

I believe so, he does in the commercial for it, which really sets the mood since the old Batman cartoon = rule.

Nah, I ain't downloadin' anythin' nor playin' anythin' right now. Too busy, but still enjoy hearing people's opinions

edit: Yup, as Ashley noted, the original Batman cartoon was astounding... how cool would it be if they got the original voice actors together!

That detective mode sounds sweet. I've always wanted a game like that. Condemned series had it going on, but not enough of it.

I've just recently given the demo a go, and it's pretty damned good.  In light of all the glowing reviews (goodness, even Yahtzee digs it!), I'll probably go ahead and pick it up.

Anyone else played the full game yet?  Opinions?

Having played a decent portion of the early part of the 360 version (just got up to the outer grounds of Arkham Island), I've gotta say Arkham Asylum has been a truly exceptional package so far.  The gameplay is an effective conglomerate of stealth, detective work, and slickly brutal-looking combat.  The Detective Mode is ridiculously rad, a gameplay mechanic that's both at once crucial and nifty to use.  The game's accomplishments also feel substantial, from the main quest itself, to locating the audio diaries and Riddler Trophies, and puzzling out the Riddler's Challenges.  This is probably going to be one of the few games where I really want to strive for as many of the Achievements as I can.

The aesthetics, also terrific.  The Unreal Engine always manages to look impressive, but when given the Batman treatment, it looks downright sleek; the environments are invitingly brooding, and the major key players (especially Batman and The Joker) are accurately rendered with just the right amount of grittiness.  The voice work is especially well done too, with Conroy, Hamill and Sorkin all carrying over with exceptionally faithful performances.

I do have two beefs with the game.  The first is one that Yahtzee mentioned in his review, but I'm surprised that no one else has, and that's the lack of auto-running.  Assigning a designated run button is a hassle, especially when trying to properly maneuver the right analog stick to control the camera.  Why they didn't just allow for context-sensitive movement with the analog stick is beyond me.  Less of a biggie is the lack of a separate option for Normal/Inverted camera control when aiming or in first-person viewing mode.  I'm one of those odd birds who prefers inverted controls for over-the-shoulder third person games like Gears 2, Resident Evil 4/5, and Dead Space - but still wants to have the controls set as Normal while aiming.  Arkham Asylum doesn't offer up this option, so doing things like aiming the Batarang in reverse or crawling around in a vent via FPV while differentiating my head from my ass is an awkward and troublesome chore.

Those aside, this game is seriously good shit.  Playing as the Dark Knight hasn't been this gratifying since Konami's Batman Returns on the SNES.

I played the PC demo and was surprised by how well the game ran on my laptop. I was getting decent frame rates on the highest settings despite SFIV and Resident Evil 5 slowing my computer down to a halt. Maybe Capcom just don't know how to optimize games?

Anyway, the demo absolutely blew me away. The developers really captured the Batman mythos, and what it feels like to be the Dark Knight himself. Combat is fun enough, but the Detective Mode is what defines the game. There's nothing more satisfying than watching the enemies walking around terrified, then gliding down and taking them out. One minor quibble: why can't enemies see you when you're glide kicking them right in the face?

Will definitely pick the game up soon, though I've read the game is a bit on the short side with many of my favorite villains not present. I guess that's what sequels are for.

Probably for the same reason why you can perform silent takedowns without being noticed -- despite the fact that you're breathing down the enemy next to you's neck.  All the same, I'd forgo that little bit of realism if it makes for a more streamlined and less frustrating experience.  You really don't want to be spotted and ganged up needlessly in this game.

I'm still early on in the journey, but again, I want to say that with all the collectibles to gather, as well as all the numerous side challenges, the game will give enough value to compensate for the main quest's short length.

So I frequent these forums quite a bit, but it's rare that I have anything meaningful to contribute so it's nice to offer up something to this community which has provided so much.

I recently bought a new video card (and man is it a beast) and it came with a coupon for a free Batman: Arkham Asylum full game download for PC.  I don't plan on using it so it's up for grabs.  If you're interested, contact me through the forums email system.

Edit:  The coupon has been claimed.  Batman should be swooping down upon the enemies of society as we speak.

I just picked this up and after playing about an hour and a half of it (exposed to the world map), I'm absolutely astonished. The game is terrific. Great atmosphere, fun battle system and it's one of those few games where I can tell I'll be obsessively hunting for all 240 Riddler challenges. I'm not much for achievements and trophies but this game makes them FUN.

I took advantage of the Captain's offer (thanks again, and I hope you enjoy the CDs!) and spent the last week or so playing the game.

I beat the main game over the course of three days, and that includes getting all 240 of the Riddler trophies (which is well worth it, by the way, for Riddler's increasingly paranoid rantings). I've since finished most of the challenges, though the last few are tricky. Haven't tried the downloadable content yet, but more on that later. I probably would've been a bit miffed had I paid $60 for the game, but $50 for the PC version seems more than reasonable. Of course, I got it for free, so I probably shouldn't be complaining. I'll definitely get the sequel they first day it's out, but it better be titled Batman: Gotham City.

The full game is even better than I thought it'd be. The demo really doesn't capture the variety of moves and tools you have at your disposal. There are just so many fun ways to take out enemies, my favorite of which is knocking them out while riding the Titans. A close second is stringing the enemy up, then cutting the rope when another enemy comes to investigate. Enemy AI is better, too, but not so good as to become frustrating. Although, some of those challenges...

No one's touched upon the bosses yet, and while they're mostly the usual pattern-filled battles, they're still a lot of fun. I especially love the Scarecrow battles, which feet like they were ripped straight out of Sly Cooper. The last boss battle was funny, but a tad too easy for a final fight.

I do have some big issues with how the Games for Windows Live system operates. I played through the game with an offline profile, but discovered that you needed an online profile to access downloadable content. The thing is, there seems to be no way to transfer my offline progress to my online profile >_<  Also, I'm bummed that Joker is a PS3 exclusive

Just rented it yesterday. Not a bad game at all. I'm loving the attention to detail, though Arkham's architecture doesn't scream "Batman" to me. At least not yet.

Edit: I rescind that statement. This game really nails that Batman feel.

Mr. Dent (?) Wants You!

Is it worth buying games when they come out? Doesn't really seem so these days, especially when you can wait and play Batman in 3-D

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