Title: Video Game Review: Batman - Return to Arkham - Review in Progress
Author: plut
Recovered Author: plut
Published Date: 2016-11-22
Original URL: https://geeknode.co.za/2016/11/video-game-review-batman-return-to-arkham-review-in-progress
Wayback URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20170706011919id_/http://www.geeknode.co.za/2016/11/video-game-review-batman-return-to-arkham-review-in-progress/
Recovery Confidence: high
Categories: Games
Tags: arkham asylum, Batman, Games, Gaming, PS4, return to arkham, RockSteady, the joker

- Distributor Ster-Kinekor
- Where we got our copy Ster-Kinekor
- Genre Fighter
- Game modes Single Player
- Reviewed on Playstation 4

- Available on Xbox One

- plut

- 8 months ago

- 0 0

Batman: Return to Arkham is a remaster I’ve been wanting to play for quite some time. Between hearing everyone around me saying “What? You haven’t played Arkham Asylum yet?” or “Holy crap man, go buy it and play it already.” Yes, it’s one of those games that somehow fell under my proverbial radar. So, when the chance came to play the game – well, I guess the power of peer pressure won in the end. I’m glad it did. In any case, enough waffling on my part, how is Arkham Asylum remastered? Is it worth it? The short answer is a resounding yes. Let’s get on with the longer one.

Batman is the only human within The Justice League, and had to stand out somehow right? I think he’s too damn serious, and it makes just about everyone around him more interesting. The truth is that he beats baddies with his fists and scares the life out of them. At one point he’s convinced Darkseid to back down while holding Apokalipse hostage. There’s no greater power fantasy in my view. As a result, there were two major requirements here: make the combat fun and allow the player to put the fear of the bat into the bad people. If there’s a story to match it, that’s a bonus. Did they do it? Yes, without question, and here’s how.

At the beginning of Arkham Asylum Batman apprehends The Joker. We come in at the stage where Gotham has already seen its fair share of supervillainy. It was clear when Batman walked into Arkham Asylum that there was no love lost for the caped crusader. The Dark Knight’s instincts tingle when things are not as they seem. Something is amiss here, and we’re at the cusp of chaos. I won’t spoil it for you, but there’s more to Arkham Asylum’s inhabitants than meets the eye.

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The Bat is a predator, remember that.

Let’s talk about combat. I have yet to find a simpler control scheme. Press triangle to counter (and perform take downs), square to punch, circle to stun and hold on X to run. R1 allows you to grapple onto gargoyles (cliche’d, I know), and the DPAD lets you change between equipment. Simple doesn’t mean rubbish in this instance. In a nutshell, here’re your objectives: rake up combos to gain access to special moves, beat down on everyone enough that they fall down unconscious and move onto the next encounter. The effectiveness of this formula will surprise you. It’s quite addictive.

When we talk about Arkham Asylum’s stealth, think of Batman as a predator, not ninja, despite his extensive League of Shadows training. You’ll find yourself moving between vents and roofs, using the multi-layered levels to isolate and eliminate stragglers one by one. When all your enemies use guns, the endorphin rush of stringing them up by their legs from a gargoyle is a satisfying one. Once you receive the batclaw and explosive gel upgrades, the fun keeps coming. Well placed walls with weak structures allow you to give enemies debris-induced concussions on unsuspecting patrols. Going into detective mode lets you see how much faster your enemies’ heart rates go as you pick them off. Again, Arkham Asylum is a great power fantasy.

Unique use of stereotyping

I mentioned a story earlier, and as far as comic book writing goes, this is as close in a game as it gets. The idea is simple: Bad guy lures good guy into a trap, good guy must get out and face great tests to show what he’s made of, and in the end triumph. The process of introduction, struggle and success remains predictable; but the characters surrounding this simple process make Arkham Asylum fascinating. Cold, calculating criminals counter Batman’s seriousness. The Joker’s way of slipping in and out of every encounter is subtle and enjoyable. Seeing criminals used as experiments, seen as less than human to the doctors of Arkham left a moral grey area that surprised me. If you explored enough, patient interviews gave plenty of insight into your enemies’ stories, and how they rose to infamy.

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What’s not so good?

Let’s talk about some of the problems. There are a good few A.I. issues. Enemies will get stuck in an animation loop on occasion, and running into them is the only way to reset themAt other times getting enemies to run into an area you want them to go is a chore. It’s often better to chase them around and pick them off individually. The game’s got several graphics glitches, and these revolve around Batman’s cape. In the midst of combat the batsuit will lose its clipping around who you’re fighting. While not something noticeable, it’s a glitch that can make Arkham Asylum less immersive.

There are some great graphical changes over the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game. Batman himself has received some wonderful texture upgrades. Subtle shaders aroud his game and suit are a great sight. Other areas didn’t get as much attention. If you look at the screenshot below – see the difference in texture quality of the grating verses batman’s knuckles, for example. Frame rates were more or less consistent, but could drop at times.

You’ll want to be the batman

I did just discuss two paragraphs of problems about a game that just blew my mind. There are things that plague the game, yet these are such minor issues. I loved the combat flow, predator-stealth mechanic and over-the-top characters. Level design blew my mind – for a game that locked you into fixed areas most of the time, there was so much freedom. The mock-seriousness smacked of what I love about comic books. Boss battles were fun and trained me as I went along. There is so much to love here, so much to enjoy. If you’re wondering whether to buy this game if you haven’t played a Batman game before, just go buy Return to Arkham. Go buy it now. That’s an order.

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plut

Gaming / Tech / Entertainment Author at Geek Node

Zubayr could be defined as any one of these traits: Grizzled, optimistic, jaded, blunt, opinionated, irreverent and reserved. His experience was once carbon dated to the glory days of Doom and Duke Nukem 3D. It still amazes him how irrelevant those have become these days.Some say his tears generate DLC unlock codes, and that the WASD combination was discovered by his typo while on Yahoo Chat.
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Article Tags:
arkham asylum · Batman · Games · Gaming · PS4 · return to arkham · RockSteady · the joker

Article Categories:
Games
