Batman: Arkham Asylum Preview - Xbox 360
- March 30, 2009 12:14 PM PST
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The Joker is your prey and you're the ultimate predator; silent but deadly.
Downed enemies will get back up unless you perform a ground takedown by pressing the Right Trigger and Y Button. Batman pounces and delivers a Joe Frasier-knockout punch.
In an effort to remain as fanatically unbiased as possible and leave the critical critiques for the official review, I recently got to play Batman: Arkham Asylum and have to say that the Dark Knight's new game looks promising in its near-complete state and could be one of 2009's biggest summer blockbusters. For fans of Batman there are dozens of references to old comics and graphic novels thanks to writer Paul Dini's extensive Bat-knowledge, and for third-person action gamers, Batman: Arkham Asylum plays like a dream with a simple to use free-flow combat system and Batman's slick gadgetry just a single button press away.
Bat Crazy
A quick overview of the story puts Batman on lock down in Arkham Asylum, Gotham City's prison for the criminally insane, as the Joker and his crew of misfits run Batman through the madhouse gauntlet. The game takes place entirely on the Arkham estates as far as I know, primarily in the prison, and begins with a lengthy, playable intro of Batman and security escorting the Joker deep into Arkham Asylum. The Joker breaks loose and Batman takes chase.
What I played of Arkham Asylum pitted me against basic grunts that tested out the visceral combo-counter attack combat system, I investigated detective mode, and snuck around as the "invisible predator." When in combat, Batman can combine light and heavy attacks to perform various combos a la Kratos's attacks in God of War, in addition to a counter-attack system that alerts Batman of preemptive attacks. An enemy is going to attack when an icon pops up above his head. On the Xbox 360, press the Y-button to counter that attack in a variety of different ways depending on the enemy's location in relation to Batman. For example, Batman grabs the legs of enemies who try and kick him in the kidneys, and swings his elbow around to smack them in the head.
Swing from gargoyle statues and other grappling hotspots by pressing the Right Bumper to remain an invisible predator stalking his prey. Or jump in with a glide kick and make a ruckus; it's your choice.
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- Mar 30 2009 at 12:34:04:PM PST
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Wow... looks impressive... it's been too long since we've had a good Batman game!
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Toneman wrote:
Wow... looks impressive... it's been too long since we've had a good Batman game!
When did we EVER have a good batman game, other than LEGO batman? This looks like a gritty, darker side of Batman that we've never seen. I like how developers are doing that now. Like with xmen origins. And i agree with Goldenthalegend, a gritty Batman is awesome, and the joker from the Dark Knight is the best choice. Can't wait for this game.
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When did we EVER have a good batman game, other than LEGO batman? This looks like a gritty, darker side of Batman that we've never seen. I like how developers are doing that now. Like with xmen origins. And i agree with Goldenthalegend, a gritty Batman is awesome, and the joker from the Dark Knight is the best choice. Can't wait for this game.This really says alot about how long you've been gaming!! What are you 12???? You must be because I know you're a sony lemming!
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whysofaded wrote:
When did we EVER have a good batman game, other than LEGO batman? This looks like a gritty, darker side of Batman that we've never seen. I like how developers are doing that now. Like with xmen origins. And i agree with Goldenthalegend, a gritty Batman is awesome, and the joker from the Dark Knight is the best choice. Can't wait for this game.This really says alot about how long you've been gaming!! What are you 12???? You must be because I know you're a sony lemming!
just cuz i like sony and am a sony fanboy doesnt mean i'm a child. I'll have you know, the first game i ever played was the same as most others, pong. And the first system was an SNES. Actually, you people on gamepro dont know this, but i used to be a nintendo fanboy. Got the SNES, then the N64, then the gameboy color, then the gameboy advanced sp then the gamecube, then, when my loyalty to the wii faded, the wii. I also had a psone, a ps2 and now a ps3. The only company i never liked was microsoft. Except of course for pc's, which they should've stuck to. I traded in my gamecube so i could buy an xbox, the first, and a month later i traded in the xbox for my gamecube again. Never like that crap. But unless i missed a ame, i've never played a good batman game. So if that said a lot about how long i've been gaming, what did you guess? Because it's been since a little while after they were created.
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You guys want to talk age, who here can say they spent hours upon hours entering commands into a commador 64 just watch a little face come out and smile at you. That's all... for 2 hours of entry, that little face is all we got. And then we could relax playing basketball on the Atari 2600... Two players and a square ball. Ahhhh.... those were the days. I like to show that system to my nephews when they bitch about a little glitch or draw in problem with todays graphics. Play on gamers... Play on.
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A Batman game that's actually great? Okaaay... I believe since it's not based on a movie (I think xD)... the only game that comes to my mind when you mention "Greatness" and "Batman" in the same sentence is when you talk about "The Adventures of Batman and Robin" of the SNES era... ahhh... that was a nice one... based on the animated series with the same graphics... it was cool... T-T
I hope this one can really be so awesome as it seems till date... need to have a Batman game that really can entertain me and let me a nice taste about it...
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This game looks amazing because of the old school look of Batman, and the graphics look pretty cool as well.
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