[Batman] Arkham Asylum: Game is out! Punch more dudes!

[Myatar_Panwar]

So yeah, demo is awesome. You can download it for the PC (its on steam), the Xbox Live Marketplace, and PSN.

This is the thread where you talk about how awesome the demo is and how much you wish it were the 25th right now.

I would talk more about the game, but the free demo pretty much speaks for itself. Give it a shot, its worth the download.

[Crispy Dave]

It was pretty fun. I think I would enjoy it more with a game controller so I need to either get around to getting an xbox 360 controller set up on my PC or get it for my 360.

[Myatar_Panwar]

Yeah I don't know. I might want to get it for the 360 as well. Though the PC controls weren't bad per say, it just might work better with an analog stick.

Though with the Mouse + Keyboard I find that I am constantly getting surprised. In two different playthroughs yesterday, I learned that hitting R when the Batarang is out launches it while having the camera follow, and that the middle mouse button has batman swing his cape around (stuns enemies and keeps the combat combo flowing).

[Comet]

The full game can't come soon enough.

[Phase]

I love how scared you make the henchmen.

At one point I left one conscious, then dropped his buddy on top of him, snuck behind him while he was screaming, and knocked him out.

[Jibar]

I love how scared you make the henchmen.

At one point I left one conscious, then dropped his buddy on top of him, snuck behind him while he was screaming, and knocked him out.

You sir are a genius.

Well, it should be out for us Silver ( :smallannoyed: ) users tomorrow so I'll be downloading it and playing it to Hell and back.

[Myatar_Panwar]

Probably one of my favorite "kills" would be when I strung a guy up by his feet and jumped to the next gargoyle. When his buddy came to help, he made the mistake of standing right under the strung up guy, to which I responded by throwing the baterang at the rope, cutting free the guy and sending him crashing on the other.

[Crispy Dave]

Only problem with the game so far is it seems very dark but lacks blood and gore.

[Dread Cthulhu]

Only problem with the game so far is it seems very dark but lacks blood and gore.

So was The Dark Knight.

[Crispy Dave]

So was The Dark Knight.

Ya I had the same complaint about the movie. I guess Now that I'm allowed to play/watch just about anything I want, I want it to push those limits.

[WitchSlayer]

It was so satisfying getting a henchie terrified then throwing a Batarang near his feet to cause him to freak out. Also, one time when I played through I was sneaking up behind a henchman and the Joker said I was right behind him and I got shot up. Dangit, Joker.

[Pronounceable]

Only problem with the game so far is it seems very dark but lacks blood and gore.
No matter how Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher's Bay, in GOTHAM!!! it is, it's still Batman. Batsy don't kill no people.But Joker does, and I'm quite certain he'll have at least one horribly evil scene in the full game.


Now that I'm allowed to play/watch just about anything I want, I want it to push those limits.
This comment would be very disturbing if I had a child and it came from him/her.

[Gundato]

No matter how Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher's Bay, in GOTHAM!!! it is, it's still Batman. Batsy don't kill no people.But Joker does, and I'm quite certain he'll have at least one horribly evil scene in the full game.

Pretty much. From reading up on this, the voice actors they got, and the trophy room in the demo, I suspect this will be early DCAU levels of violence (noir levels of violence) with "battle damage" Batman (look at the trophy, his costume gets a bit cut up).

If you want to see an example of a good and "gorey" Batman story (in the DCAU style), go watch Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Censored or not, that is dark as hell, yet still enjoyably Batman.


This comment would be very disturbing if I had a child and it came from him/her.
Nice to know I wasn't the only one.



And to the guy who wants pointlessly gorey crap: Go read any Batman story by Frank Miller (except Year One, he actually did a half-decent job on that one). You get Batman going on killing sprees that make The Punisher look sane and rational. And I don't mean the new nansy-pansy Punisher, I mean the Abnett/Ennis flavor of Frank (psychotic, vindictive, unlikable, and yet you still find yourself rooting for him).

[Dristin]

So far it seems like there is a lot of dialog for this game. I am mentioning this as a good thing. Just in the time spent hunting the 5 enemies the Joker says alot and it varies on each play through. 2 weeks and counting.

[ocato]

I sort of wish they'd change the random gargoyles into other things. A bunch of random gargoyles inside an asylum strikes me as weird, regardless of the dark motif. The detective mode points out what you can grapple to, so why not make them other varied things that are less silly.

Also, it seems to me that they got quite a few people from the Batman: The Animated Series voice crew to do this. I am pleased.

Though Batman looks kind of like a robot during the dialogue scenes.

Overall, I'm interested but not sold. The Castlevania/Metroid style "find the tool to open this door that's been here the whole time" gameplay is intriguing.

[Fredthefighter]

Right, from what I played of it, this is my opinion of the game:
1) It looks great. The graphics are fantastic.
2) There's a lot of neat stuff Batman can do. Although I didn't get to try most of it.
3) The combat moves are innovative.


There was only one thing that ruined it for me:
Apparently, the graphics are that good, that it causes the game to run slowly and jump a little, while the audio moves at the usual pace. Which basically means that combat becomes
- Batman standing there while thugs walk calmly towards him and slowly punch him in the face like he's in constant bullet time.

So basically, I couldn't enjoy the game. :smallsigh: Which is a real shame because it looks brilliant.

[Myatar_Panwar]

Though Batman looks kind of like a robot during the dialogue scenes.


Yeah he is very.... mechanical in everything he does. Which I kind of like. Its as if he is just saving energy until he has to fight some guys, then he just nonchalantly beats the **** out of them.

Another favorite moement was when some guy was charging me, I hit the counter, and batman just stopped his fist with a hand, doubled him over, and kneed him in the face as if it was no big deal.

[Jibar]

I sort of wish they'd change the random gargoyles into other things. A bunch of random gargoyles inside an asylum strikes me as weird, regardless of the dark motif. The detective mode points out what you can grapple to, so why not make them other varied things that are less silly.

I thought the same thing, but if they're using certain interpretations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkham_Asylum:_A_Serious_House_on_Serious_Earth) as their basis, then all of those sort of decals are left over from when it was a gothic manor and it makes sense.

Having now finally got the demo and played it's just plain fantastic. My favourite moment was getting two guys freaking out as I dangled their buddies around the room one by one before finally dropping in on the last guy and beating him to a pulp.

[ocato]

I thought the same thing, but if they're using certain interpretations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkham_Asylum:_A_Serious_House_on_Serious_Earth) as their basis, then all of those sort of decals are left over from when it was a gothic manor and it makes sense.

I respectfully retract my complaint.

[Zeta Kai]

Ya I had the same complaint about the movie. I guess Now that I'm allowed to play/watch just about anything I want, I want it to push those limits.

Then go play Manhunt & let us Batman fans enjoy great media without being sprayed in needless gore. Not every game/movie/comic/breakfast cereal needs to have blood splattered on it to be considered "dark" or "edgy". It also doesn't make something "good". In fact, I'd argue that the gore detracts from the quality of a work without contributing much. Discretion shots are not just to please the censors & the sensitive folk; they tend to make a work better by engaging the audience's imagination, rather than shamelessly (& artlessly) showing the mess.

[leafman]

I think I'm sold on the game already, soley on the basis of Mark Hamill voicing the Joker. Gotta dl the demo tomorrow.:smallbiggrin:

[Gundato]

I think I'm sold on the game already, soley on the basis of Mark Hamill voicing the Joker. Gotta dl the demo tomorrow.:smallbiggrin:

Don't forget Kevin Conroy voicing Batman.

I'll acknowledge that Christian Bale might be the best Bruce Wayne ever. But nobody will ever unseat Kevin Conroy as Batman (and Old Bruce Wayne, but that was freaking Batman anyway).

[leafman]

I played it today and noticed that too.

I also like Batman's suit. It has a comic look in terms of color and design but it also has some armor to it.

[Myatar_Panwar]

So the game came out today for Xbox 360 and PS3. PC gets it Sept. 15th I think. Due to being low on cash and Champions Online just around the corner, I decided to just rent it.

So far: So awesome.

Really loving the riddler stuff.

[chiasaur11]

And to the guy who wants pointlessly gorey crap: Go read any Batman story by Frank Miller (except Year One, he actually did a half-decent job on that one). You get Batman going on killing sprees that make The Punisher look sane and rational. And I don't mean the new nansy-pansy Punisher, I mean the Abnett/Ennis flavor of Frank (psychotic, vindictive, unlikable, and yet you still find yourself rooting for him).

No, not killing sprees.

As this is Batman, we're talking maiming sprees.

Batman doesn't kill, even in Miller. Doesn't make the Miller one nice, sane, or even decent compared to Frank Castle, but even the Goldurn Batman keeps the main rule for old Bruce.

[Myatar_Panwar]

Spoiler regarding Batmans #1 rule and a minor thing that happens early in the game:

At one point, there are a bunch of guards holding onto railing, almost to the point of falling. You, as the batman, help them up of course.

Then you come across one of the convicts in a similar situation. You being the batman, have to save him. So he lifts him up, and when the guy is on the floor, he turns his head to look at his savior, to which batman responds with a quick palm thrust to the face, slamming his head against the ground.

I lol'd.

[Razaele]

Personally, I loved the demo and I can't wait to get my grubby paws on the actual game. I have one complaint though. Has anyone noticed that when you take down the bad guys, they tend to fall down while clutching their heads? Aren't they supposed to be unconscious by then? I dunno, but to me it just looks rather awkward. :smallannoyed: I hope the developers fix this before the game is released!

[Jibar]

Game's out Friday here, so I'm preordering it today to get the Scarecrow bonus map.

Concerning the demo though (I have been playing it daily), does the second Riddler trophy actually do anything?

Also, I noticed that taking on the thugs at their own level yields interesting results. After beating up a guy normally and getting seen, I made my escape and observed. The thugs stayed in one group, watching all around them. It made stealthing at them impossible.

[Myatar_Panwar]

Personally, I loved the demo and I can't wait to get my grubby paws on the actual game. I have one complaint though. Has anyone noticed that when you take down the bad guys, they tend to fall down while clutching their heads? Aren't they supposed to be unconscious by then? I dunno, but to me it just looks rather awkward. :smallannoyed: I hope the developers fix this before the game is released!

Last few seconds of pain before blacking out (its still in the game, usually only when you hit them in the head).

And when you start doing in combat take downs, batman really brings the pain. I mean, damn. :smalleek:

@Jibar: They usually won't group up into more than 2 for very long. Just wait and watch. A two man squad is both easy and fun to destroy!

[boj0]

The Combat Challenge mode is made of pure win; being able to take out 7+ goons with a single combo (pressing one button) is the coolest thing I've ever seen in a video game.
Protip: Do not charge Batman with a lead pipe.

[Myatar_Panwar]

Protip: Do not charge Batman

Yeah not a good idea. :smalltongue:

[Mando Knight]

I got the demo, and grabbing an Xbox 360 just to play this game with a system that can handle it (my computer does a pretty good job, but lags noticeably. Fortunately not game-breakingly laggy) seems worth it.

Also, Jerry Holkins likes it.

[boj0]

Just got three bats on the first combat challenge and the perfect freeform fighter achievement last night. :)
Also, the voice work in this game is amazing, Batman sounds analytical and calm, while the Joker (Luke Skywalker!) brings back some sweet nostalgia from the animated series.

[Hunter Noventa]

Totally unrelated, but reading the topic just made me hear the voice for the protoss player in starcraft saying "You must punch additional inmates!"

[Jibar]

Yeah not a good idea. :smalltongue:

I prefer:



Protip: Batman

Which I would quite like on a shirt. :smalltongue:

Dooooo... comes out tomorrow. I'm very annoyed at you yanks getting a head start.

[Myatar_Panwar]

Woa.

Scarecrow fight #3 spoilers:

For a second I thought my 360 was melting or something, by the way the screen was acting. But then when it reloaded, with the scarecrows face instead of the batsign in the clouds, all I could do was laugh. :smallbiggrin:

Seriously an awesome sequence, though I wonder what happened to him after all of that, when Croc dragged him under....

From what I've been playing, this is without a doubt my current Game of the Year. More people should be talking about this.

Edit: And I'm not even that into batman. At least I wasn't...

[littlequietguy]

I totally saw coming the part were
joker injects himself with that bane venom

[Jibar]

So I do have it now and have been playing for an hour or two maybe.
What bothers me right now, having not left Intensive Care to reach the Island proper yet is that the Riddler has set me challanges and all the doors to the answer are locked. I can solve them damn it if I could just get there.

[chiasaur11]

Totally unrelated, but reading the topic just made me hear the voice for the protoss player in starcraft saying "You must punch additional inmates!"

That sounds like the core of the best RTS ever.

[Vaynor]

I just got this and I must say I am completely astounded by how awesomely amazing it is. I've been having a ton of fun kicking ass as Batman.

I'm not too far into it (game says 14%), where you are getting shot by snipers shortly after the batcave.

[Phase]

Aww. I really want to be Batman, but it's much to expensive for me right now. I'll have to wait for a holiday or eventual sale. :smallfrown:

[Myatar_Panwar]

Aww. I really want to be Batman, but it's much to expensive for me right now. I'll have to wait for a holiday or eventual sale. :smallfrown:

Rent it. Thats what I did.

Unless you only have a PC and are waiting for that release.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

I got the demo off steam. Looked great and ran great on my computer (i have a pretty beefy system), but the controls really kinda sucked on PC. So went and bought the game for my XBox. Man is it fun to beat up a bunch of goons. Also the stealth parts are fun. It's like the best parts of Thief, but none of the boring tedious waiting forever while learning guard patrols.

[Dienekes]

Curse you people with the already having of the game.


Bah... I want to play this game so much.

Oh and a question to any who can answer, does the x-box version have anything that can compare to the exclusive ps3 stuff?

[Vaynor]

Curse you people with the already having of the game.


Bah... I want to play this game so much.

Oh and a question to any who can answer, does the x-box version have anything that can compare to the exclusive ps3 stuff?

Like being able to play the Joker in the challenge maps? No, not really.

[Jibar]

Jibar has punched additional inmates.
Jibar has punched the Hell outta additional inmates.

So I finished it.

I actually kinda liked Titan Joker. He was easy, in comparison to the thugs just before, but he looked cool and it suited the feel of the game. And the sequel hook? Genius.

Also, I realised that they released so many videos and stuff so by the time you played the game you'd know what you're doing, you'd already feel like Batman and there'd be no need to have a real tutorial in there and just have it integrated into the beginning of the game subtlely.
It's also so when you meet the Scarecrow you don't know what the boop is going on.

[Myatar_Panwar]

Anyone done a combat takedown on a stun-baton guy?

It is one of the more hateful things I have seen in a videogame.

Batman twists the guys arm around, taking the baton, knocks him on his back, then thrusts the baton downward on the dudes crotch. Hard.

[Pie Guy]

I am considering getting this as my game for the month. Worth it?

Edit: I had fun with the demo.

[Mando Knight]

I am considering getting this as my game for the month. Worth it?

Edit: I had fun with the demo.

Pros:
Batman
Hamill!Joker
The Batman
Metroidvania-style exploration/upgrade/etc.
Best Batman game ever.
Harley and Poison Ivy in villanously fanservice-y outfits
Stars The BATMAN

Cons:
Costs money
Needs Xbox 360, PS3, or somewhat recent computer to run well
Release did not mark the Second Coming (so far, anyway)
Doesn't help you with (school)work
Full PC version not out yet


...What do you think? :smallwink::smalltongue:

[kpenguin]

You mention Hamil!Joker, but not Conroy!Batman?

[chiasaur11]

You mention Hamil!Joker, but not Conroy!Batman?

Hamil Joker, apparently, is just A (good) Joker.

While, in the same thesis, Conroy Batman IS Batman.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Indeed. Conroy IS Batman.

[Anteros]

Here's my (only) beef with this game, aside perhaps from some slight repetativeness. You literally CAN NOT KILL ANYONE. It's not that I actually want to kill them, because I don't...but you're doing some very, very bad things to these people.

You should have to actually be careful not to kill anyone, and the game should give you a game over if you accidentally do kill them. As it stands now, you I have knocked someone 300 feet off a building, and detonated explosives on their face, and it just knocks them out. That's just silly.

[Mando Knight]

Here's my (only) beef with this game, aside perhaps from some slight repetativeness. You literally CAN NOT KILL ANYONE.

You're the Batman. Killing isn't what you do. You're also pretty far into your career as Batman at this point, since Barbara is already Oracle, so he's pretty darn good at stopping thugs without killing them...

[Myatar_Panwar]

Somethings should be killing these people. Like using explosive gel on the ground and then detonating it right as someone walks over it.

And one time I knocked an unconscious guy over the edge in the sewer part, where you cannot see the bottom. I mean, you hear a splash, implying that the guy hit water. But unconscious people don't really swim all that well ya know?

[Jibar]

Well to be fair the explosive gel isn't a fiery kind of explosion, it's a kinetic blast. It would break bones but I very much doubt that it would kill anyone outright.
Unconscious people also float better.

Speaking of which, playing the challange maps I've found that putting explosive gel in the right place on walls with the motion sensor upgrade gets some nice results. I like covering a wall in gel near an edge, hurling a sonic batarang nearby and waiting for the magic.

I tried a combat takedown on a sun baton by the way, but on the Scarecrow challange map. So it wasn't electricity, it was fire being shoved into their crotch.

[Dixieboy]

So the game came out today for Xbox 360 and PS3. PC gets it Sept. 15th I think. Due to being low on cash and Champions Online just around the corner, I decided to just rent it.

So far: So awesome.

Really loving the riddler stuff.

What has four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening? :smallfrown:

[Fredthefighter]

What has four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening? :smallfrown:

Easy one.
Morning, afternoon and evening represent time and life (Young, Middle-aged, Old).
The answer is a man/a human.
Man walks on all fours in the morning (as a baby), stands upright in the afternoon on two legs (as an adult) and the third leg in the evening is a walking stick (as one of the elderly).

Or were you just saying that you were dissapointed by the quality of the riddles?

[Jibar]

Haha. Close, doctor but wrong.

Trust me Fred, you don't want to know the real answer. Riddler's damn bloodthirsty in this game.

[Dixieboy]

There's a REASON for the smiley. :smallfrown:

[Fredthefighter]

Haha. Close, doctor but wrong.

Trust me Fred, you don't want to know the real answer. Riddler's damn bloodthirsty in this game.

Ah. Well, that's the usual answer to the age-old riddle.

I tried the demo for this, but unfortunately my laptop doesn't have the beef to run it properly (audio runs alright but the actual animation and the gameplay run slower than a snail with heavy shopping). A shame, because it looked brilliant.

[Starbuck_II]

I loved the demo: but the PC controls weren't the best.
On X-box it will definately be easier to use.

I kinda wasn't the best at hiding sometimes.

I noticed Harley Quinn has breast implants (is it just me who noticed they look bigger?).

[Anteros]

Like I said, I don't want to be killing people in the game, and the game should actively punish you for killing people instead of just making it impossible.

I mean, if I plant explosives on a thug's face, drop them 500 feet, or leave them in a room full of Joker gas for 30 minutes, it's just silly that they're only knocked unconscious, and really stretches the suspension of disbelief.

I simply think that a mechanic for making you actually watch what you do to your enemies would make the game a bit more tactical and interesting, as well as more Batman-esque...but the lack of such a thing is hardly a game breaker, and it's still an excellent game.

[Jibar]

Have you finished the game?

Might want to check Dr Young's office then.

[Mc. Lovin']

Ooh why Jibar?

On the game, I had it on 360 and it was amazing but the camera annoyed my a fare few times. Plus, I think they mucked up the scarecrow fights when he became big and platformy, up untill then he actually scared me

[Myatar_Panwar]

Ooh why Jibar?

On the game, I had it on 360 and it was amazing but the camera annoyed my a fare few times. Plus, I think they mucked up the scarecrow fights when he became big and platformy, up untill then he actually scared me

I thought he presented himself as pretty frightening when he is a giant entity whose very stare shakes the ground beneath you. Though I will agree that all the sequences that predate the actual "fights" were way cooler.

[Jibar]

Ooh why Jibar?

Ra's al Ghul has gone walkies...