The first time I had smothered one baddie, detonated a wall to take car of two others and had the final one back pedal with fear into the bullying affections of a swooping Batman, I was sold. The parts of Arkham Asylum that will stick with me longest however, are the stealth sections. Enemies and combat situations are varied enough to encourage the player to continuously refine their combat strategies and execution up to the final moments of the game. As one that doesn't care for button mashing, this is a very welcome design decision. Hand to hand combat in Arkham Asylum may feel automated at first, but what is truly happening is that certain combat actions are automated so that the player can rather focus on the overall strategy of a fight. The gadgets also tie in to the far more original stealth and combat sections of the game. Exploration of the island is determined by the gadgets at Batman's disposal. Luckily there are trophy maps placed towards the end of the story content for each section that make collection tasks far less tedious than they could have been, but not brainless altogether (The Riddler is a crafty man). If that is not enough, there are also "Chronicles of Arkham" to be scanned and chattering teeth constructs to be destroyed (that would've made far better collector's edition collectibles than that Batarang). Scanning these details based on clues provided by The Riddler, couples with the collection of Riddler trophies to form the main collection component of Arkham Asylum. Environments are further enlivened by a profusion of details that spruce up the austere halls of a mental hospital.
Although the textures on the PS3 are not as sharp as the likes of Uncharted, and the majority of character models have the "meaty shoulder syndrome" of Unreal games, Arkham Asylum is presented well due to an art style that is far more colourful than a game in its setting could have been. B:AA succeeds in story telling through the sheer volume of information presented, which comes in standard game-play forms such as audio diaries, but are also reflected in the details of the environment. The story itself is nothing revolutionary, but the diversity of the cast and excellent voice acting keeps things moving along. As required something goes wrong (or right) and Batman is battling The Joker across every ward, cell, cave, and vent that Arkham Island has to offer. The personalities of Batman and arch-enemy The Joker are quickly established and no doubt is left as to the stars of the show. From the outset B:AA works hard to immerse you in the world of Batman. The wait was well worth it and here are my thoughts on one of the most engaging game-play experiences I've had in a while. As gaming goes however I was otherwise occupied and only got around to playing it this year (2011). I even bought the game as a gift to my cousin. I was excited by the initial buzz and surprised by the reviews. I've been waiting to play Batman: Arkham Asylum for a good long time know.