Topic: Batman Arkham Asylum

[broodwars]

I AM THE NIGHT BUMP

I tried the combat challenge demo of this game the other night. FANTASTIC. I was really suprised how much I like it. The graphics weren't as image comics style as I feared, and the animations were extremely good. Go try it out at the Gamestop PS3 kiosk.

I got to level 4 on hard with a broken controller.

I don't know, I had a chance to play the demo today and honestly I didn't like it much.  The graphics look very rough and there's just nothing Batman (aside from the lovely Mark Hammil Joker lines inbetween bouts) about the demo.  You're just battling wave after wave of generic thugs, and while the combat system is perfectly functional combat should be merely a means to an end in a Batman game, as Batman is first and foremost a detective.  It bothers me that the devs thought the best way to introduce players to this game is through a strictly-combat demo (and not only combat, but strictly hand-to-hand combat).  A lot of Batman games in the past have tried to focus on combat, but none of them got the detective part right.  This game looked to change that, but the demo is just not interested.  The main game looks awesome, but I wish they had put out a real demo with a brief playthrough of something like the first level of the game.

[Dirk Temporo]

The graphics weren't as image comics style as I feared

Huh?

while the combat system is perfectly functional combat should be merely a means to an end in a Batman game, as Batman is first and foremost a detective.

Nobody wants to play a Batman game where you collect evidence except you.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Nobody wants to play a Batman game where you collect evidence except you.

Just think though. How fun would it be to pick up a pile of dirt and bring it back to the Batcave and have the Bat Computer analyze it? OK you have a point.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

But that's a little 2008.

Today's Batman would sprinkle the dirt on his iPhone and Wolfbang Afro would provide the realtime assessment.

[broodwars]

Nobody wants to play a Batman game where you collect evidence except you.

Just think though. How fun would it be to pick up a pile of dirt and bring it back to the Batcave and have the Bat Computer analyze it? OK you have a point.

They could always do what Condemned did with its detective sequences (which were kind of interactive cutscenes of sorts), and it wasn't a problem at all in that game.  In fact, most people complained that it was a shame you didn't do more sleuthing in it.  Batman is a detective who tends to do more sneaking around and spying than fighting, so we should be doing actual...oh gee I don't know...detecting in this game.  From all accounts by the devs, that is in the actual game.  So sue me if I wanted to see it in the demo.  This demo gives the impression that Batman is the frickin' Hulk or something.

[Dirk Temporo]

He's the goddamn Batman

[nickmitch]

He's the goddamn Batman

That.

[ShyGuy]

I realize the demo was combat heavy, but I'm not basing the whole game on them. The videos online have shown more stealth based gameplay. I had guarded expectations of the game and I enjoyed the demo more than I thought I would.

By Images comics I meant the Rob Lefield/Todd McFarlane art styles of the early 90s that were very extreme and generally played into what a thirteen year old would find kewl.

I'm waiting for the Batman free roaming sandbox game. mixed with Lucas Arts style adventure game. With a budget of $60 million, It would be awesome.

[Spak-Spang]

The game play for this game looks GREAT.  However, I can't get past how poor the character design and animations are.  I just don't like the art direction, and I feel the animation is even worse.

I am willing to overlook that though IF, you create a game that plays well and has good control.

[GoldenPhoenix]

The game play for this game looks GREAT.  However, I can't get past how poor the character design and animations are.  I just don't like the art direction, and I feel the animation is even worse.

I am willing to overlook that though IF, you create a game that plays well and has good control.

I agree, I think they tried too hard to make everything look creepy, but oh well. In regards to the demo, you want to make the demo as exciting as possible which is why it seems so combat heavy.

[broodwars]

The game play for this game looks GREAT.  However, I can't get past how poor the character design and animations are.  I just don't like the art direction, and I feel the animation is even worse.

I am willing to overlook that though IF, you create a game that plays well and has good control.

I agree, I think they tried too hard to make everything look creepy, but oh well. In regards to the demo, you want to make the demo as exciting as possible which is why it seems so combat heavy.

At least they got Kevin Conroy; Mark Hammil; and Arleen Sorkin to reprise their roles as Batman; the Joker; and Harley Quinn from Batman: The Animated Series (and its various spin-offs), respectively.  Frankly, I've never been fond of the "GRITTY REALISM!" look of the comics, and much prefer the sleek art deco look of Batman: The Animated Series.  If only we'd get a kickass Batman game based on that property.  It's had a few decent efforts (like Batman: Vengeance back on the GC), but never a game worthy of the exemplary license.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Yeah I'm not going to let the art direction bother me because I am ecstatic that they brought back many of the voice actors from Batman: The Animated Series, which is still, IMO, the best incarnation of Batman in either the movies or on TV. It proved you can have supernatural villains while still having a serious adventure.

[broodwars]

You know, on that subject (but a little off-topic) does anyone else find it pretty ironic that Mark Hammil is inextricably linked to his portrayal of Luke Skywalker, but the guy was pretty much born to be a Voice Actor?  Just a few memorable roles off the top of my head: The Joker in B:TAS; the Hobgoblin in Spider-man: TAS; and Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: the Last Airbender.  No one ever believes me when I tell them he gave pretty much the performance of a lifetime as the Joker...until I play a given episode (or Batman: Return of the Joker) and they hear it for themselves.

Incidentally, GP, if you haven't seen Avatar: the Last Airbender you should because it's completely awesome.  In my opinion, it's easily the best animated series since B:TAS, and they even use the same voice director from that series.   

[GoldenPhoenix]

I have never seen Avatar. In regards to Mark Hammil, I agree, really once he got in the wreck his acting career was pretty much over (which is sad but in a culture obsessed with looks it hurt him). But as a voice actor he has been amazing, and anytime I hear someone make fun of him as an actor that went nowhere I tell them about the Joker, which is one of the most vivid villains ever because of it. Mark Hammil deserves recognition as a talented voice actor along with Frank Welker (though not as diverse but that is not always a bad thing), Jim Cummings and others.

I'm also a fan of the Superman Animated Series and the Justice League series.

[broodwars]

With the game's release upcoming it seemed rather appropriate to revive this topic.  Besides, in any case anyone's interested IGN and Gametrailers are reporting that the real demo for Batman: Arkham Asylum (not that "challenge mode" demo retail stores have right now) from E3 will be releasing on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network this Friday, August 7th.  While it's odd for any game to release on the PSN outside the usual Thursday release batch, I'll be looking forward to this one.  With all the rumors and speculation goinig on right with regarding Eidos allegedly trying to manipulate review scores for this game, the demo will pretty much dictate if I hold on to my pre-order or not for the LE.  I have $65+ on reserve for it already, so if the game's mediocre (hopefully not) I'd like to free that up to put towards something else.

[Dirk Temporo]

If you haven't seen Avatar: the Last Airbender you should because it's completely awesome.  In my opinion, it's easily the best animated series since B:TAS

You misspelled "Batman Beyond".

I'm pretty pumped about there being a demo. I was wondering if we were ever going to get a proper one on more systems than just PS3.

[broodwars]

If you haven't seen Avatar: the Last Airbender you should because it's completely awesome.  In my opinion, it's easily the best animated series since B:TAS

You misspelled "Batman Beyond".

I'm pretty pumped about there being a demo. I was wondering if we were ever going to get a proper one on more systems than just PS3.

Batman Beyond was a very good series with several awesome episodes, but Avatar:TSA (gotta put that subtitle in, thanks to James Cameron) completely blows it away in sheer scope; writing; animation; and epic-ness.

[NWR_Neal]

Tangent: The DC Animated Universe is amazing. Justice League Unlimited is easily the best thing to ever come out of a television set and Batman: TAS is, to me, the definitive Batman.

[Dirk Temporo]

If you haven't seen Avatar: the Last Airbender you should because it's completely awesome.  In my opinion, it's easily the best animated series since B:TAS

You misspelled "Batman Beyond".

I'm pretty pumped about there being a demo. I was wondering if we were ever going to get a proper one on more systems than just PS3.

Batman Beyond was a very good series with several awesome episodes, but Avatar:TSA (gotta put that subtitle in, thanks to James Cameron) completely blows it away in sheer scope; writing; animation; and epic-ness.

No no no. I meant that Avatar was the best animated series since Batman Beyond.

But really I can't even say that, and you'd be pretty hard pressed to say that Avatar is the best animated series since B:TAS, given that Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, and both Ghost in the Shell series came out in that time.

[broodwars]

If you haven't seen Avatar: the Last Airbender you should because it's completely awesome.  In my opinion, it's easily the best animated series since B:TAS

You misspelled "Batman Beyond".

I'm pretty pumped about there being a demo. I was wondering if we were ever going to get a proper one on more systems than just PS3.

Batman Beyond was a very good series with several awesome episodes, but Avatar:TSA (gotta put that subtitle in, thanks to James Cameron) completely blows it away in sheer scope; writing; animation; and epic-ness.

No no no. I meant that Avatar was the best animated series since Batman Beyond.

But really I can't even say that, and you'd be pretty hard pressed to say that Avatar is the best animated series since B:TAS, given that Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, and both Ghost in the Shell series came out in that time.

If I had meant to say "anime" I would have.  I consider that stuff (which I love, don't get me wrong) its own separate wing of animation and so has its own term (US= "animated series", Japan= "anime").  Yeah, it's completely arbitrary but it works for me.

[Dirk Temporo]

I usually go for "anime" for Japanese, "cartoons" for western, and "animated series" for either. Hence the confusion.

I heard that before they started making Batman Begins, the production team was originally slated to work on a live-action Batman Beyond. I do like Batman Begins and I LOVE Dark Knight, but I would have really liked to see how a live-action Batman Beyond would turn out.

[Caliban]

Just played the demo on my PS3. I liked it a lot.

[broodwars]

Yeah, I just finished the demo myself and I really like the game.  I have some nitpicks, like how I really don't like this game's voice actor for Commissioner Gordon (they needed to get the guy from Batman: TAS); I wish the Batarangs could interact with more than apparently just enemies and TV screens; and the demo really should have let us fight Killer Croc, but if this snippet of gameplay is indicative of the whole (and I'm still wary of that) this game's going to be awesome.  It doesn't seem to be a particularly hard game, but I love how it boils down the essence of what Batman does and then makes it easy to do.  I'm a little annoyed that a filter toggle seems to be the extent of the investigative side of Batman, but otherwise they seem to have pretty much nailed the feeling of being Batman.  There is just a very simple joy in sneaking around a room, grapping from ledge to ledge by means of a simple button press, isolating a goon, and then jumping down to grab them and yank them back into the shadows for a very Batman-ish stealth finish.  By the demo I was doing that non-stop, easily the most fun I've ever had in a Batman game.  Hopefully there's a lot more depth to be uncovered, but I'm quite content with what's here.

EDIT:  Actually, something I forgot to mention: anyone else bothered by just how close the camera is to Batman in this game?  It's like RE4-level closeness and feels really claustrophic when I'm walking around environments.  It was bugging me throughout the demo.

[Caliban]

I noticed that too with the camera, but I got used to it though.

[Halbred]

This is the E3 demo--nothing has changed. I like it overall, but a few things do bother me about the game, assuming this demo is diagnostic of the finished product.

1) The character designs are a little iffy. Gordon looks like he could bench-press the Joker, and I don't like his voice actor. I also don't like Harley's new costume. With the Animated Series voice cast, the aesthetic is bizarre.

2) I also don't like how close the camera is, but it does zoom out for combat and grappling.

3) This game is powered by the same graphics and physics engine that Bioshock was (I think). Yet objects don't move around when you run into them, like chairs and pots. That's noticable and irritating. Arkham is so damn detailed, I want to be able to mess with stuff!

4) Was that supposed to be The Creeper at the end there?