Best game of the year so far!
First I got into Spiderman: Web of Shadows, then Wolverine and now Batman. I've been wanting this game since I first saw the trailer for it back in Dec08 and, as soon as it hit the shelves, I was there to buy it.
Graphics
The graphics for this game is something to behold and they really have taken the time and care to make sure they create a very atmospheric game. The small touches are what make this game an instant classic though, like when you take a bad guy down quietly, the camera changes to a soft tone and, once he's down, it changes back again.
The detective vision mode is brilliant and adds another dimension to the game.
My only gripe is that you don't really get much of an opportunity to take in the fantastic graphics that this game has to offer because you have to stay in detective vision mode 90% of the time in order to solve the riddles. Infact, the only time I really wasn't in detective vision was when I was in a brawl with 10-15 inmates. This is a small gripe however.
Sound
The voice acting is something that can always bring a fantastic game down a notch or two, thankfully with this game, this is not the case. The voice of Batman and the Joker are people who have been voice acting these characters in the cartoons for years. Again, another small touch to ensure that nothing in this game falters.
The sound when you're in a brawl of the punches and kicks (and snapping of the limbs) are spot on, its been enhanced to make it sound good, but not over the top.
Gameplay
This is where this game shines. They have incorporated 2 gaming styles, the stealth and the combat. Whereas the combat is lacking slightly in the fact that, its not too complex, what they have done is make it look fantastic with some great choreography. This may sound like an easy way out, but when you face 10 inmates in the story mode or take on even more in the challenges, the combat is very addictive and you just wanna take on more bad guys.
The stealth side to this game, where it may not be on par with the Metal Gear Solid games, is very good. At first, you're able to take down the inmates without alerting anyone else, but later in the game, the difficulty level is kicked up a notch with the introduction of suicide collars on the inmates which alert everyone if someone has been taken down. This means that the invisible predator part of this game doesn't remain the same and get stale.
You get given alot of toys through-out, like explosive gel and upgrades to the batterangs to make the stealth part even more fun to create diversions, which do come in handy.
Final Thoughts
Usually, when an action adventure game has been completed, the replay value is not that high. But the incentives in this game, like solving various riddles to unlock more challenges and the challenges themselves, mean that the replay value to this game is quite unheard of. Even though I have completed the story mode, I'll continue with that and the challenges for a little while longer, its that addictive.
The care that has gone into this game is clearly visible through-out and I can't speak highly enough of it. Its easily worth a 9, but for the extra replay value that it offers, its worth giving it an extra 0.5.
This is the best game of 09 that I have played so far. Buy it, or you'll miss out on a classic.