Rocksteady has put together an excellent action game and finally got the monkey off of the Batman video game curse.
Even if you aren't a Batman fan, Arkham Asylum is easily recommendable to anyone looking for a worthwhile action/adventure experience thanks to the games easily controlled, yet impressively deep and ostensive combat system. Batman gains experience points throughout the main storyline which can be used to upgrade his gadgets and skills respectively. Most actions require nothing more than pressing one button along with aiming the control stick in the direction of your target. You can strike enemies with X which become more powerful and rangeful after a x2 combo. If you time your strikes perfectly they become critical and count for a x2 combo with each successful strike, making your special moves quicker to activate. You can also stun your target into a daze with your cape by pressing the B button. Enemies who attack with knives require to be stunned in order for regular strikes to work, or you can always use special moves on them. The Y button is used for counters, which are prompted by white flashes that appear above the attackers' head.
Batman's special moves become possible after achieving a consecutive combo of x8 (or x5 after you upgrade it) and include a pickup and throwing of a single henchman, which can be used to knock over other henchmens, or to toss the one enemy over a rail and to their doom by simply pressing X and A together while aiming at your target. The other special move is a takedown which instantly KO's a single henchmen, and boasts a variety of different animations. All of Batmans' gadgets can also be integrated into combat and include batarangs (3 at a time after upgraded, which knock over 3 different targets at the same time), the batclaw (which sort of works like Scorpions harpoon from Mortal Kombat).
The main store also boasts many levels where you are required to sneak around and take down armed thugs one by one. Batman is equipped with a plethora of ways to takedown unsuspecting inmates. You can kick them off of a rail with your line launcher, throw them off of a walkway while clinging to the bottom of it, sneak up behind them and take them down silently, hide in a corner and take them out as they approach, crash through glass ceilings and even pop up out of metal grates in the floor to surprise and attack. There are also usually gargoyles or other statue structures on the ceilings where you can hide and swing to and from using your grapple gun. Batman can even hang down from a gargoyle, then snatch an unsuspecting passerby and tie their feet to the structure, leaving them hanging helplessly upside down screaming for help.
In addition to the main story mode, you can unlock several challenge modes after collecting or uncovering a certain amount of Riddler secrets in the campaign. Many of the combat challenges feature obsurd amount of enemies in familiar levels from the game. The other challenges are called Predator Mode, which entails Batman sneaking around certain maps taking out inmates stealth style. These maps include 3 challenge medals which have you meet certain criteria in order for you to collect them. Some of them are as simple as batclawing a henchmen off of a walkway. Others are much tougher, such as sending 3 henchmen off of a rail, or collapsing through weak walls by detonating them with explosive gel etc.
All in all Batman: Arkham Asylum is a dream come drue for Batman fans especially, but for gamers and action/adventure gurus alike. It's true that detective mode is a little too tempting to turn off at times, and it makes the game much easier in certain areas. Also, they could have included a couple more supervillian boss fights. The game's main flaw is sporading aiming issues. There will times where you swore you aimed at a certain enemy, but you end up striking someone else. Especially when there are titans on the field. Other than that, it's easy to see why Arkham Asylum won game of the year in '09. I can't think of a better action/adventure game to recommend.