Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Amazing"

During the summer of 2012, I ran out of new video games to play, so my friend who stays with me in my camper all summer told me I should beat this game. It was very worth it.

The story starts off with Batman and guards taking the Joker to Arkham Asylum, but it all goes wrong since it was a plan to help the Joker escape thanks to Harley Quinn who has taken over Arkham. Batman then tries getting to the Joker, but after learning about the Titan formula, he must do whatever he can to stop it from spreading. It's not word for word with the story, but it's breaking it down and avoiding as much spoilers as possible. It's a great story that really suits the Batman universe well.

Never have you played a better super hero game. It may seem like a button masher at first, but the point is, you get to be Batman and beat the crap out of people with using so many different techniques in battle, especially when you fight a group of people, it shows off how skilled Batman is with martial arts. You also get to solve puzzles, and get around fairly devious traps, along with gaining plenty of bat gadgets to help you progress through your journey. Every battle provides a good amount of challenge and a lot of fun, and it is very rewarding to come out on top of every challenge the game throws at you. The game play is addicting, and some of the best I've ever played.

For 2009, the game looks great. It looks as realistic as possible, but it's Batman which makes it even cooler. The characters look just like they did in the cartoon, and all of the voice actors reprise their role and do a fantastic job at it. Environments look great, and are very detailed. Possibly one of the best looking games of 2009.

There are some very nice tunes here and there. Arkham Asylum has a creepy atmosphere somewhat, and it has themes that play in it as you progress which really help set the mood and once again suit the Batman universe awesomely.

This game can be as long as you make it out to be, depending on what you decide to do. If you want to get every upgrade you can, every Riddler trophy, and everything else you can look at anywhere from 20-35 hours, while the main story can take anywhere from 10-15 depending on how well you know what you're doing.

This game is a game that is very easy to pick up and play. Most super hero games don't wow you, and don't have you fully engaged in the story, but this game does, and makes you want to see what happens next at every turn and twist. My friend has beaten this game fifteen times due to how much fun it is to play, and I'm definitely gonna play it a lot more too. It's a game where you and a friend can sit down in a night and beat it, I am not kidding.

Overall, it's one of the best games you'll ever play, and quite possibly the best video game of 2009 in my books. Although I prefer Spider Man, no super hero game has come close to this game back in 2009, and it's hard to say if another super hero will ever have a video game series this masterful. If you love action-adventure games, games with great stories, or love super heroes or comic books then you absolutely have to half this game in your library! You won't regret it.

Pros:
+Awesome graphics that have the same art style as the cartoon
+Creepy yet great atmosphere
+Fantastic game play and cool martial arts
+Very easy to pick up and play

Cons:
-Some parts may be frustrating (Scarecrow, and Killer Croc)

Story: 10/10
Gameplay: 9.8/10
Graphics: 9.7/10
Music: 8.7/10
Lifetime: 9.6/10
Replayability: 10/10
Overall: 9.9/10