“Arkham Asylum” brings Batman to life

“Batman: Arkham Asylum” is the best Batman video game ever made.

Granted, if you’re familiar with the Dark Knight’s patchy history with games, you know that isn’t saying too much.

Fortunately, “Arkham’s” developer Rocksteady Studios has put together not only a sterling outing for the Caped Crusader but a remarkable contender for Game of the Year.

The Batman’s moody blend of sleuthing, brawling, and scaring the pants off of surly street thugs is in remarkable form here, and it’s all set within a loving recreation of one of
Gotham’s most recognizable landmarks: Arkham Asylum, intermittent home of nearly every supervillain Batman has come to blows with.

The vast lineup of antagonists dating back to Batman’s 1939 debut is well represented here.

Predictably, the Joker steals the show, though Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow and several others all play important and appropriate roles.

Even Bruce Wayne’s lingering guilt about his parents’ murder plays a profound role in the story. Fans of the comics, as well as of the films and TV series, will find much to be
pleased with.

Although Batman works with Police Commissioner Gordon and Gordon’s hacker-vigilante daughter Oracle, he finds himself alone on a sanitarium island filled with even more
lowlifes than usual.

“I work better alone,” Batman says near the beginning of the game, and work well he does. The fighting system is exceptionally thrilling, providing a cinematic blend of visceral
face pounding, reflexive counters and evolving strategies every time the Bat squares off with the Asylum’s inmates.

New gadgets are acquired throughout the game, such as a zipline gun, which allows unreachable sections of the island to be returned to and satisfyingly explored.

The game best captures the spirit of the comics when it presents large rooms patrolled by well armed guards. Tactical decisions are left entirely to the player. Will you sneak
around and silence the ruffians by hand or swing from ledge to ledge, swooping up your victims then stringing them down from a gargoyle’s mouth?

As the predation continues, “Detective Vision” reveals the skyrocketing heart rate of the remaining conscious enemies when they realize their imminent doom.

While “Batman: Arkham Asylum” missteps initially with a few too many repetitive “beat up thugs, go through an air vent, beat up thugs” sections, it picks up a quite a bit of momentum by the second hour or so and doesn’t let up until the Knight is finished.