Batman: Arkham Asylum

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Introduction

Batman Arkham Asylum is a video game released for the PS3, Games for Windows and Xbox 360. The game was developed by Rocksteady and published by Warner Bros./ DC Comics and Eidos. The title of the game, 'Arkham Asylum', refers to a psychiatric hospital that often appears in stories featuring Batman and other DC characters. It was a key location in the 2005 movie 'Batman Begins', with Cillian Murphy playing Dr. Jonathan Crane, a psychiatric at the hospital. Many of the famous criminals of Gotham City have been imprisoned within the hospital, including the Joker and Two Face.

Released in August/September 2009, Arkham has been a critical and sales success. Averaging a rating above 90% from most online publications, provided below are just a few quotes praising the title,

"Game of the year" 95% - Xbox 360 World
"This year's must play action game" 9/10 - Playstation Official Magazine
"Masterpiece" 96% - GamesMaster
"Best game of the year so far" 5/5 - Total Film

Such high praise has not gone unnoticed, the Guinness Book of Records has recently awarded Warner Bros. and Rocksteady the record for ‘Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever’.

Age Limit

British Board of Film Classification - 15
Computer Entertainment Rating Organization - Grade B (twelve years and up)
Entertainment Software Rating Board - Grade T (suitable for teens)
Pan European Game Information - 16+

Graphics Engine

PhysX (Physics engine) - Recently acquired by the video card manufacturer Nvidia, handles physics interactions.
Unreal Engine 3 - Designed for use on the Xbox 360, PS3 and for directX version number 9 or 10 for Windows.

Plot

The plot of Arkham was written by Paul Dini, who has been responsible for writing many comic book series, including Batman. The story revolves around the Joker, who begins by attacking the Mayor's office. The attack is stopped by Batman, who then helps the authorities incarcerate the Joker in Arkham. The Joker quickly escapes and takes over the Asylum, he then attempts to produce a gang of Bane type creatures from within Arkham Asylum. The task of the game is to defeat the Joker's evil scheme of unleashing these creatures upon Gotham.

Characters

Along the story you will meet some of Batman's most famous foes and allies.

Foes

• The Joker
  
  The most famous comic book villain, the Joker has been portrayed from camp comedian to terrifying foe. The most popular tale of his looks, is that he fell into a vat of chemical waste. The Joker is voiced by Mark Hamill (Star Wars).
• Harley Quinn
  
  Also known as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, she is a foxy villianess, who has been linked as the girlfriend of the Joker, and close friend to Poison Ivy.
• Poison Ivy
  
  Perhaps the most famous super villainess of Gotham City. She has a fascination with botany and is now portrayed as an eco-terrorist. A solitary personality who prefers the company of plants to humans, her only friend appears to be Harley Quinn.
  
• Victor Zsasz
  
  A relatively new villain, Victor is a serial killer and has been certified insane. He has been an inmate of the Asylum and is known to suffer from depression. He was seen escaping the Asylum in the Batman Begins movie (2005).
  
• Bane
  
  The most physically powerful of any of Batman's foes. He has been portrayed as a mindless dimwitted henchman in the Batman & Robin movie, but is portrayed as highly intelligent in many comic book stories. His strength is the result of the super powerful steroid called Venom. Which also plays a key role in the Joker scheme in Arkham Asylum.
  
• Scarecrow
  
  A former or current psychiatrist who works or worked at the Asylum, Dr. Jonathan Crane. He typically uses hypogenic drugs to create fear in his enemies. He played a leading role in the Batman Begins movie (2005), when he tried to contaminate the water supply of Gotham.
• Killer Croc
  
  Physically powerful and with reptilian features, Killer Croc has attempted to become the head of Gotham City's underworld. Recently, writers have portrayed Croc as a more bestial character and discarded his crime lord persona. The Croc is a man, named Waylon Jones, who suffers from a regressive gene, which contains traits of an ancestral human slash reptile species.

Whilst the Riddler does play a part in the game, Batman does not get to meet or battle with him. The allies of Batman are few and far between. The Oracle attempts to guide Batman at the beginning and Commissioner Gordon makes a few appearances.

Gameplay

Arkham is played in the third person view. With a camera angle placed just above the shoulder of Batman. Batman's cape and utility belt are used within the gameplay, the ability to glide from high heights and ascend with the grapple hook are two such instances. Batman can also use a range of third party tools throughout the story, and the detective mode plays a substantial role in the game. A vantage pointage system is also incorporated, which allows Batman to acquire a range of upgraded tools. Combat within Arkham is quite simple, a 'free flow' combat system only requires the use of three buttons. Arkham Asylum is situated on an island near Gotham City, and it's possible to freely explore the whole of the island.