Biomass Review: Batman: Arkham Asylum

But occasionally, when its wailing gurgles become too overpowering, we must unlock its hermetically-sealed cage and let it have its say. Today, when the Biomass reviews Batman: Arkham Asylum, is such a day.
We, the Biomass, have little conflict about the game that is Batman: Arkham Asylum. We are, in large part, pleased by its every contour. Our Whiskey Jak face says, "Seriously one of the great games of 2009, awesome production value (à la COD4) and great, proven gameplay (I prefer a good mix of proven gameplay with smart design choices that make sense rather than the 'über-innovative, immersive, awesome new feature' that doesn't really work)."
It combines the dark atmosphere of BioShock with the slick combat of Assassin's Creed, while at the same time being better than both of them. |
ResidentEvil72501-face shares the enthusiasm of his brother-self: "So far it is an excellent game. It combines the dark atmosphere of BioShock with the slick combat of Assassins Creed, while at the same time being better than both of them. You really feel like Batman and it is definitely the best game this year."
Perhaps the Batman's greatest feature is his "Invisible Predator" mode, which allows him to silently eliminate armed soldiers piecemeal. El Punisher's face presses through our grotesque epidermis to say, "I find that stalking my prey gives me the most pleasure out of everything the game already offers. Sitting perched up high upon a gargoyle's head and picking off villains one by one ... it just ... it just makes me giggle like a six-year-old girl. Every time I strike, I scream in a fit of joy." Your screams pain us, Punisher! They pain us!
Though we had an emotion approximating single-face love for the demo, even those of us who were unconvinced enjoyed the full product. "I have to say the game went in a direction I did not expect, just thought it would be a lot of shooting or fighting but there seems to be a balance of puzzles and combat. It kept pulling me along and I hard a hard time putting it down." You may wonder why the PC-Max face thought a Batman game would involve "a lot of shooting." We would remind you that questioning the logic of a beast with 323,000 brains is nothing short of insolence.
Despite our shared pleasure, some of our faces had small quibbles. Holyice7 made his known: "My only problem with it is that the camera doesn't seem to know what it's supposed to be doing. Arkham is big and beautiful, but there's a lot more action going on at any given moment. I'm glad they want us to see what Batman's seeing with that whole over-the-shoulder bit, but I find the camera to be way better when he's crouched or running, as it zooms out just the right amount to let you see what's all around you, without that big, tall cowl taking up the entire left half of the screen." Considering that Holyice7 is part of a beast with 12 million eyes, you can imagine how taxing this is.
Though most faces thought it a satisfying meal, some found little more than collation! "While I enjoyed the game it ended very quickly," said the PharoahSteve face. "I don't know if that because I've never been much of a completionist so I just grabbed the riddles as I saw them, but nonetheless I completed this in about eight hours."
Perhaps the feeling deep within our 17 hearts is best described as something like single-face relief; relief that the "Man That is Also Bat" is in a game worthy of his standing. "Finally a Batman game that is not only a good Batman game but a great game on it's own," said the face of Mark. "Awesome. [Single tear.]"
Yes, Arkham Asylum has the power to illicit emotion from an unfeeling, million-faced beast. We will now leave you to meditate on this revelation.
[Biomass image by Frank Forestall]









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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Erluti @ Aug 26th 2009 4:49PM
Too Creepy; Didn't Read
Eduardo Hoeller @ Aug 26th 2009 4:51PM
Too Creepy; Didn't Read [2]
Jampirow @ Aug 26th 2009 5:09PM
Too much text; didn't read.
Courtney @ Aug 26th 2009 5:09PM
The biomass doesn't read, it absords. Join us.
Evildude @ Aug 26th 2009 5:28PM
neither did I
Residentevil72501 (PSN: rankore) @ Aug 26th 2009 7:24PM
Woot! I got my post on the biomass review!
Eduardo Hoeller @ Aug 26th 2009 8:00PM
@ Courtney
That was so /b/ I don't even know how to reply.
bongoes (is back) @ Aug 26th 2009 8:11PM
Courtney, that was creepier than the whole review.
copa @ Aug 26th 2009 4:50PM
I like this better than a nega-review.
G-Anderton @ Aug 26th 2009 5:19PM
This is like the exact opposite of a nega-review...
A nega-review is supposed to take all negative comments from a collection of otherwise glowing reviews and compile them into a compendium of suck to show you that the game isn't as perfect as a number score may lead you to believe. This... Thing, is taking a bunch of fanboys and trolls comments and trying to balance them into something resembling a review.
Which is like telling an atheist and a priest to collaborate on a review of the bible...
Wiizer ($299) Having BC On Your Launch Console? (Priceless) @ Aug 26th 2009 6:01PM
I've never seen a DOUBLE=troll in the wild!
So, it's actually trolling on a post about trolls??? Truly TROLL-tastic!
Enosoma @ Aug 26th 2009 4:50PM
I haven't bought a game since... GTA4. Saving for a house sucks.
fundando @ Aug 26th 2009 5:07PM
I'm sure you could at least rent it. Seriously, it'll make you happy.
Ravnos @ Aug 26th 2009 5:32PM
Look, just rob a GameStop. Even if you get caught, they'll go easier on you than if you'd pirated it.
ytilanigiroon @ Aug 26th 2009 5:44PM
I feel your pain... but every once in a while that $60-$120 for one or two games every six months or so really helps distract from the real world.
Leobebes (BDF: Braid Defence Force) @ Aug 26th 2009 6:23PM
If you live in Southern California you should just give up and blow your savings on useless shit, because unless you can get huge lump sums of money at a time from "relatives or other means" that $3500 a month mortgage is a dream.
Markez @ Aug 26th 2009 8:10PM
Leobebes it isn't *that* bad.
Enosoma @ Aug 26th 2009 8:36PM
$3500 mortgage? Here in PA, for that price you'd be in a 6 bedroom mansion!
Currently I've got $15k and I'm looking at homes in the $180-210k range.
If the game is as good as everyone says it is, I suppose $60 isn't SO bad...
PedoJokerBear [Planeteer | Power of Gall Bladder] @ Aug 26th 2009 8:48PM
Samuel Jackson says: GAMEFLY MOTHERF@#$ER
rv @ Aug 26th 2009 11:40PM
The only game I have bought since gtaiv was gow2 which was a terrible waste of money.
Really the only games I play today are gta iv and cod4. Both of them keep me very entertained.
Viridium @ Aug 26th 2009 4:51PM
You're trying too hard, Joystiq.
DeepFriedSushi @ Aug 26th 2009 4:53PM
joystiq cant be making alot of money on standard advertising, they're probably a shill to the highest bidder.
advertising works infinitely better when the consumer doesnt know they're trying to be persuaded.
Viridium @ Aug 26th 2009 4:58PM
Uh... I just meant why try to "dress it up", when they're just posting reader comments about the game? I like it when I see something in my RSS feed that interests me, I can hit the article, and get the info I want without having to decipher whatever crap Joystiq spinners have tried to wrap around the actual useful information in the post.
Vidikron @ Aug 26th 2009 5:03PM
I think they should simply do like they do in the nega-reviews and just string the comments together without trying to add their own filler.
whylekat @ Aug 26th 2009 5:18PM
It's not like joystiq raided our comments.. They asked us for them with this intention yesterday.
I think it's a great & simple way to make the joystiq fans feel like a real community. It gives back in a way most sites wouldn't.
Thanks Joystiq! It's reasons like this why I waste countless hours on your site commenting. I'm sure I could find way more productive things to do, but dag-nabbit! I like it here!!
pete @ Aug 26th 2009 5:44PM
seriously! they are wayyy too obsessed with batman right now
JUNG GUNS @ Aug 26th 2009 6:34PM
hey joystiq get off batman's nuts already
EI8HT @ Aug 26th 2009 10:02PM
@pete
Im starting to wonder if any of the joystiq staff is wearing a batsuit while playing Batman.... and every five min you hear someone is saying or answering
"I'M BATMAN"
samfish (uses the Joystiq Comment-Kill filter!) @ Aug 26th 2009 10:48PM
My skepticism for this game aside, I've never seen Joystiq fellatiate a game the way they have Batman. It's completely abnormal for this site. Not even GTA 4, Halo 3 and Super Mario galaxy got this kind of focused attention.
And considering this is Eidos publishing it, given their history of tampering with review scores (and allegations regarding this game have been made since June), well...
I love you, Joystiq, but given how out of character this is for you (apparently the entire staff, no less!), it just seems kinda...y'know...suspicious, is all.
cheeto blue @ Aug 26th 2009 11:39PM
@Samfish
how about portal?
I think this fits in the Joystq M.O.
NaeemTHM @ Aug 26th 2009 4:52PM
Well done Batman. Not only do you have the greatest animated superhero TV series and movie of all time under you belt, you can now lay claim to being in the greatest superhero game of all time.
What other media can ol' Bats conquer? Batman rap album?
Erluti @ Aug 26th 2009 4:59PM
Batman on an R&B album close enough?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyx-tEmT-u8
The Dark Wayne @ Aug 27th 2009 12:38AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3YW5Sy3gv0
Jose @ Aug 26th 2009 4:54PM
Really Biomass? Better than Bioshock? I guess I'm going to have to buy this one, based solely on this instance of hyperbole.
whylekat @ Aug 26th 2009 5:25PM
Oh Christ without question it's better. Bioshock was good and engrossing. But it didn't hold me or anyone I know. 5 of us are 'core gamers and got bored of bioshock fairly quickly.
I personally find Batman to Have a much better & More interesting story then the post-apoclyptic scenerio bioshock produced.
StGermain @ Aug 26th 2009 5:26PM
I found Bioshock utterly boring yet played the batman demo four times now and still saw new stuff on the forth try. Having read lots of the comics helps to be immersed in the game universe.
G-Anderton @ Aug 26th 2009 5:51PM
That demo was horrible FYI. Also only four year olds are still enthralled by batman's back story. I don't care what anyone says, comic book writers as a whole are actually less adept at telling a story than romance novelists.
whylekat @ Aug 26th 2009 6:01PM
@G
you obviously don't read a lot if any comics/graphic novels.
Evan_ARRRR @ Aug 26th 2009 6:03PM
@ G-Anderton:
I suggest you read Transmetropolitan, or pretty much anything by Warren Ellis. Also, anything by Grant Morrison. Especially anything by Alan Moore. Any of these three comic book writers will change your mind right quick.
Jose @ Aug 26th 2009 6:04PM
@whilekat
Based on your previous two posts, it's apparent that you don't read anything much.
The Dark Wayne @ Aug 26th 2009 6:10PM
I dont know any four year olds just drooling over the idea of their parents being murdered and left in a filthy alley. Also i dont think you've ever read a comic in your life. Maybe some shitty Free Comic Book day crap or something, but not really
The Dark Wayne @ Aug 26th 2009 6:12PM
Evan, if by grant Morrison you mean absolutely anyone besides Grant Morrison then yes.
bongoes (is back) @ Aug 26th 2009 8:00PM
Wayne you're just still mad about R.I.P. and Final Crisis right? Because All Star Superman, New X-men and JLA were incredible. And I've heard nothing but good things about Animalman, Doom Patrol, the Invisibles, etc.
samfish (uses the Joystiq Comment-Kill filter!) @ Aug 26th 2009 10:56PM
WRONG Wayne! Grant Morrison's Animal Man run is still one of the greatest runs in the history of comics, IMO.
If you're going to read ANYTHING by Grant Morrison, at LEAST read Animal Man volume 3.
Most of the time, though, Grant Morrison seems like a bit of a diva with his writing.
The Dark Wayne @ Aug 27th 2009 12:35AM
okay, okay you're right. I admittedly am completely blinded by rage from the completely mind fuckingly heroin trip esque Final Crisis and RIP, but yeah, Animal Man was great. I never really thought of it Sam Fish but yeah he really is kind of a diva
Anthony33 @ Aug 27th 2009 9:56AM
Yeah you can file me as a huge Morrison fan. All-Star Superman, Seaguy, We3, New X-Men are all good stuff. I hadn't read comic books in over a decade and his work more or less has me reading them again. I'm a huge Batman fan and I love the new direction and think Batman and Robin is great.
WiNG [XBL&Steam: WiNGSPANTT] from lifeinagame.com @ Aug 26th 2009 4:54PM
It's always good to know the Joystiq staff views its loyal audience as an abhorrent, literally multifaceted object of unfathomable horror.
Ghen @ Aug 26th 2009 4:57PM
I for one welcome...
Markez @ Aug 26th 2009 5:02PM
I feel they really caught my likeness...
Courtney @ Aug 26th 2009 5:17PM
We are but a reflection of our creator...