GameRevolution » Manifesto » Post Revolution: Batman: Arkham Asylum
Manifesto RSS Feed

Post Revolution: Batman: Arkham Asylum

Posted on Wednesday, September 22 @ 00:46:04 Eastern by danielrbischoff

Post Revolution is a new weekly feature here in the Daily Manifesto, written by yours truly. Every week I'll be writing posthumously about titles that I've played recently or about games I've been reminded of. This week? Batman: Arkham Asylum.

I know I'm extremely late to the party on this one, but I never picked up Arkham Asylum when it originally landed last year. I've got a little bit more spending money now and impulse buys are coming easier than they were before. Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed the game. It never felt like it was getting longer than it needed, and putting a little Metroid-Vania spin on Batman and his gadgets played out better than I could have hoped for. The free-flow combat system always seemed to evade my full grasp, but predator challenges left me feeling extremely successful. Ultimately, it was, as everyone has said, "the best Batman game I've ever played."

When I was younger, I wasn't exactly a critic of the games I was playing. I was simply happy to play as my favorite comic book characters in those crappy licensed games of yesteryear. I didn't matter if the game was shit, I always blamed myself for lacking the capacity to figure out what I was doing wrong. Obviously, that kind of unfortunate behavior developed into the slightly neurotic writer you see before you today.

Speaking of horrible games, ever played Batman Forever for the Genesis and Super NES? With it's jerky animations, horrific combat, and nonsensical controls, there was no hope for me or my thumbs. Still I loved the game. Why was I so easily impressed as a child? I've always had a soft spot for Batman but when I think back about it, I'm practically embarrassed for Acclaim's poor excuse of a video game.

Even Batman Forever ripped off other games like Arkham Asylum does today. The difference was how poorly executed these "borrowed elements" were. Batman controls a lot like a Mortal Kombat character, with gadgets and special moves requiring button combinations. The co-op mode allowed two players to help each other out, but I always seemed to have a partner more interested in punching me than the baddies.

Nevertheless, you couldn't call Arkham Asylum "The Best Batman Game Ever" if it weren't for this fodder and the handful of other titles just like it.


POST A COMMENTComments
  • Rinnon
    Rinnon - Joined: Nov 8, 2005
    I have in fact played Batman Forever for the Sega Genesis. I was about 8 at the time, and I was never able to get past the first few levels. I even had a partner who was willing to be serious with me and try to get through the levels... never was able to. At the time, i was just like you, I thought it was MY fault that I couldn't get through the game, that I wasn't GOOD enough. Penny Arcade said it best: "The game is not challenging, it's difficult to play, and it's taken many years but I'm ready to begin making this distinction."
    0 0Like or Dislike?
    Posted: Sep 22nd, 2010 at 2:38 am
  • MrrClean
    MrrClean - Joined: Aug 7, 2010
    I also played that game, my little brother had it for SNES. We always wound up just throttling each other, it was way more fun than getting frustrated at not being able to beat the game.
    0 0Like or Dislike?
    Posted: Sep 22nd, 2010 at 8:51 am
  • uncletiki
    uncletiki - Joined: Jun 18, 2006
    I too played Batman Forever for the Genesis. I did eventually beat it in my youth, and I decided to revisit it with emulators a short spell ago. Needless to say I must have been amazing with that genesis because it was terribly hard due to the terrible mechanics.
    0 0Like or Dislike?
    Posted: Sep 22nd, 2010 at 11:08 am
  • UghRochester
    UghRochester - Joined: Jun 5, 2006
    Batman: Forever wasn't just the controls like Mortal Kombat, it was also the same animation like Mortal Kombat. That game did suck, but I was a child and I still like Batman so I thought it was ok at the time.
    0 0Like or Dislike?
    Posted: Sep 22nd, 2010 at 6:51 pm
  • sliverstorm
    sliverstorm - Joined: Jun 23, 2007
    What games is Arkham Asylum ripping off of, exactly?
    0 0Like or Dislike?
    Posted: Sep 23rd, 2010 at 7:13 am

Post a Comment
LOGIN or REGISTER to post a comment or rate this article.