Top 25 Favorite Video Games of All Time
13. Batman: Arkham Asylum -
Two thoughts came to mind when I learned there was a new Batman game being developed by Rocksteady Studios. The first was dread because, back in 2008, licensed video games were—how do I put this?—raging dumpster fires. The second was, "Who in the hell is Rocksteady Studios?" At that time, Rocksteady only had one game to their credit and were not yet a proven commodity. With such a short resume, it baffled me that they were given the keys to such a large IP as Batman.
As details surfaced about the game—like the voice cast, detective vision, and awesome free-flow combat—my worries began to fade away. In the time between the official announcement and release, Batman: Arkham Asylum went from a game that I would probably skip to a launch day purchase.
Batman: Arkham Asylum is a third-person action game with some Metroidvania elements. The story begins with you escorting the Joker back to the asylum. However, during the booking process, the Joker manages to escape with the help of his faithful sidekick, Harley Quinn. He then locks down the asylum and sets free some key villains to stop the Dark Knight from recapturing him. Victor Zsasz, Poison Ivy, and Bane are among the short list of the rogues gallery you encounter. Throughout your journey, you experience several instances of torment from Scarecrow. During these sequences, the game goes from a stealthy detective adventure into a dark and very effective horror game. Those aspects of the story still give me chills. Your main goal is to stop the Joker from getting his hands on the Titan formula, which he wants to use to essentially create roided-out henchmen.
The actual gameplay has many elements that come together nicely to form this masterpiece. There's an awesome stealth system that has you grappling from perch to perch where you can initiate silent takedowns on the Joker's thugs. Eventually, he smartens up and rigs those perches to explode; that's when hand-to- hand combat really comes into play. It's a very intuitive block-and-counter system that also allows for the use of several of Batman's gadgets.
Some of the most fun and captivating things in this game are the Riddler challenges. You have to collect green question mark trophies, destroy chattering Joker teeth, and solve riddles. Those riddles lead to perspective-based environmental puzzles. You solve them by using detective vision to align picture pieces and form a complete image. There are few things more satisfying than finishing all of those challenges.
I have played through this game several times on multiple platforms. Lately, I've been getting the urge again and this time I may go for the platinum trophy. The only thing holding me back is the combat challenge rooms, which are my least favorite parts of the game. Thankfully they're all optional, but if I'm going to get that "platski," I'm going to have to buckle down and complete them. Rocksteady went on to make two more outstanding Batman games and even though Arkham Asylum is smaller in scope than its sequels, it remains my favorite in the franchise. As a massive fan of both Batman and video games, it checks all the right boxes.
