Playing as the Dark Knight hasn't been this gratifying since Konami's Batman Returns on the SNES. Those aside, this game is seriously good shit. Arkham Asylum doesn't offer up this option, so doing things like aiming the Batarang in reverse or crawling around in a vent via FPV while differentiating my head from my ass is an awkward and troublesome chore. I'm one of those odd birds who prefers inverted controls for over-the-shoulder third person games like Gears 2, Resident Evil 4/5, and Dead Space - but still wants to have the controls set as Normal while aiming. Less of a biggie is the lack of a separate option for Normal/Inverted camera control when aiming or in first-person viewing mode. Why they didn't just allow for context-sensitive movement with the analog stick is beyond me. Assigning a designated run button is a hassle, especially when trying to properly maneuver the right analog stick to control the camera. The first is one that Yahtzee mentioned in his review, but I'm surprised that no one else has, and that's the lack of auto-running. The voice work is especially well done too, with Conroy, Hamill and Sorkin all carrying over with exceptionally faithful performances. The Unreal Engine always manages to look impressive, but when given the Batman treatment, it looks downright sleek the environments are invitingly brooding, and the major key players (especially Batman and The Joker) are accurately rendered with just the right amount of grittiness. This is probably going to be one of the few games where I really want to strive for as many of the Achievements as I can. The game's accomplishments also feel substantial, from the main quest itself, to locating the audio diaries and Riddler Trophies, and puzzling out the Riddler's Challenges. The Detective Mode is ridiculously rad, a gameplay mechanic that's both at once crucial and nifty to use. The gameplay is an effective conglomerate of stealth, detective work, and slickly brutal-looking combat. Having played a decent portion of the early part of the 360 version (just got up to the outer grounds of Arkham Island), I've gotta say Arkham Asylum has been a truly exceptional package so far.
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