Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)

Video Game

ASIN: B001E8VB3C
Developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive,
WB, DC and Square Enix.
http://www.batmanarkhamasylum.com/start

Playing/Interest Level: Grades 9^th and above.

Summary:

Batman hands the Joker over to the Arkham Asylum, where many of Batman’s enemies can be found, but the hero finds the situation too easy. He thinks the Joker may have something up his sleeve, and his fears are legitimized when the Joker quickly escapes from his prison, and Batman learns that he is trying to create an army of beasts to take over Gotham City. The Joker is trying to find a chemical that gives super strength in order to create a super army. Batman battles Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, among many of Joker’s allies, in order to find an antidote to the chemical and defeat the Joker using his martial arts skills, as well as his detective techniques and criminal psychology. The game’s sequel, Batman: Arkham City, is slated to come out October, 2011. This game will feature the Joker “being nursed by Harley Quinn, whilst the relocated Arkham Asylum descends into chaos” (Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_Arkham_Asylum#Characters). Other villains who are slated to appear include Catwoman, Mr. Freeze, and Two-Face, to name only the most notorious. A little-known fact that I also found on this website is that this particular game holds a Guinness World Record for “Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever.”

Critical Evaluation:

The conflict of this video game is the same obvious one that many video games rely on. The good guy puts the bad guy in prison and stops his nefarious plans. In this video game, Batman is placing the Joker and his cronies behind bars once again. The way this game is different is well-expressed by Nguyen, when he writes that “developer Rocksteady ‘manages to combine combat, stealth, storytelling, and cartoon voices into the best digital Batman simulator we've seen to date.”’ (Retrieved from http://www.1up.com/reviews/batman-arkham-asylum-review). Not only does the player feel as though they are in the thick of the action, but he must also use his analytical skills in order to capture the Joker. He has to think like a detective and solve puzzles in order to further himself in the game. The point-of-view is always Batman’s, but it shifts from third person to first person, depending on locale and what gameplay is going on.

When a player is in detective mode, as Wikipedia notes, most of the world is “rendered in darker colors, but objects of interest and people are highlighted, including limited x-ray ability to detect the location of people.” These highlights can be fingerprints or other clues, which direct the player forward. Third-person is dependent on fighting and action situations, while first-person is utilized for the detective work and investigation scenes, which promote a more intellectual side of an action-adventure game. All in all, this game teaches the player to figure out puzzles, riddles, and to always be aware of his surroundings. On a lighter note, the controller rumbles throughout the game, making the gamer feel as though he is, indeed, traversing the halls of Arkham Asylum.

Reader’s Annotation:

Are you ready to become Batman? Using his gadgets and abilities,
prepare to undertake an adventure where you must foil the Joker’s demented scheme.

Author Biography:

Rocksteady Studios, founded in 2004, is a video game developer in London, England. The only other game they have developed is Urban Chaos: Riot Response, and their next upcoming game, Batman: Arkham City, is slated to come out in October, 2011.

The character of Batman has been a part of DC comics since 1937. Batman, Bruce Wayne, is a rich American man who witnessed the murder of his parents as a child and “swore revenge on crime, an oath tempered with the greater ideal of justice.” (Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman). Batman is a character who is still much beloved and has appeared not only in comic books and video games, but also films and television series.

Genre:

Action-adventure - Stealth.

Can be played on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Curriculum Ties: Although this would not appear in a school setting,
it could be used for gaming nights in a high school or library.

Booktalking Ideas:

Discuss the ways Batman uses strength instead of guns and death to reach his objective.

Play-Alikes:

-Tomb Raider, found at http://www.tombraider.com/
-Far Cry, found at http://farcry.us.ubi.com/

Challenge Issue:

Although there is violence in fistfights, Batman does not kill his adversaries, since he does not believe in guns or in killing because of his own parents’ murders. I would let a parent know that the popularity of this game lies in the puzzle solving arenas and are not as violent as many of the other games out that teens love.

Reason to include in blog:

I am not very well-versed in video games, but my boyfriend is a bit of a gamer, and after some research, I realized that he owned both this Batman game and World of Warcraft, so I was able to play awhile and see the reasons for their popularity.

References:

Batman: Arkham Asylum. (2009). Game overview.
     Retrieved at http://www.batmanarkhamasylum.com/overview

Batman: Arkham Asylum. (2011). In Wikipedia.
     Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_Arkham_Asylum#Characters

Nguyen, T. (2009). Batman: Arkham Asylum Review.
     Retrieved at http://www.1up.com/reviews/batman-arkham-asylum-review

Trailer: