I fooled around with Batman.

Besides Bruce, I mean, brute force, my favorite aspects of Batman’s repertoire are his detective skills and gadgets and you really use them to your advantage in B: AA. A detective mode in Batman’s cowl allows you to analyze any situation or environment. With it, you receive the status of individuals within range. Are they deceased, unconcious or scared out of their fucking minds? It also let’s you know who they bad guys are and which of them are packing heat. Very handy. Detective mode also helps you find alternative routes of entry and secrets you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. I actually found myself keeping detective mode on the majority of the time so I wouldn’t miss things but then I’d feel bad and switch back to see the awesome graphics. Of course those were the times I would actually miss something I was looking for.

Sadly, besides cut-scenes, Batman doesn’t get to use the Bat-mobile or any of his other vehicles in-game but he does have access to his classic gadgets and more. His Batarangs and grappling hook are standard but you acquire much more as the game develops. Explosive gel is intended to blow up walls but can also be strategically placed to blow up henchmen as well. Upgrades to your tools, gadgets and fighting technique become available as you gain experience. My favorite has to be the ability to do an “inverted takedown.” Hanging from a gargoyle, you grab a thug that was unlucky enough to walk below you and leave him hanging from a rope until he passes out. Not only does he scream in terror, he’s a prime example left for the other henchmen – don’t fuck with the (babysitter) Batman.

If the entire game consisted of rounding up escaped mental patients and henchmen I probably would have gotten bored after a while. Luckily several classic Batman villains star or at least have cameo appearances. The Joker is primarily a voice from the sky until the very end of the game and contrary to popular belief, you do get to play as him on the XBOX, just not how you’d think. Bane and Killer Croc are obvious powerhouses but it’s my girls Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy who stand out, if for nothing else than their attire. I’m in love with Harley’s pieced together costume although I’m not too fond of Poison Ivy’s look but I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to her. I was slightly disappointed that you don’t actually fight Harley herself but her antics and love for the Joker are enough for me.

Fighting Killer Croc was one of the most intense portions of the game. I’m a big wimp so it killed me to have an already heart-pounding boss fight made that much scarier by having to move at a snails pace through it. And by the way, I don’t recommend stopping in the middle of said fight because your hands are shaking to pick it up on another day. Trying to pick it up when you’re out of practice with the controls is awful.

But nothing, I repeat, nothing was as frightening as the king of fear himself – the Scarecrow. I hadn’t read much about the game online before playing it so I was completely taken by surprise when Batman started to show signs of succumbing to the fear toxin. Let me tell you, the mind is a beautiful thing. Once I knew what was going on it was like trying to play on acid. It was really trippy, but extremely well-done. And no, you don’t get off that easy. The first time might have scared me shitless, the second almost brought me to tears. The third? Well the third violated Batman in ways I never thought possible.

The thing I loved about B: AA the most was how true to Batman it really was. This wasn’t tied into a movie or any particular comic, honestly it was closer to the animated series and you can thank writer Paul Dini for that, so it is easily accessible to even the most casual fan. The trifecta of Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill and Arleen Sorkin voicing their familiar characters was the icing on the cake. Hearing Conroy say, “I prefer to work alone” and similar Batman-like lines, had be giggling with fanboy joy. The entire cast did an outstanding job though. Fun fact: Steve Blum, the guy who voiced Killer Croc, voiced Jack Shephard in the bizarre Lost video game, Via Domus. Tasia Valenza, who’s no stranger to the DC animated universe, voiced Poison Ivy. Actually, a lot of the voice cast has worked with the DC animation team before, not to mention some Marvel video games as well. Now that is a club I’d love to break into.

Speaking of breaking into. Publishers Eidos proved they are just like the Dark Knight himself – prepared for every eventuality. They’ve inserted a copyright protection in the game that disables Batman’s glide function for illegal downloaders. Read one players complaint and a classic response from Eidos on the subject here. Not that I condone illegal downloads but if you were only going to buy one game this year, make it B: AA. It’s fucking amazing.

I really only found one fault with Batman: Arkham Asylum and it’s that the end of the game was far too easy. I didn’t even die once and for a player such as I, that’s saying something. But overall the game was certainly challenging, even on easy. Some of the Riddler’s challenges had me obsessing for quite a while. To be honest, I still haven’t found two of them. The details overall were phenomenal. As the game progresses, Batman begins to show signs of a 5 o’clock shadow! When you visit Clayface, be sure to pay attention when you turn around. Blink and you’ll miss his morphing sound as he changes into his next form. And the game was pretty, oh so pretty. And no, I’m not talking about Bruce’s rippling muscles and manly stature. At least not entirely.