Batman Arkham Asylum 2!!!!

[BoyScout-ManOfTomorrow]

Robin is awesome and I'm sad he's only available in challenge maps. The Robin in Arkham City is Tim Drake btw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXQWU...feature=relmfu Riddler trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJTEN...eature=related Two-Face trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NikGS...eature=related Penguin trailer (includes Solomon Grundy)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXqj0rpyD2c Mr. Freeze trailer - this was a really pleasant surprise!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxTwK...feature=relmfu 12 minutes of gameplay footage

[Rival X The Great]

Tomorrow is the Day!!!! Who's Excited? I Am!!!!!!!!!!!!

[j03superbat]

I wants it very much. I preordered it and paid it off months ago.

It's Batman time.

[Rival X The Great]

Yes sir!!!!!!! Got that Year One with too.

[hellnback]

i preordered it but i won't even have the time to pick it up until saturday. rats. but i'll also be buying the first game since i never owned it. i borrowed it from a friend and loved it.

[j03superbat]

I've played it for a few hours now. It is addicting.

[Backward Galaxy]

I won't be able to play until the weekend. So frustrating... Want play now...

[j03superbat]

Has anyone else played it yet? Thoughts?

[Rival X The Great]

I have and it's fantastic. Paul Dini is just amazing as a writer. And Rocksteady proved they love the character and respect it.

[j03superbat]

I finished the story today, just a few minutes ago.

I'll put my thoughts in spoiler tags because it's a very story-heavy game:

[SPOILER]I thought the story was the weakest aspect of the whole game. It felt like the developers (and Paul Dini, apparently) decided that the only way to top Arkham Asylum was to toss every possible villain in and, for good measure, create a brand-new villain called Kitchen Sink. I will admit that the gamemakers have created a scenario where it's logical that almost all of Batman's villains would be in this one part of Gotham, and that not all of them figure into the main story. You will only encounter some of the villains in the side missions - but they're the less well-known of his rogues gallery. Everyone from Mr. Freeze to Two-Face to Penguin to Ra's to Penguin to Joker and more figure in some way to the main narrative. To put it bluntly, it's too many damn villains. The story is muddied and convuluted; no where near as engaging as the first game. The ending also feels anti-climactic compared to the first game. I won't spoil anything, but whereas I could tell I was on the cusp of beating the game at the end of Arkham Asylum, AC puts you at a point where you're fighting the final boss without realizing it because you expect there to be more afterwards. There's not.

But I'd never dare say it's a bad game because it takes all of the gameplay mechanics from the first game and improves on them. One of my complaints was that Batman didn't have access to one of his most frequently-used bat-gadgets: the smoke pellet. Lo and behold, he's armed with smoke pellets and some other new toys, plus the ability to glide farther distances.

It's chock full of unlockables, including the return of the challenge maps that let you relish in the refined stealth and combat mechanics. I imagine this is where I'll spend most of my time in the coming months.

The Catwoman missions are rather short and don't contribute much to the story or really the game as a whole. Playing as Catwoman threw me off initially because she's a little different to control than Batman, but other than admiring the differences between the way she fights and moves around the city and the way Batman does it (hint: Catwoman does it a lot sexier), I don't really see why she was put in the game.

In fact, it calls attention to the fact that there's still no multiplayer of any sort. Mind you, I have no interest in playing through the story with a friend, but trying the challenge maps with a buddy would be an absolute blast. If Rocksteady makes a third Arkham game, there's no excuse for not including co-op.

The graphics are kind of a mixed bag. The level design and attention to detail is amazing. But some of the character models, especially generic goons, look a little plasticky and weird. During cutscenes, close-ups of characters reveal the rough edges of the characters. In the grand scheme of things, it's a gorgeous game, but some things like that call attention to themselves. I've seen videos of the PC version and on the highest settings it looks even more impressive.

The audio is good - music, sound effects, etc. The actors bring their A-game - except surprisingly for Kevin Conroy. He doesn't do a bad job, but compared to some of the earliest times he's voiced the character, it sounds almost like he's just phoning it in. Which, of course, he's not. He is older and has shown commitment to keep voicing Batman. I just wouldn't rate it as one of his better performances. I think the actor who plays Ra's Al Ghul is miscast though.

All in all, it's a terrific game - I'm done with the story, but I'm a long way from 100%, and I fully intend to reach that point. But I think there are some creative flaws and the omission of multiplayer is disappointing.[/SPOILER]

[hellnback]

i've just started playing this game earlier. i've got stuck trying to find an entrance to the building where mr freeze is supposed to be in. i've looked all over and somehow can't find my way in. it is a fun game but i eventually had to quit a while ago cuz i got a huge headache. i'll probably play again soon but not right away.

for some reason i enjoyed catwoman's gameplay and controls better. just jumping from building to buidling, running around and jumping and climbing was so much easier than getting used to batman's actions. but i like it. i still haven't played any of the bonus maps, especially the joker's map that i got at gamestop. although at gamestop i also got the batman animated skin and it looks funny seeing the animated version gliding around gotham.

[Austin 3:16]

Mark Hamill has been quoted as saying he is now retired from playing The Joker's voice. He did say he would come back back if they did an animated version of The Killing Joke.

Hasn't he said before he was going to retire, but still came back anyway?

[Backward Galaxy]

Mark Hamill has been quoted as saying he is now retired from playing The Joker's voice. He did say he would come back back if they did an animated version of The Killing Joke.

Hasn't he said before he was going to retire, but still came back anyway?

My understanding is that he was quoted as saying Arkham Asylum would be the last time he'd voice the character BEFORE the game was released. People got upset, blew it up into something big, and he sort of stepped back from it. Now that the game actually has been released, he came out and confirmed it.

I think the reason he stepped back from it the first time was because he didn't want to make himself a bigger story than the game. Now that the game has had a big release and people have played it, he can go on the record as saying he's done. The reason he said he'd return for The Killing Joke is because he loved the story and has stated that its his dream Joker project.

There's also the possibility that he's leveraging his talents to get done the project he wants to work on, but I doubt that holds much pull and I'm sure he knows that. Personally, I don't understand the point of retiring from a voice acting position. When was he going to be asked to perform the Joker again anyway? Another game? One of the direct to video releases? How long does it take to actually record the lines for one of those? A couple of days? 2 weeks tops? Hardly seems like its worth officially retiring from that.

[Austin 3:16]

Mark Hamill is the man. He can go from Luke Skywalker to his role in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back to The Simpsons to The Joker. I hope he does come back for The Killing Joke.

He pretty much has been THE Joker for me ever since Animated Series began. Somehow, I hope he doesn't retire entirely. Never say never.

[j03superbat]

I bought the Nightwing pack and I gotta' say, I'm pretty gosh darn disappointed.

$7 for two new Predator maps, two Nightwing skins - but not even any voice work? Seems a little badly priced to me. JMO.