Some interwebers are finding this a little worrying…..I find that a little worrying. Robin can be done well, In fact there are plenty of Batman storylines where the Boy Wonder doesn’t suck. So stop the negativity folks.

Lets not forget that the original Robin was killed by none other then the Joker and famously kidnapped by Harvey Dent (another rumored inclusion), then there’s Frank Millers female Robin who in my opinion rocked, even if she did roller skate in the sequel.

With so many great ways to implement the Boy (or girl) Wonder into the games story I really can’t see how people would be anything but excited. Imagine a Batman game centered around themes of guilt and revenge over the fate of his little companion. Think splinter cell conviction without the plastic surgery or intentional child endangerment .

So, lets not jump to negative conclusions people, Rocksteady know what there doing and even if they don’t there is plenty of time to moan when we know exactly how he or she is being implemented.

*Another small tidbit that I forgot to mention last week is that Rocksteady just got purchased by Warner Bros. Lets hope they give Rocksteady the same freedom Eidos did.

Quick, That way!!

]]> http://shoryuken.ie/news/arkham-asylum-2-feature-boy/feed/ 3 http://shoryuken.ie/news/batmanaa-goty-edition-coming/ http://shoryuken.ie/news/batmanaa-goty-edition-coming/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 09:18:06 +0000 TWHR http://shoryuken.ie/?p=3865 If by some act of god you haven’t picked this game up since August, please, do yourself a favor and pick up what was one of the best games of 2009.

The new Edition will include all the free DLC map packs released plus two new exclusive packs designed with the GOTY edition in mind. There is also a rumor that the game will be a director’s cut of the original but until something solid comes out on that I’m going to remain skeptical.

The game is still showing a strong online following with people still battling for the best scores on the challenge rooms, even after coming back to the game months later and seeing the flawed boss fights in action, I still stand behind my 5 star review. The quality on offer and the mounds of replay value is what put this game on all those GOTY lists last month.

So, if you hurry you can pick up one of the following deals over the next six hours or so:

• Champions Online for €20, 50% off.
• GRID for a fiver, 75% off.
• Fallen Earth for €17.12, 50% off.
• Osmos for a paltry €2, 75% off.
• Batman: Arkham Asylum for €25, 50% off.
• Far Cry 2: Fortune’s Edition for €15, 50% off.
• Dragon Age: Origins for €37.49, 25% off.

Also available for the length of the sale are discounts on two publisher packs, the LucasArts Premier Pack for €45, 60% off; and the THQ Complete Pack for €50, half price.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go max out my credit card!

Peppa Pig comes back from the dead and Need for Speed:Shift knocks Batman off the top spot.

I’m sure Rocksteady wont be too sad though as they released sales figures today that reveal Arkham Asylum has sold 2.5 million retail units world wide.

Im sure the arrival of ODST will change things slightly next week, full list below.

Source [chart-tracker.co.uk]

1 NEED FOR SPEED: SHIFT SLIGHTLY MAD STUDIOS EA GAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS

2 BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM ROCKSTEADY STUDIOS EIDOS EIDOS

3 GUITAR HERO 5 NEVERSOFT REDOCTANE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

4 COLIN MCRAE: DIRT 2 CODEMASTERS CODEMASTERS CODEMASTERS

5 QUANTUM OF SOLACE TREYARCH ACTIVISION ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

6 FAR CRY 2 UBISOFT (MONTREAL) PLATINUM UBISOFT

7 THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND HARMONIX EA GAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS

8 WII SPORTS RESORT NINTENDO NINTENDO NINTENDO

9 TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 10 EA TIBURON EA SPORTS ELECTRONIC ARTS

10 WET A2M BETHESDA SOFTWORKS BETHESDA SOFTWORKS

11 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE INFINITY WARD ACTIVISION ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

12 WII FIT NINTENDO NINTENDO NINTENDO

13 FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 4 EA CANADA EA SPORTS ELECTRONIC ARTS

14 MARIO KART WII NINTENDO NINTENDO NINTENDO

15 TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD CRYSTAL DYNAMICS PLATINUM EIDOS

16 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV ROCKSTAR NORTH ROCKSTAR TAKE 2

17 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR TREYARCH ACTIVISION ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

18 ASSASSIN’S CREED UBISOFT (MONTREAL) PLATINUM UBISOFT

19 FIFA 09 EA CANADA EA SPORTS ELECTRONIC ARTS

20 PEPPA PIG: THE GAME ASYLUM P2 GAMES UBISOFT

I was expecting a bigger response to DISSIDIA: FINAL FANTASY but a top ten appearance aint so bad.

The biggest shocker of the week is the disappearance of Pippa the Pig and the unbelievably random inclusion of Quantum of Solcace?? Was there some offer of the week I missed?

Anyway the charts are looking alot less casual gamer these last couple of weeks and thats the most important thing!

[Source: Chart-track.co.uk]

1 BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM ROCKSTEADY STUDIOS EIDOS EIDOS

2 THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND HARMONIX EA GAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS

3 GUITAR HERO 5 NEVERSOFT REDOCTANE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

4 COLIN MCRAE: DIRT 2 CODEMASTERS CODEMASTERS CODEMASTERS

5 WII SPORTS RESORT NINTENDO NINTENDO NINTENDO

6 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE INFINITY WARD ACTIVISION ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

7 TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 10 EA TIBURON EA SPORTS ELECTRONIC ARTS

8 IL2 STURMOVIK: BIRDS OF PREY GAIJIN ENTERTAINMNET 1C COMPANY 505 GAMES

9 DISSIDIA: FINAL FANTASY SQUARE ENIX SQUARE ENIX SQUARE ENIX EUROPE

10 FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 4 EA CANADA EA SPORTS ELECTRONIC ARTS

11 WII FIT NINTENDO NINTENDO NINTENDO

12 ASSASSIN’S CREED UBISOFT (MONTREAL) PLATINUM UBISOFT

13 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR TREYARCH ACTIVISION ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

14 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV ROCKSTAR NORTH ROCKSTAR TAKE 2

15 42 ALL-TIME CLASSICS AGENDA NINTENDO NINTENDO

16 DR KAWASHIMA’S BRAIN TRAINING NINTENDO NINTENDO NINTENDO

17 CALL OF JUAREZ: BOUND IN BLOOD TECHLAND UBISOFT UBISOFT

18 WOLFENSTEIN RAVEN SOFTWARE ACTIVISION ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

19 HELLO KITTY: BIG CITY DREAMS EMPIRE EMPIRE EMPIRE INTERACTIVE

20 QUANTUM OF SOLACE TREYARCH ACTIVISION ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

So when silly pirates posted on the Rocksteady’s official forum asking why Batman’s cape would’nt open (so he could glide past Joker Gas in the opening level) this is the response they got.

”The problem you have encountered is a hook in the copy protection, to catch out people who try and download cracked versions of the game for free.

It’s not a bug in the game’s code, it’s a bug in your moral code.”

Thanks to Afterdawn.com for spotting this

While silently (like a ninja) making my way to the top of my challenge room leader board last night I noticed a nice surprise at the bottom of my screen. Seems Rocksteady and Eidos are to give away some free DLC on Sep 17th. What will it be you ask? I don’t know, is the answer and from the look of things nobody else does either.

Hopefully its some new campaign content but the reality will probably be an alternative costume with a few challenge rooms but hey, its free!

Either way I would like to think that this is Rocksteady’s way of thanking me for all the hard work I have put in to marketing their game for them, I even recommended it to my optician!

An already stunning looking game, the extra touches this tech adds really helps sell the title to those lovers of top visuals.

I’m on my second play through since I got the game last Thursday and with the massive critical praise the games getting, you know it makes sense, take the leap!! (Eidos online marketing can contact me  via my sig )

Behold!

The way I figured, everything that needs to be said about Batman: Arkham Asylum has already been said by gamin’s big hitters in the last week, so why bother writhing for an hour when I could be playing the damn thing?

After meditating on that I realised that I don’t care if its all been said before, I have the means to post a review for what is one of the most enjoyable games iv played in the last couple of years and not unlike the first time you fall in love, I want to shout it from the rooftops.

Now lets get right down to it. First I want to say that this review is completely spoiler free, after having being mildly spoilt by some other reviews I really don’t want to be the one to ruin some of the amazing moment’s this game throws at you.

Set in one of Batman’s most iconic locations, Batman: Arkham Asylum is at its heart a third person action game build using unreal engine that mixes an upgradeable combat system with aggressive stealth game play.

Arkham, this years Rapture?

Of coarse as you may have guessed this game is much more then the sum of its sexy green parts. Starting with a lengthy introduction that has the Batman on his way to Arkham island with the freshly captured clown prince of crime sitting beside him in the bat mobile. Once inside the asylum we see glimpses of the excellent pacing that the rest of the story is told with, as we walk through the dark corridors seeing some old friends along the way, there is a real sense that your in for something epic and believe me you are. Of coarse it doesn’t take long before the Joker is up and free  and its your job to get him back.

Your journey through Akham island isn’t going to be an easy one but luckily you’ve got a few tricks up your tightly woven sleeve, the first of which is a face poundingly good combat system.

Described by Rocksteady as free flowing dynamic combat you soon find out that this not just a buzz word, it’s a damn accurate description. The system has three basic commands, attack, counter and stun. During the first few encounters button mashing will do the trick but as the game progresses bad dudes get smarter and a lot more social. There is no better way to feel like a superhero then by kicking the living crap out of 10 + enemies without missing a beat. If you can do so seamlessly, a combo meter will fill up and you can add some unblock able takedowns into the mix and carry on with the combo like nothing happened.

Combat depends more on rhythm and timing then your usual action game and what really sets it apart from anything you’ve played before is how dynamic the animations are for countering and blocking attacks. Unlike other games that give you a set amount of animations that the character repeats again and again, Arkham Asylum has an animation for every occasion. Animations change regularly as new enemies are introduced, boss battles included. Counter moves can be interrupted mid flow without looking awkward in the slightest. It is the kind of dedication to immersion that’s peppered all over the title.

Stealth sections are handled with same amount of love and care, using gargoyles and a number of other environmental elements to your advantage. Each stealth section trips over itself to try and make you feel like the Batman you’ve seen in the movies and comic books since you were a kid . Whether you want to pluck goons off their feet and leaving them peeing themselves upside down or leave carefully planned traps for them around the environment the choice is your and Rocksteady drip feeds you unlockable goodies to help you meet your every need. Its hard to go into too much of said goodies without spoiling some of the experience so I wont. Moving swiftly on to the story.

Written by the TWHR childhood defining Paul Dini the story is guaranteed to please hardcore and casual Dark Knight fans alike, Dini pulls out the stops to deliver a super authentic Batman tale. The plot draws heavily from Batman’s 60 years of back story and uses loads of tasty tricks to weave said history into the gameplay. As well constructed as the plot is, the main reason your going get hard for this game writhing is the hundreds of fantastic references to batman lore that are woven into the gamplay. Through out the campaign you will be introduced to the brilliantly voiced Riddler who has tasked you with solving a huge selection of visual and auditory puzzled through out the game. What is brilliant about the puzzle elements is that for the most part, if you’re a Batman fan your going to want to find them all. There is one in particular that just blew me.

Staying on members of Batman’s Rogues Gallery, if they are not in here directly via boss battle or cast in the plot in some way then you will be hard pressed to not find your fav bad guys references somewhere in Riddler puzzles. The main villains look stunning, there character models are part classic design and part new age with out being to much of either, Poison Ivy and Croc are the most impressive by a nose. The first time your get a look at Killer Croc is real treat.

Visually the game is extremely impressive, apart from being slightly too shiny at times henchmen and main characters alike are rendered with tender loving care. Batman himself look amazing, his movements feel weighty but at the same time lightning fast. During combat there are times where you find your self getting kicked in the face because you tried to swing the camera around the get a closer look at the main man in action. Arkham itself very nearly steals the show as the games real crowning achievement though, it’s a play ground built with such spell binding detail that you will gladly go through the game again just to spot all the visual cues and references to previous Batman outings. I came across few a glitches (bodies contorting in strange directions during slow mo finishes) and some minor screen tearing (turning sharply during gliding being the biggest culprit) but you really would be nit picking if you were to find much else.

Croc looks amazing

One thing I have to mention before finishing up is Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill’s performances as Joker and Batman, Hamill in particular is off the hook. Mixed together with Paul Dini, fans of Batman: The Animated series are in for the time of there lives as both voice actors bring there A game to the table. Infact all the voice performances are great, if I had to pick holes I would say Zasz was the weakest but even then it doesn’t take anything away from the package.

I have only touched on what makes this game so great in this review, to be honest its been a tuff one to write. Anything really worth mentioning could be considered a spoiler in a game that so much about the experience. It really is miracle of a title, so many amazing aspect combined together to give a Batman fan the game they have been waiting for all their gaming lives.

This is the Batman you grew up wanting to be. The Batman that disappears into the shadows and scares the living crap out of anyone stupid enough to try and take him on. He’s the Batman that doesn’t kill (stop and watch your fallen foes unconscious but still breathing after every fight) and he’s the Batman that uses his detective skills just as much as he uses his fists and batarangs. God I haven’t even mentioned the challenge rooms, online leader boards or the massive replay value thanks to the 240 riddler trophies and Arkham mysteries.

I knew this would happen, should have just stood my ground and went with the one sentence review. How would it have went? 

‘’Game of the summer maybe even the year, go purchase the shit out of it’’

The trailer is mostly stuff you have seen already but if you pause at 1:42 you get to see a very cool looking baddy that hasn’t been publicised as much as the others.

I don’t want to say who, because it could be considered a spoiler but I really like what they have done with the character model for him or her.

Take note IGN and Eurogamer, not everyone wants to know every god damn detail of the game when they read your review!!! Jeez, we know you get to play the games before everyone else but that doesn’t meant you can spoil MAJOR plot points!