Comments on: Review: Batman: Arkham Asylum http://www.pixelsocks.com/2010/01/18/review-batman-arkham-asylum/ Where games go to find out what they're worth Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:34:57 -0800 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: katiegreen http://www.pixelsocks.com/2010/01/18/review-batman-arkham-asylum/comment-page-1/#comment-6537 katiegreen Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:05:37 +0000 http://www.pixelsocks.com/?p=2653#comment-6537 One thing I really enjoyed about this game was how they integrated the background story into the collectible fobs on the island. From the statues to the interview tapes, they did a good job fleshing out the background universe of Batman in an unobtrusive manner. They were available in the menu to look at, but easily ignored if you were uninterested. The interviews were done stylishly, so that even if you knew about that particular villain, it was an enjoyable snippet of their story. The baseball-card-esque stats on the characters even offered information on their first appearance in the comics. Another great thing about the implementation of the fobs was that you always unlocked interview tapes in order: rather than a spawn point having "Riddler interview, tape 3," collecting a fob at that point would simply unlock the next interview tape. This meant you could listen to the tapes as you collected them and still hear a linear story. I didn't grow up paying much attention to superheroes, and so what I've learned about the Batman universe has come to me from recent incarnations. This game was an educational experience that I'm sure I'll be valuable as the Batman Begins movies make the Batman universe a culturally important one. One thing I really enjoyed about this game was how they integrated the background story into the collectible fobs on the island. From the statues to the interview tapes, they did a good job fleshing out the background universe of Batman in an unobtrusive manner. They were available in the menu to look at, but easily ignored if you were uninterested. The interviews were done stylishly, so that even if you knew about that particular villain, it was an enjoyable snippet of their story. The baseball-card-esque stats on the characters even offered information on their first appearance in the comics.

Another great thing about the implementation of the fobs was that you always unlocked interview tapes in order: rather than a spawn point having “Riddler interview, tape 3,” collecting a fob at that point would simply unlock the next interview tape. This meant you could listen to the tapes as you collected them and still hear a linear story.

I didn’t grow up paying much attention to superheroes, and so what I’ve learned about the Batman universe has come to me from recent incarnations. This game was an educational experience that I’m sure I’ll be valuable as the Batman Begins movies make the Batman universe a culturally important one.

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