Red Dead Redemption (360 version reviewed)
Macho, Macho Man
I have never been a huge fan of old westerns, but I have been sucked into this game. Right from the start, on the train to the first scene.
The Story
You are John Mardsten,
Batman – Arkman Asylum (PS3 Version reviewed)
Welcome back to videogames, Batman.
It’s been a while since I stayed up late playing a game or genuinely looked forward to playing more of one. When I played the demo (for Batman: Arkham Asylum) I was a bit turned off by the Max Payne esque, bullet time combat. I’m glad my wife decided to surprise me and buy the game.
The premise
The game opens with Batman delivering the Joker to Arkham, Immediately things go haywire as the you discover it was the Jokers plan all along to be “delivered” here and that sets in motion his evil plan to trap Batman in the asylum and trap Batman into a fight for his life. Batman must use every tool he has to make it out alive; his combat skills, his detective skills and his untainted motivation to stop (and contain) the most notorious evil-doers in Gotham.
Game components
Combat. Like I mentioned, combat is a climactic “bullet time” affair in which things slow down for dramatic effect. There is a bit more than button mashing required though. With practice, combos and throws can be combined to create a scoring multiplier. Increased scoring means leveling up, leveling up means unlocking neat gadgets, armor upgrades and new fighting moves.
Detective Skills. Its no surprise that a hero that stars in “Detective Comics” would be called on to be a sleuth in this game. Batman goes into a whole different mode when investigating his surroundings, it’s a very cool concept and it highlights the surrounding enemies (with a cool x-ray effect) showing you their current heart rate and disposition. It also shows secret passageways and things that can be grappled.
Villains. It’s a venerable “who’s who” of the Batman baddie roster. All the major players are here; Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Bane, Killer Croc and of course the Clown Prince of Crime himself, the Joker. Battling Bane reminded me of the ole’ Wolverine or God of War mechanic of “Quick, mash button Y to do X”. Something that felt right at home in this game and to me it provided nice intermission from the henchman combat.
Conclusion
What a polished and intriguing experience. Top notch voice acting (Mark Hamil as the Joker, there is no better) sucks you into the cut scenes and keeps you interested in the story. The game mechanics stops this game from being pigeonholed into just one genre. One thing that did really stick out to me was the use of the Scarecrow. By the nature of his “powers” (inducing mind-bending trips into the darkest depths of your psyche) it really pushes this medium to its limits. Without any spoilers, this is a very dark take on the Batman mythos.
Buy this game, you won’t be disappointed.
