Batman: Arkham Asylum

(Xbox, PS3; $59.99; Rated T for Alcohol and Tobacco Reference/Blood/Mild Language/Suggestive Themes/Violence; www.batmanarkhamasylum.com)



To say that videogaming has not been nice to the "Batman" franchise would be an understatement.  Second only to "Superman," the ol' "Dark Knight" has not been treated very favorably on video game consoles, despite his many appearances.  In fact, a high-quality "Batman" game has been the exception, rather than the norm.

So it was with great trepidation and hope that "Batman: Arkham Asylum" would turn things around.  Not being released in conjunction with a movie was the first thing in "Arkham's" favor, but being developed by a relatively unknown and untested developer, Rocksteady Studios, pretty much kept everyone on pins and needles.  No one moreso than publisher, Eidos, who was looking to hit one out of the park after its recent string of so-so and terrible releases.

As screen shots and developer walk-throughs of the game started to emerge, it began to look as though "Arkham" was going to turn out as a great-looking title.  As long as the developer could keep the same quality of visuals in-game as they had in the cinematics, "Arkham" could be something fans could get behind.  Once it was announced that voice talent from the critically acclaimed "Batman: The Animated Series" was acquired to provide the voices- most notably Mark "Don't call me Luke" Hamill would be returning as the voice of the Joker- the future looked even brighter for the Dark Knight.

As an aside- I don't care how many Heath Ledgers you tape together and garnish with Jack Nicholsons, Mark Hamill is the greatest Joker, ever.  End of story.

"Arkham Asylum" has been released and it is, hands-down, the greatest "Batman" game ever made- but given its predecessors, that isn't saying much.  So I'll also say that it's the greatest licensed superhero game ever.  Heck, I'll even say it's the greatest licensed game, period.  No other game has come this close to exemplifying all of the hallmarks that make the character, his enemies, and his environment so true to the source material.

"Arkham" opens with Batman bringing the Joker into the famed psychiatric hospital.  From the beginning walk down the Arkham Intensive Treatment Intake area, the feeling of the game and its well-known characters are set.  Arkham is far from the pastel-colored, serenity-filled rooms of modern psych wards- this is a dank, dreary place and danger can be felt around every corner.  Hope left Arkham Island a long time ago; and the buildings of the asylum, while fully functioning, are as decayed as its inmates' minds.

As one would expect, Joker springs a trap once entering the Asylum with the help of his psychotic love-interest, Harley Quinn.  Harley enables Joker to have total control of the island, bringing a host of escaped convicts to act as the muscle.  It is, of course, Batman's job to re-gain control of the island from Joker, save the staff of Arkham, and uncover the reason why Joker wanted to be caught in the first place.

"Arkham Asylum" is really three types of games in one: It is first a game that has its own influences from the "Metroidvania" genre, but in 3-D- players will visit and re-visit areas on the island in order to uncover secrets that originally couldn't be accessed with the equipment Bats has to begin with.  As the story progresses, and after visiting some very key places in "Batman"-lore, Batman will acquire new upgrades to his equipment allowing for the opportunity to more meticulously explore the nooks and crannies of Arkham.

Doing so will help solve the puzzles of the "Riddler's Challenges" that are strewn about the island and its buildings.  These side diversions involve picking up hidden "Riddler Trophies" and solving environmental riddles that unlock bonus art and achievements.  Some of the riddles can be simple- a riddle mentioning a Cat means to look for something that belonged to Catwoman, however others can leave your head scratching until the wheels of your brain finally kick into place with an "A-ha!" moment.   The only thing more rewarding than figuring out a challenging riddle, was to hear how irritated The Riddler was with my ability to have solved his puzzle.

Arkham Island makes for a great setting because it allows Batman's Rogue's Gallery to all take roles in the game- all of the expected foes are here- from the aforementioned Joker and Riddler, to Scarecrow and Bane, and a host of others.  Those who don't make physical appearances in the game are still represented by objects, riddles, or references noting their existence- including obscure villains like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (yes, they are really are Batman villains) and Hush.  The attention to detail put into the game really makes "Arkham Asylum" a love-letter to fans.  And Bat-fans like me eat it up.

Finally, the stealth-action portion of the game that has Batman acting like the "World's Greatest Detective," gathering clues, setting up a crime scene, and analyzing DNA to track enemies; and stealthily moving through the shadows in order to take out goons along the way.  In true "Dark Knight" form, Batman uses the night to his advantage- from grappling onto gargoyles and springing on unsuspecting criminals, to scaring the guano out of enemies by picking off their compadres from the shadows one-by-one.  When engaged in combat, Bats moves effortlessly from thug to thug, dispensing vigilante justice with timed button-combos.  As more enemies are defeated, players will gain experience points which will unlock combat and equipment bonuses- why toss one Batarang, when you can toss three?

Of course, Batman never kills any of the thugs- only beats them into unconsciousness.  Because, as you know, killing is a line that The Bat doesn't cross...

I have often said that the "Splinter Cell" stealth-action series was the best "Batman" game, despite the number of "Batman" titles on the market.  The feeling of slinking in the shadows as "Splinter Cell's" covert operative, Sam Fisher, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike at an enemy, and using darkness as your personal hiding spot, conveyed the exact feeling that control over "Batman" should feel.  It's so good that finally there is a "Batman" game that does Batman so right.  A must-have.

Shadow Complex

(Xbox; approx. $15; T for mild language/violence; www.xbox.com)



To end their "Summer of Games" promotion of bite-sized downloadable games, Microsoft released "Shadow Complex" for $15, a game that could have easily sold for $40 if pressed on a DVD and sold in retail stores.

But "Shadow Complex" has a value that far outweighs a $15 price tag: it not only shows that a high-quality game experience can be had for less than the $60 retail cost that the industry has gotten used to, but it also reminds us that 2-D action/exploration is not an mechanic that was lost back in the 16-bit days of the early 90s.

"Complex" is based off of famed sci-fi author, Orson Scott Card's "Empire" novels regarding a civil war that takes place between liberals and conservatives in the not-too-distant future.  Intended as the bridge between the first "Empire" novel and the follow-up "Hidden Empire," "Shadow Complex" tells the story of everyman, Jason Flemming, who's girlfriend, Claire, gets captured by paramilitary thugs while on a simple day of hiking and cave exploration- talk about a bad date.

While searching the caverns for Claire, Jason quickly learns that the spelunking he intended to do that day was more than he bargained for, as the caverns are a front for a gigantic high-tech military complex that is gearing up for an attack on San Francisco after already successfully assassinating the Vice President of the United States.  Jason is pulled into the role of the reluctant hero, needing to foil the plans of the Shadow Complex while rescuing Claire.

Yep.  That's a contrived plot with a whole lot of cliche video game story elements to it, all right.  Let's hope the books are better.

Where "Complex" may be a little light on story, it more than makes up for it in play mechanics, control, graphics, and overall fun.  Developers, ChAIR Entertainment openly acknowledge "Complex's" influences coming from classic 2-D action/exploration series like "Castlevania" and "Metroid."  Those two historic franchises exemplified the style of game so well that it's garnered it's own genre, "Metroidvania," to which "Shadow Complex" pays homage to a tee.

"Metroidvania" game mechanics focus primarily on map exploration and acquiring equipment to explore more of the map.  In this style, some areas are seen but not accessed until later in the game when the right weapon or equipment is acquired- making traversing full areas of the map a necessity in order to advance, or acquire bonus items.  Though back-tracking is often frowned upon in game design, back-tracking in "Metroidvania"-styled games is meant to further the element of exploration in the game- and rewards the player for doing so.

It's here where "Shadow Complex" succeeds so well.  Each area of exploration is perfectly designed to leave the player satisfied, while still wanting to continue playing because the next reward or area is just around the corner.  Pacing in "Shadow Complex" is perfect, save points are always about 15 minutes of play-time apart, new weapons or abilities every 30 minutes- it's a perfect game to pick up and play for a short duration, or to waste several hours in.

The only minor issue that I take with "Shadow Complex" is the character design of the protagonist himself.  Jason looks exactly like Nathan Drake, the protagonist of the "Uncharted" series, right down the half-tuck of his t-shirt into his jeans.  To make matters worse, Nolan North, who provides the voice acting for Jason, also is the voice of Nathan Drake- making the two characters virtual carbon copies of each other.

This begs the questions- did they design Jason before securing Nolan North's voice? Did they intend Jason to be a Drake-ripoff? And can it be a ripoff if the exact same guy plays the exact same character? Has Nolan North become the Samuel L. Jackson of videogames? Mysteries abound.

The downloadable aspect of the game makes for a short game, around 6 hours or so the first time through.  But time-honored 2-D traditions of "speed-runs," to see how quickly the game can be completed, are uploaded to an online leaderboard to see if players have got the skills to beat their friend's best time.

Those needing a retro-revival of a long-dormant genre are wise to invest the small amount of money it takes to download "Shadow Complex." For that matter, I'd rather  download "Complex" four times rather than play some of the junk that is passed off as a $60 title.  We can only hope that the sequel to the game comes quickly, and is as well received as "Super Metroid" was to "Metroid" back in the day.