What a great game. No scratch that, what an amazing game. I never thought I’d find myself saying those words after finishing a superhero game. History has shown that it’s almost impossible to come across a good one based on a superhero and to come across one that could be in the running for game of the year is unheard of. Batman Arkham Ayslum shows developers these licenses can work in video games.

Batman has just captured the Joker and is taking him back to his cell on Arkham Island. Everything appears to be going smoothly but the dark knight can’t help but shake the feeling something is up. The joker just gave up without as much as a struggle. He never does that. Low and behold though the Joker escapes taking over the Asylum and locking Batman and the guards in the nuthouse with him.

What you have here is a splice between that of Metroid Prime’s exploration, Metal Gear Solid’s stealth and a simple beat ‘em up when it comes to the fighting and it all gels into one amazing unique experience. The game most of the time a simple run from point A to B but what you do along the way is nothing short of fun. You’ll come across points where you’ll need to take down a room full of enemies in a brawl, there will be others where you need to do the same but quietly using stealth instead and then for added measure throw in some incredible boss battles too with Scarecrow, Killer Croc and more and you have Batman in a nutshell. While all is fun the stealth sections are what stand out. Using your detective vision to see enemy’s locations and planting traps for them never grows tired. The attention to detail too is amazing with enemies showing signs of fear as they locate their unconscious buddies. Blind fire and squeamish calls make that final takedown all the more sweet.

Fighting is never more than timing your pressing of the X button to hit enemies or pressing Y to counter a move and as you progress a few extra manoeuvres become available. It’s simple but tough to master and feels totally rewarding as you knock the last guy to the floor with a wheelhouse kick to the face.

Along the way you’ll be able to upgrade you gadgets and moves with remote controlled batarangs, claws and explosive gel being just a handful of the devices you can get your hands on. They all feel useful and you’ll find yourself using them in creative ways to take down the opposition.

And that’s what really makes this game stand out from all the other generic superhero titles out there. Here you actually feel like Batman. If it had just been him fighting his way through wave upon wave of criminals this would be just another average product but here you can tell the developers know their stuff. Batman isn’t just about beating people to a pulp, he’s a detective and he lurks in the shadows and the developers have nailed that feel. You’ll find tonnes of cool references to the Batman universe as well. I suppose the biggest disappointment is that the adventure must end, but at over ten hours it’s a lengthy single player game. It’s a shame I suppose that more famous baddies weren’t used. Oh well maybe in the potential sequel.

To take up more of your time after finishing the story mode there are challenges to tackle testing your battling skills as well at your stealthy ones too. The fist fights are pretty much what you’d expect pitting you in a room with a bunch of Joker’s goons trying to score as high a combo as possible. It’s surprisingly addictive and you’ll find yourself playing the same stage over and over again to grab the best scores. The predator challenges on the other hand require you to complete missions such as knocking out guards by blowing up a wall into them or grabbing them from above all while trying to not be spotted by others. These all have online leaderboards too and at sixteen in total you’ll spend a lot of time just getting through them.

Visually Arkham Asylum does not disappoint. While the characters themselves all look great it’s the island itself that steals the show. You would have thought a mental asylum to simply be just a series of endless boring rooms but here everything screams character and you’ll want to explore everywhere. The prison areas are filled with little references to famous baddies like Two Face and Riddler while the Gardens offer a nice change with flowers and foliage taking over. The music too is decent accompanying the action perfectly sounding similar to that you’d find in the Batman movies of recent. Voice acting too is superb with Mark Hammond playing the part of Joker to perfection. Batman and his enemies too all sound great.

Of all the games to be released this year I would never have bet on Batman being one of the best out yet. It feels like Batman should, it’s full of charm and character right down to the asylum itself and offers hours of entertainment that has easily made me forget about the dreary weather we’ve had most of the summer. Buy this!