Batman: Arkham Asylum

Ever wanted to be the Dark Knight? Ever wanted to use more devices than Inspector Gadget to give criminals their just deserts? Do you just like wearing a cape for no apparent reason?

If you said ‘yes’ to the last question, then you need to check in to Arkham Asylum. If you said ‘yes’ to either of the first two then you are in for a treat. Batman: Arkham Asylum is a well designed game and guarantees its player hours of enjoyment.

Overview

To the surprise of everyone at Gotham, the Joker has given himself up and has allowed himself to be captured and brought to Arkham Asylum: Gotham’s home for the most criminally insaine. It turns out to be a trap and with help from the inside, Joker takes over the asylum and it is now up to Batman to save the day.

Armed with his trusty tool belt and enough devices to embarrass Inspector Gadget, Batman has to take on the Joker, his crew ranging from the eccentric Harley to the muscle headed Baine and even the numerous mental inmates of the Asylum.

Game Play

Genre wise, this game is a mix of action, adventure, puzzle solving and even stealth. This brings up some concern as Uncharted 2 also has a mix of genres but failed to keep neither a consistent nor justified ratio between them. Arkham Asylum, thankfully, does not fall down the same trap. The proportions are consistent, the game flows between them well and each element is well designed and thought out.

In terms of adventure, the player often presented with obstacles (often placed there by the Joker) and has to explore other regions of the asylum to find clues and/or answers on how to overcome them. Puzzle solving is often in the form of the odd device what Batman has to decrypt in order to open a door or activate a required device. To support puzzle solving and player movement, Batman is also equipped with an array of devices that range from placing explosives to grappling from far off ledges.

In addition to this, there is also an immersive stealth element to the game. More often than not, the player will find him- or her-self in a situation where there are more enemies than Batman can handle thus has to work toward putting the situation into his or her favour.

This would have to be the shining feature of the game. Even on normal difficulty, the enemies are intelligent and will often work in groups to give themselves an advantage. Thus, using the surroundings, the player has to find ways to take enemies out without drawing any attention.

As their numbers decline, it is reflected in the actions of the remaining enemies. They all start to become stressed and even start calling out to each other loudly. The player still has to exercise caution though as all enemies are often equipped with high powered weapons that can easily take out Batman in just a few hits. In some cases, enemies are even in the vicinity of hostages and will not hesitate to make them expendable if Batman is seen.

Finally, there is the element of action. If Batman cannot solve a situation with gadgets or stealth, he still has trusty melee combat. While only starting out with light punches and kicks, the player eventually unlocks a broad range of moves as the game progresses: such as the ability to throw enemies at each other. The combat itself is also very fluid and the transition between steal and combat is seamless.

In all, this game does the impossible: take a broad set of different genres and integrate them with no noticeable transition. Furthermore, despite stealth being the most standing genre, I did not find it at the expense of other genres. In through this mix there was balance, and I could not be happier with it.

Story

I will be honest though, I do not consider myself a fan of Batman. In all my life, I only really watched the odd episode of the animated series and nothing else. Thus, I have no other avenue than to analyse the story in a general sense. Despite my lack of Batman knowledge, I still found the story very solid.

Story progression is very much like the BioShock and System Shock games: all character dialog is in the present tense and all back story is learned by finding audio logs appropriately referred to a patient interviews.

I personally cannot find a single fault with this. The logs themselves only contain additional details that enhance character depth. It is still possible to play the game without listening to a single log yet still be given the complete story.

In the event that some history is required, Batman engages in conversation with his allies via radio. These situations only happen in quite transitions between wards of the asylum thus never restrict the flow of game play.

Graphics and Sound

When it comes to games with high definition graphics, it is very rare that they have the colour range to back it up. More often than not, when a game claims to have HD graphics, it almost always turns out to be at the cost of the colour palette. Thankfully, Arkham Asylum follows the trend set by Mirror’s Edge and Uncharted.

As well as being realistic, each character Batman encounters is just as colourful as their personality. From the Joker’s purple suit to Killer Croc’s green scales, this game deftly avoids the pitfall of using brown-scale graphics.

The attention to detail is best seen with how Batman has been rendered. From the flow of his cap to the stitching on his suit, there is almost a sense that such a suit could exist (if one could afford the $12 million price tag). Also, as Batman is subjected to intense battles, the damage is also reflected in his character model. The player is able to see parts of suit rip off and leave holes as the game progresses.

Besides the characters, the environments also take on a life of their own through their detail and sound. While outside, one can here the crash of waves near the shores of Arhkam and the crumble of bricks at Batman attempts to climb the various ledges. While inside, the environments are filled with the typical sound scheme found in any hospital. The buzz of lights, the echo of footsteps and the occasional call from the PA system. All working together to create an environment that actually could exist.

The best demonstrations are the scenes where one villain, Scarecrow, uses gas on Batman thus causing him to go into a world of his own and be haunted by his own deepest fears. Immediately, my worries about villains roaming the asylum were transferred to the environment itself: a twisted wreak of reality where everything was in turmoil and where Scarecrow was god.

Overall

In short, this game has been so well designed that even a person like me who knows close to nothing about Batman is still able to have an enjoyable experience. From the simple hand over at Arkham’s entrance to the climactic battle at the end, there is hardly anything I can find wrong with this game.

While the game makes good use of graphics and sound, its real testament is in its combination of different (and frankly, incompatible) genres into a single seamless game experience. Regardless of one being a part time gamer to a Batman expert, there is bound to be something of interest to anyone in this game.

Uncharted 2: Among Theives

Around a month back, I celebrated the return to my blog with a review of the Playstation 3 launch exclusive, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Shortly after completing that game, I got my hands on a copy of its sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. With the experience of Drake’s Fortune still in my head, I was expecting another enjoyable experience.

At the end though, I could only feel that Among Thieves was not as well done as the first game. While there have been some improvements, they were not where it really mattered. In fact some elements of the game (as I will detail as this review progresses) were worse than Drake’s Fortune.

Overview

It has been two years since the events of Drake’s Fortune, and once again Nathan “Nate” Drake, descendant of Sir Francis Drake and all round treasure hunter is up to his neck in trouble. This time, he is on the trail of 13th century explorer, Marco Polo.

According to the history books (which Nate has a habit of contradicting) Marco Polo set sail from the empire of Kublai Khan, he set out with 14 ships and only arrived in Persia 18 months later with 13 of the ships lost. As the game progresses, Nate finds out that Marco Polo found Shambhala and in it, a powerful secret that no villain could possibly ignore. As well as being accompanied by two familiar faces (Elena Fisher and Victor Sullivan) Nate is also accompanied by a new side kick, Chloe Fraser: an almost polar opposite to Elena.

Game Play

Gameplay wise, if you have played Drake’s Fortune, then technically you have played Among Thieves. The games play almost the same way. The player is constantly going from one gun fight to another, solving puzzles and doing a small sample of platforming between the said gunfights.

While I try to review games as their own, even if they are sequels, this new game has too many traits from its predecessor. One comment I made was that adversaries in gunfights were constantly ‘streamed’ and at times seemed like there was no end to them. That same problem is still present in Among Thieves but thankfully there is a way of stopping it. Before the start of a fight, it is now possible for the player to stealthily takeout the first wave of adversaries. If successful, all are take care of and the player does not have to endure the endless waves.

The platforming element is still very much the same as Drake’s Fortune. Nate still has all his same moves thus allowing him to run, vault and climb up ledges. One element that is missing now is the use of vines/robes. Personally, this is a welcome change as I found Nate’s swinging abilities below par in the previous game.

Finally, there is the puzzle solving. While attempts have been made to make them more elaborate, the improvements are only visual. The puzzles themselves are larger in scale, require the use colour matching, but overall they are no more challenging than those in Drake’s Fortune. Furthermore, Nate also carries a journal which is populated as the game progresses. While the contents of the journal are meant to be hints, the go too far and (frankly) give the outright solution to the puzzles.

Overall, the game play of Among Thieves is almost identical to Drake’s Fortune. On one had, this is wise as there are only slight changes in the control scheme between the games. However, it cannot be overlooked that the rest of the game is almost a wash-rince-and-repeat of the first game.

Story

When I reviewed Drake’s Fortune, I made the comment that the story of the game while minimal was complete. We had Nate and we saw his development as the game progresses. Despite him being a treasure hunter, one could clearly see his priorities were elsewhere: especially when Elena was concerned.

The story in Among Thieves was anything but complete. The best I can describe the story in this game was everyone was ‘just there’. The development that made the story in Drake’s Fortune complete was not there.

The most obvious problem with the story is the main antagonist, Zoran Lazarevic, was just there as not single element of his past was given. Even when the game is finished, why he did what he did is never explained.

In fact, it is not just the antagonist. This problem is apparent to Elena and Chole. So far, it is only implied that Nate had a falling out with Elena and (before her) Chloe, but the details are not there. Like the antagonist, they are also ‘just there’.

Overall, the story of Among Thieves is of the same grade as I saw with Mirror’s Edge and Avatar: The Game. It is mostly a string of events that self justify themselves and lack detail and much needed background.

Graphics and Sound

In Drake’s Fortune, I gave a lot of praise to the game for its visuals. Among the many points I made, I made the comment that the environments were believable and had a sense they could actually breathe. I also made the comment that the ruins and how I got the feeling that they could have actually existed and people once inhabited them.

Graphics wise, Among Thieves is yet another leap forward from Drake’s Fortune. While the environments are mostly ruined cities and ancient temples, they had both a sense of realism and the sheer size of the temples is breath taking.

For example, there is a stage of the game where Nate is going though the city of Paolo. The area is designed to be placed in the middle of a civil war and I believe it. Everything the air to the rubble on the ground is surprisingly realistic. This realism is further helped by subtle additions such as the overhead flags that flap realistically.

But where the improvements to the graphics really stands out is in the interactive cut scenes. For example, there are moments where Nate is being chased by a helicopter. At one point, Nate is in a hotel building and the player has to try and get out as the building collapses. As well as avoiding adversaries, Nate also has to avoid every other object in from tables to chairs as contact with them could result in failure. Overall, the graphics of Among Thieves is enough to give the people at CryTek a few ideas.

However, with high detailed graphics comes the need for equality in sound. This is also another area that Among Thieves improves upon. Basically, each location has its own tone of sound scheme and even one or two unique theme songs. I do not often say this, but the soundtrack alone is enough to warrant giving this game a try.

Overall

It is hard to give a clear judgement of Among Thieves. I will be frank, while there are some improvements, there are still weaknesses and the game takes too many elements from its predecessor. As a whole, if you have played Drake's Fortune, then technically you have played Among Thieves.

The game is to be praised for really pushing the limits of the Playstation 3 in both graphics and sound and for giving the player monumental action sequences. But it cannot be ignored that too little attention has been given to the puzzles, the platforming and the story itself is too minimalistic to be considered stand alone. Never the less, this game is still worth adding to one’s collection.

James Cameron's Avatar: The Game

Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past few months, you should know by now that James Cameron’s latest movie, Avatar, is setting the box office world on fire. It has recently become the highest grossing film in ticket sales and sports the highest level of visual effects and depth of environment ever seen. I myself have seen the movie in 3D and despite the movie’s flaws (the obvious one being the clichéd plot), I give the movie a very high recommendation.

I have also taken the time to play the game. If you are fan of the game, now is the time to stop reading this post as I am about to rip shreds off this game until there is nothing left by a spinal column and the original licence Ubisoft signed with Cameron!

Overview

Set two years before the events of the movie, the player is cast the role of a marine that has just arrived on Pandora. Pandora is home to a native race called the Na’vi: blue skinned, cat like humanoids that live in complete harmony with their home planet’s forest/eco-system. As the atmosphere is toxic to humans, remote controlled human-Na’vi hybrids called Avatars have been genetically engineered to carry out operations on the ground.

Early in the game, the player is able to make a one-time choice as to which side he/she supports. The player can side with the Na’vi and help them repel the human marines or the player can choose to side with the humans and try to defeat the Na’vi.

It should be pointed out that this review only assesses the Na’vi possibility of the game. If a game offers me choice, I use the same rationality as I would in the real world. Furthermore, I am of the opinion that regardless of what choices I make in game, the consequences of my actions in the game should all be well designed.

Game Play

In general, game play as a Na’vi is a mix of adventure and action. Naturally, as the Na’vi are ‘one with the forest’ the weapons are themed as such. Primarily, the player has a bow and is able to equip three other weapons such as spears, duel swords and even a cross bow. In addition to weapons, players are also able to equip special abilities which varying from healing the player to doing damage to surrounding adversaries to even cloaking the player. New weapons, skills and even armour are awarded by collecting experience points. Points are awarded for defeating enemies, completing objectives or solving adventure quests.

Overall though, combat in the game felt sticky at times. Research soon revealed to me that the game makes use of the Dunia engine, the same engine as that used for Far Cry 2. This certainly explains why enemies were constantly crawling out of the wood work and why they were still able to see me hiding in a concrete bunker yards away.

As the player moves through various regions/locations on Pandora, the player is also able to ride the local animal life. Unfortunately, the control system for the creatures was not though out and I personally found it more effective to go about on foot. There as was a case where flying an Ikran was so bad, I went to adjust the control scheme only to find it static and gave up in the end. Having seen the movie, this was the one creature I wanted to fly and was disappointed at the outcome.

A final element of combat is the ability to use the plant life of Pandora to help you. For a start, it is possible to collect samples from plants (and downed enemies) to fill what was called a recovery bag. When the player loses all health, it is possible to consume samples from the bag to restore ones health. Besides offering samples, it is possible to fire arrows at the plant life so that enemies are affected either with explosions or poisonous gasses. While the possibility is there, the practice is not. Despite Pandora being rich with plant life, the plants that can be used in combat are few and far between.

This sums up the action part of Na’vi game play. Being an adventure fan to the likes of Myst I found myself underwhelmed. In all, the adventure in the game can only be compared to the trade quests found in Zelda games. The most the player ever does in terms of adventure is to either completely map the current region, take out X number of enemies or devices, etc.

A final element in the game is the in-built conquest mini-game where the player is presented with a global map of Pandora and attempts to take back whole regions using turn based, real time strategy. As the player progresses via the main game, experience points are converted into currency so that extra units and base facilities can be purchased. Additionally, when an area is reclaimed, the player is given a reward for the mini-game (such as bonus units) or an enhancement to the main game character such as improved strength or defence.

Overall, while there are many game play elements, there is no integration between them. The end result is, frankly, a Jack of all trades, master of none. As stated earlier, the ineffective control scheme also made me want to avoid certain elements because they simply did not work. Finally, there is the question of the conquest mini-game. I do not see why strength, defence and other power up were not simply given as the player character levels up.

Story

One way to make a really good game is to present it with a really good story. In general, the player should see the development of the characters with each other, should relate to them and eventually understand the reasoning for each characters actions. As a rule of thumb, the player should be able to sympathise/relate to the protagonist.

Unfortunately, the story in incomplete and even leaves out the vitals as found in textbook stories. The story of the game does not even have an engaging plot. The protagonist (playable character) is just there as is the antagonist. Basically, the story of the game is just a string of events that self justify their existance.

Graphics and Sound

The crowning achievement of Avatar (the movie) is the creation of a completely digital environment that feels like it could actually exist. Pandora really is a place of intrigue, especially at night when all the plant and animal life give off a natural glow in the dark. Hence Pandora is just as beautiful at night as it is at day.

This attention to detail was well reflected in the game and is possibly the only good feature I can find thus far. Visually, the various locations are vibrant and the addition of Na’vi going about their daily takes adds an extra layer of realism. There is even a night time sequence in the game, again with matching detail as that found in the movie. My only complaint is that the night time segment is too short and it is (as far as I know) impossible to set off again. I only got to experience it for 15 minutes then it was day time again and it stayed that way for the rest of the game.

Finally, there is the sound. As much as I like the visual presentation of Pandora, visuals need sound to be taken seriously. And once again, this game fails to deliver. This is only around one or two sounds for each wildlife creature, two voices for the ground marines and basically stock standard environment sounds were used for the Pandora landscape.

Overall

While it is common knowledge that movie tie-in games shame the movies that represent, Avatar, as a whole, is worse in that it both shames and even tries to drag the movie down with it. Pandora had a lot to offer in terms of gaming and even offered the possibility of breaking the movie tie-in mould. Alas, this was not the case.

The game is crippled by having too many game play elements with no consistency between them. The controls are sloppy and there is no means of remapping them to suit the player. The sound is weak. Finally, the story is so minimal that it might as not be there.

I have heard that playing the game as a marine is significantly different but I am in no hurry to play this game again. Gaming is a form of interactive entertainment thus has to offer the player an engaging and enjoyable experience. Avatar does neither and if one has not seen the movie yet, I strongly recommend that one sees the movie before the game.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

It has been almost a year since I last posted a review. Now that I have the time to do so, I am happy to be back and happy again to try my hand at game reviewing. The few people in the world who read this blog may have noticed that I tend to focus on adventure game and most of them have been on either the Nintendo DS or the Xbox 360.

At long last, this is going to change. This time, I am reviewing a game for the PlayStation 3. And I can think of no better way to start than by reviewing that widely praised gem, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

A mix of multiple game genres, I view Uncharted as I do Mirror’s Edge: both break the high definition rule of the graphics being in either grey- or brown-scale. While I had enjoyed playing Uncharted, the game still has its weakness and as I always do in my past reviews, I am going to give credit where it is due and give constructive comments on the game and on how it can be improved.

Overview

Uncharted puts the player in the shoes of treasure hunter Nathan “Nate” Drake. According to the history books, British explorer, Sir Francis Drake, died and was buried at sea in 1596 and left behind no descendants. However, Nate is convinced that he is a descendant of Sir Drake and is intent on finding out what really happened after Sir Drake supposed final voyage.

With funding from a television reporter, Elena Fisher, Nate and his mentor, Victor Sullivan, locate Sir Drake’s coffin and find it empty besides a old journal. From there it is a cinematic action journey from remote jungle to an ancient Spanish ruin: all the while learning what has become of Sir Drake.

Gameplay

In a nutshell, Uncharted is mix of action, adventure and platforming. While there is the promise for variety in this game, most of the effort has been placed on the action element. Most of the time, the player will be engaged in fights ranging from gun slinging to close range melee.

Given that most of the game is action/combat, gameplay may soon become boring for some players. I personally found the battles repetitive and the fact there were only around three or four different character models used did not help the experience either.

In terms of adventure, the use of the term feels stretched at best. Puzzles are few, far between and often only involved finding a way to open a door to progress to the next area. The only other adventure element present was the underling mini-game where players could find ancient relics which unlocked in game bonuses: such as being able to have infinite ammo or making of videos.

Finally, there is the platforming aspect of the game. The best way to describe Uncharted’s platforming is to say they took the Tomb Raider concept and made it work. I have had a try of Tomb Raider in the past but one element that always ruined the experience for me was how picky Lara was with her ledges. In Uncharted, if Nate sees a ledge, he used it and tries to save his life.

Story

Coming from a Myst and J-RPG background, I like a good story. In the case of Uncharted, the best I can say is that the story is complete. The characters are rounded, there relations to other characters are clear and Nate as a character develops over time. He starts out determined to find out what happens to Sir Drake’s final voyage but when Elena comes into the equation, Nate is quick to try and find a way out for both him and her.

But, like my assessment of Myst, the completeness of the Uncharted’s story does not cover the fact that it is very thin and has been excessively stretched out by the numerous gun fights that happen throughout the game.

Graphics and Sound

As I have said at the start of this review, Uncharted breaks the (undesired) trend of high definition gaming having only grey- or brown-scale graphics. The graphics of Uncharted are vibrant and full of colour. Besides colour there is also a lot of detail to the environments.

When in forest areas, the environments are full of dynamic shadows, multiple light sources and animated foliage. The presence of nature could really be felt in these places and I could not help but feel that the environment itself was breathing.

The level of detail is clearly seen in the various ruins. All the stone and brick work in Uncharted actually give the impression that there were once people who lived there. It gave the environments themselves their own feel and I almost started to pity the decayed state of the ruins.

But where Uncharted stands out in terms of graphics is in its characters, specifically the amount of detail put to their faces. Each character has numerous express and all of them well detailed from their jaw line to their eye brows. This attention to realism is welcoming and it makes it a lot easier to relate to the characters.

Finally, the sound. Soundtrack wise, Uncharted is not that promising. There are a few tracks and they are similar enough to make it sound like the music is repeated. This deficiency I am willing to turn a blind eye to as it is the ambient sounds that won me over.

When out in the forests, one can clearly hear the rustle of leaves, the gurgle of streams and the crashing of waves on distant beaches. In ruins, the wind gives that empty howl that goes well with the fact that those who were there are no long gone.

Overall

I’ll be frank, Uncharted is not perfect, but it is a solid and safe game. While most high definition games come with the risk of being a wasted investment, Uncharted is a very sound purchase. The characters are relatable, the environments are vibrant and alive and the story is small yet complete. If anyone is thinking of getting a PlayStation 3, this is a game I highly recommend buying at the same time. In terms of improvements, all I can say is Uncharted could do with a richer story and that ratio of action, adventure and platforming be adjusted so that the game play is more varied.