Review: Batman: Arkham Asylum

I thought I'd preface this post with this warning: Please don't kill me.
Why?
Because today we're going to be talking about Batman: Arkham Asylum, and truth be told I didn't really like it that much.
So if you can put away your pitchforks for a second, I'd love to tell you why.

Overview
I love everything about the DC franchise, so anytime I get the chance to gear up and play as Batman to save Gotham City, hell yes I'm going to take it! (My favorite Batman is Michael Keaton if anyone was wondering.) It's the game that launched a highly successful action franchise, and won numerous awards and honors. I got the Game of the Year version of this game for Christmas, and had super high expectations from all the buzz I had been hearing about the franchise. In retrospect, the hype was probably a factor into why I found this game so lackluster. It's a long haul game, especially if you're into getting achievements/trophies and collectibles.

Gameplay
I wouldn't say that the gameplay in this title is especially hard, just that there's too many button combinations. I get that the point of Batman is that he has a bunch of cool weapons and moves, but honestly it became too much. I ended up punching my way through everyone because I would get way too flustered trying to do the cool combos that Batman apparently had. And by doing that I'd end up spending way too much time and effort on silly little fights with henchman. Seems to me like Batman and I could've beat the game a lot faster if he had an arsenal of guns instead of boomerangs shaped like bats.
There are puzzle elements to the gameplay, the most apparent of which are the riddles that The Riddler conveniently leaves for you all around the city. I didn't find them too difficult, although getting the camera angle just right on the 'answer' took me some time.
Still, you have to enjoy the open world feel of this game. You can explore pretty much everything, and usually there was some type of trophy to reward you. Being able to climb to the top of the beautifully designed and animated Gothic type buildings was a lot of fun.
6/10

Character
I mean it's Batman. What's not to like?
Actually, it's so much more than that. It's Batman, Joker, Harley Quinn, Inspector Gordon, and any number of characters that the game imported from the comics.

Someone give her a muzzle

I thought all the characters paid homage to their originals beautifully, and the design team captured the essence of psychosis perfectly in Joker, who was a delicate balance of fun and danger.
The voice actors were all cast pretty well, although Harley Quinn's gratingly sweet voice got on my nerves a number of times. Batman's husky mysterious voice was more akin to Dark Knight batman than any of the other movies, but that worked with the gritty realism of this game.
I didn't find that there was too much actual character development, but that didn't surprise me, as the game isn't about that. It's about kicking bad guy ass and looking cool while doing it.
7/10





Story
The problem with games based on predetermined franchises and story lines, is that the story within the game hardly ever holds up. This was true in Arkham Asylum. I was happily going through the motions of being Batman, but I definitely wasn't invested in his story. The only reason I finished the game was because I'm not the type of person to leave anything unfinished, but the story did not hook me one bit. (As I type this I just wanted to mention that the other games in this franchise do have a much better story, so if you wanted to give Batman a chance I'd recommend starting with those.) Truthfully I was expecting this game to get full marks for story-telling, considering its background in comics and movies, but the finished project played more action heavy, with a fairly predictable story line.
5/10

Replay-ability 
Considering the frustration that this game brought me, not only from having to relearn about 50 controls any time I'd step away from the game but from how I never really wanted to play it, never craved it like a good video game should make you, I probably won't be playing this again. However I do know of a few people who have played the campaign more than once, so it's really an opinion based decision about whether or not you liked the gameplay and stylistics of the game. I wouldn't say that the game is well known for its replayabliity, but it's there.
6/10

Extras
Unique Equipment: Batman truly has an amazing arsenal of weapons that makes combat a unique experience
Nostalgia: If you've ever seen, read, or played anything relating to Batman or DC in your life, this game will be you good vibes for reminding you of your childhood
Style: Definitely a dark game, turn up the brightness on your screen!

Overall Score: 6/10

I wouldn't give this title any awards, but honestly you'll have to decide where your gaming priorities are and play the game for yourself.

-Jules

Review: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

As my first (official) post, I thought I'd give you guys a taste of one of the last games I played: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. With the (awesome!) reveal at E3 and the sneak peak of the fourth installment from this series, I'm hoping some people have decided to hop on the Naughty Dog train and give Uncharted a try.

Why am I starting from the 3rd game?
Because it's the only one I've played. Oops.

It's a classic gamer mistake, because now instead of the franchise getting better it's (probably) going to get worse as I move backwards through time and character development. So if this review sparks your fancy, I encourage you to actually start from the beginning. To help, you can buy all three games in a handy dandy bundle from Amazon.

Cool guys don't look at explosions

Overview
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is an action/adventure game told through a 3rd person limited POV, focusing on the dashing Nathan Drake. It's a fairly fast moving game, it only took me a weekend to finish, but the pacing is excellent. There's just enough brief pauses between the action to let the story sink in before you're thrust quickly back into the thick of things. I will say that if you're a collector you might need to play this game twice, once for the story and once for the trophies, because on my first run through I was so focused on going that I didn't really stop to smell the daisies, or pick up some ancient artifacts that count towards your collectors bonus.

Gameplay
Imagine Assassin's Creed meets a 3rd person shooter. That's what Uncharted is. Though technically you can finish this game using guns (and there's a wide variety; everything from silenced pistols to SMGs to shotguns) there's something very 'assasin-y' about the way you can creep around bushes and quietly take people out to fulfill your mission. This is one of those games where the obvious route of shooting the bad guys in the head might not be the best way to do things. My favorite is to climb high and snipe the living hell out of everyone.
Speaking of bad guys, these one's are fairly sophisticated. I start all of my games on Normal difficulty, but this one had me tempted to change it down a notch at some points.The henchman are quick on their feet, and if you turn your back for a second they'll climb up a ladder behind you and take you out. The challenge of it all really ignited my inner gamer.
I think Naughty Dog was aware of this when they designed the game, however, as they added in so many auto-saves and checkpoints that dying seemed like an every day occurrence. Especially with all the parkour elements of this game. The layout of the maps weren't always easy to decipher, and so my play-through had a lot of guesswork and falling to my death. All in a day's work for adventurer Nathan Drake.
Finally, this game had puzzles. I can hear the groans already. But fear not! These puzzles weren't that bad, and actually had a realistic tie-in to the game itself. I only cheated and used Google once, and that was because I was too stupid to realize where I was supposed to go.
8/10

Character 
Nathan Drake has officially made my top 10 favorite video game leads.And not just because he's handsome (although that helps). His snarky, sarcastic, but always optimistic quips sprinkle the game heavily, so much so that you should always have your subtitles on so that you don't miss anything. He has a dry humor that really sticks with you, and makes Nathan a refreshingly different protagonist. All of this great character work is punctuated by the fabulous Nolan North, who actually ad-libbed much of the dialogue to really flesh out the character.
Your partner in crime, Sully, wasn't as big of a hit for me, but that might have to do with the fact that I skipped games 1 and 2. The relationship between Nathan and Sully is one that was lost on me. Still, the voice acting was unique and even though I didn't really care whether Sully lived or died, Nathan did, and that's enough of a boost to get you in gear.
9/10

Multiplayer 
Uncharted 3 comes with a multiplayer function. If you're anything like me (and hate multiplayer) then this won't be too excited for you. BUT WAIT. Because it has a local option, which means I get to force my younger sister to play with me to validate how awesome I am at video games.
Just kidding.
I loved how they added the feature for local, even though the missions were lackluster and the initial customization controls confusing. All hard-core multiplayer fans out there should give this one a pass for now, and stick to the campaign.
4/10

Story
Story is hands down the most important factor of a video game to me. It's why games like Destiny, though amazing in their action and so modern, don't reach the gold standard. Uncharted, however, was so story heavy you felt like you were watching a mini-movie. It had backstory, it had intrigue, it had romance, it had humor; but most of all it was unique. Sometimes the plot seemed far-fetched, but hey, it's a video game!
8/10

Replay-ability
I think I'll probably be paying Nathan Drake a visit soon, although I'll be tackling it on Hard. This time around I'll be taking my time, trying to get any (read: all) collectibles that I missed the first time around. There aren't any decisions to be made during the game, it's not a roleplayer at all, but the action was fun and not boring or overused and thus warrants a second play.
6.5/10

Extras
Romance: It's there, it's cute, it's confusing if you skipped games 1 and 2. I actually thought my love interest was my sister for the first few scenes. But since well designed relationships are a bit of a passion for me, this was a definite plus
Glitches: There are a few, though from the other reviews I've read these seem like nothing compared to the ones in the other two games. Be warned though: these glitches made me want to tear my eyes out. They were almost game breaking, as they'd stop me from completing a jump to safety. But after about 25 attempts at the same jump you'll eventually get it.
Animation Quality: Fairly good. Nothing world-shaking, but it never striked me as bad or sloppy,
Time it Took to Play: About 8 hours

Overall Score: 8/10

I'd say if you like good stories, and love parkour, this game is a must.

-Jules