The Aftermath
I'm still playing Arkham Asylum even after finishing it a few weeks ago. The Joker is gone, Poison Ivy is back in her cell and there are only a few random nutters wandering around. I'm taking my time collecting The Riddler's trophies, solving his puzzles and exploring the place. Doing this without any threat to your life is strangely relaxing as all the tools and gadgets you've gained over the course of the game allow you to reach places that simply weren't possible beforehand.
I'm never usually interested in collectables in any kind of game because I'm more concerned with the story. I usually have no desire to go into far away corners of any map simply to find 100 trophies/medals/used condoms. Arkham Asylum makes playing as Batman so much fun that it's a pleasure to walk around the place afterwards. Some games do have the option to let you have free run of the gameworld after completion of the main story (Fable 2 being the example that springs to mind) but very rarely is it done this well. Even though Arkham is now under control again it's obvious from the cackling down his headset that The Riddler remains. The obsession begins then to track down every item he's left behind if only to shut the green suited idiot up. The Bat Scan is used with everything you see just to check if it's part of the bigger puzzle he's left behind for you.
One thing Tom and I didn't say in our video review is that the boss battles are a little off the boil, often amounting to nothing more than rinse and repeat patterns. The Joker might have had his hands on the Titan formula all along but with his calm, distant approach and his constant running commentary throughout the whole game The Riddler might just be the best boss battle Arkham has to offer. Whilst the rest of the bosses tackle Batman's physical power, Riddler challenges his problem solving skills.
I'm never usually interested in collectables in any kind of game because I'm more concerned with the story. I usually have no desire to go into far away corners of any map simply to find 100 trophies/medals/used condoms. Arkham Asylum makes playing as Batman so much fun that it's a pleasure to walk around the place afterwards. Some games do have the option to let you have free run of the gameworld after completion of the main story (Fable 2 being the example that springs to mind) but very rarely is it done this well. Even though Arkham is now under control again it's obvious from the cackling down his headset that The Riddler remains. The obsession begins then to track down every item he's left behind if only to shut the green suited idiot up. The Bat Scan is used with everything you see just to check if it's part of the bigger puzzle he's left behind for you.
One thing Tom and I didn't say in our video review is that the boss battles are a little off the boil, often amounting to nothing more than rinse and repeat patterns. The Joker might have had his hands on the Titan formula all along but with his calm, distant approach and his constant running commentary throughout the whole game The Riddler might just be the best boss battle Arkham has to offer. Whilst the rest of the bosses tackle Batman's physical power, Riddler challenges his problem solving skills.