Based on previous experience, games based on comics are generally pretty poor. Many are tie-ins from big budget films, meaning constraints such as a tie in storyline and release dates means developers are forced to rush out any old tripe under the official license. However, if anyone can save us from this sea of cack, it’s the big Bats. First appearing in 1939, Batman’s latest offering is Batman: Arkham Asylum, a third person adventure taking inspiration in part from the 1989 comic series of the same name. The story sees Batman trapped in the asylum with the maddest and most malice of Gotham City’s criminal element.

The demo takes place at the start of the game, with Batman escorting the handcuffed Joker to the Asylum. However, it doesn’t take long for things to go pear-shaped and the game to begin. Taking control of the Dark Knight for the first time sent a genuine wave of fanboy glee through my system, and this continued as I took on my first wave of henchmen. The combat is simple enough, using the X button to strike and Y button to counter. Using just these buttons and the analogue stick allows you to string together some pretty combos, which have a good weight to them. After taking out the faceless drones, you are allowed to progress and begin to move through the asylum. Visually, the game is solid. Discarded gurneys and the bodies of guards litter your path as you move through, while automated messages are cut off halfway through by the Joker’s insane babble. The camera is at a fixed position over your shoulder, and tracks you as you move through the level. This Gears of War-style viewpoint has been adopted by a lot of games recently with varying degrees of success, but it does work here.

The second big feature that is on show in this demo is detective mode. This allows Batman to switch to an uber sexy vision mode, which highlights points of interest and shows enemies as a highlighted skeleton. This allows you to work out the best route, and comes in most strongly during the stealth sections, which play out like a more forgiving Splinter Cell. It’s also during these stages that you feel most like Batman. Hanging from a high vantage point, then sliding down to pluck an enemy into the sky, makes you feel like you ARE the Batman! One drawback of both this system and the combat system is that they have the potential to become repetitive very quickly. However, a XP system has been put in place, which allows you to unlock further moves and weapons as you progress. This should hopefully help keep things fresh.

The game isn’t without its flaws. The NPC character design gives the impression that most of the asylum guards are bred in test tubes using fish DNA (seriously, take a look at the first guard you meet on the demo, it’s a little frightening!). The level design is also a little bizarre, as I would question how many stone gargoyles are going to be lining the upper walls of a mental hospital. However, these are minor annoyances. Overall this game comes with a lot of upside. The demo offers enough to grab your interest without spoiling the full game. Based on this demo, I for one will be booking the 28^th of August off ready for a full day of gaming.