Late to the party, but wondering about Arkham Asylum

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stateofjermaine

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jul 22, 2009
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I know, I know, I'm crazy late. But I couldn't find any threads about Batman: AA, surprisingly, even old ones. I've read all the rave reviews, and I usually get a good feel for things around these forums, but I didn't remember reading anything here. Basically, I want to give it a go, but I'm looking for opinions about it, especially graphically speaking. Some of my favorite games are ME2, the Crysis games, the DiRT games, MW and Battlefield. I have started tinkering around with Brink, lately, too, and I like the art style.

But one thing that has bothered me with some games is the low-res cut scenes on a 1920x1200 monitor. What's the deal with that? Is there somewhere we can go and download the high-res cut scenes, because it is annoying to have these beautiful graphics during gameplay, and then artifact-ridden, blurry, low-res story portions to destroy the sense of cool. Is this an issue in AA, too?

Any feedback would be massively appreciated.
 
TheQuestian said:
I know, I know, I'm crazy late. But I couldn't find any threads about Batman: AA, surprisingly, even old ones. I've read all the rave reviews, and I usually get a good feel for things around these forums, but I didn't remember reading anything here. Basically, I want to give it a go, but I'm looking for opinions about it, especially graphically speaking. Some of my favorite games are ME2, the Crysis games, the DiRT games, MW and Battlefield. I have started tinkering around with Brink, lately, too, and I like the art style.

But one thing that has bothered me with some games is the low-res cut scenes on a 1920x1200 monitor. What's the deal with that? Is there somewhere we can go and download the high-res cut scenes, because it is annoying to have these beautiful graphics during gameplay, and then artifact-ridden, blurry, low-res story portions to destroy the sense of cool. Is this an issue in AA, too?

Any feedback would be massively appreciated.
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It's called a console port, son. Read up on it.
 
Mr. Bluntman said:
It's called a console port, son. Read up on it.
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Thanks, Dad! I do know what a console port is. But I have experienced the same issues with games like Crysis (i.e. pretty much the entire game intro), which were supposedly PC-exclusive. And really, for games as massive as Mass Effect, did they really need to cut corners in cut scenes?
 
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It's a great game and it's well done on the PC "port" or not.
 
purple_haze said:
regardless of console port or not, batman arkham asylum is a must play game.
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I am intrigued, obviously, but in the video reviews, it looks so much like a button-masher, I am put off at the same time. And I guess you're saying there are some low-res cut scenes? :)
 
TheQuestian said:
I am intrigued, obviously, but in the video reviews, it looks so much like a button-masher, I am put off at the same time. And I guess you're saying there are some low-res cut scenes? :)
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You can play it like a button masher, but you likely wont do well. It's a bit more tactical than that. You use stealth, weapons and properly timed combos more so than just randomly hitting whatever button your thumb happens to be over at the time. If you are just doing that, you will probably die the first time you drop into a group of armed inmates.

As for the cut scenes, they are a bit lower res, but I don't recall them being as poorly upscaled as they were in ME2. Those were atrocious. The graphics overall are decent for a console port. Nothing staggering though obviously, but decent enough. There are some neat effects if you turn on Physx, but it's mostly just extra stuff on the screen rather than real graphical improvement. It's kinda neat at times though.

Here's some of my screenshots from the screenshot thread to give you an idea of what it looks like @ 1920x1200 (just game play though, no cut scenes).

It's a very good game, but you do have to deal with GFWL... so that kinda sucks.
 
Combat is far more nuanced than gameplay videos suggest; you are rewarded for keeping up a combo with more XP and increasingly powerful strikes by not button-mashing but rather timing your attacks correctly, keeping your attacks varied and avoiding damage. It isn't very satisfying when you are fighting one or two enemies but it really shines when you're taking on 5-9 enemies at once.

The game looks like it was built on a fairly early version of UE3 so a lot of the environment textures are quite low-res, but character models look very good.

The game's biggest flaw on PC is that it comes with GFWL...if you don't have troubles with it in other games than there's even less reason not to pick this up.
 
I'm a massive hater of console ports and consolized games as people in [H] will tell you, and I thought Batman:AA was a really good game.
 
Arkham Asylum on the pc was the best version. Very good game. Only game in a long time that I took the time to explore everything.
 
It's a great game. Only real gripe I had for the game was the Nv coded anti-aliasing BS, and the slightly gimped physics if you did not use GPU PhysX. But since you have a higher end Nv, card none of that will be a problem for you OP.
 
Took me a few tries to get into it; I was bored stiff. But I kept trying because everyone raves about it.

Had a "sick" day a couple of weeks ago and played video games. Finished this one. It's fun and am legitimately excited for the next one. GFWL is terrible, it's true. Also, I wish it had harder boss fights.
 
Was my favorite game to play in 3D for sure. Looks good. Cut scenes are a little "Meh" But the game itself is a must play. I actually just beet it 2 days ago ;p
 
PrincessFrosty said:
I'm a massive hater of console ports and consolized games as people in [H] will tell you, and I thought Batman:AA was a really good game.
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It didn't have the symptoms that typically kill the gameplay of a console port. It had some low res textures, it had some bad cutscenes and some slightly goofy interface options, but what it didn't have was terrible controls, unfixable mouse acceleration and crappy FoV.
 
I played it twice - once when if first came out and again about a year later when I got my NV Surround system. It really is fun and looks good overall. I didn't notice anything that was so glarringly bad it distracted from the gameplay.
 
Keep your eyes out for those who don't have this game yet...I'm sure we'll see this hit a daily deal soon on Steam :)

And yes I agree with the consensus that this is a must play :D . Calling every game that is also out on consoles a "port" gives a lot of great games a bad vibe when it really isn't warranted. This is one of those cases. I hate bad ports too, but just the fact that it's been "ported" shouldn't really turn anyone away from a game before trying it or at least reading up on it.
 
Definitely am excellent title, a total sleeper hit. No need to be a batman fan to enjoy it either.
 
Mr. Bluntman said:
It's called a console port, son. Read up on it.
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Uh no, Batman AA for the PC is top notch. Have you even played it or are you just blindly parroting generalizations? What the OP is referring to is pre-rendered cut scenes using the game's engine. Nothing you can do about that.
 
Batman Arkham Asylum is a totally awesome PC game. No issues with controls or anything else related to the game including GFWL. This game is way more than a button masher. If you want to play a button masher, go play Sehgoku Basara Samauri Heros for PS3
 
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I bought this game based on the high praise I read from others. I do not generally like stealth gameplay, but found myself choosing stealth in this one over straight up attack. It's a really fun game... highly recommend it for anyone who likes action games.
 
I've never been a fan of 3rd person games as they usually give me really bad headaches. Also, I hate games like Metal Gear Solid where they have you stealthing around everywhere avoiding everything. That type of gameplay isn't my cup of tea at all. I grew up playing Quake and Unreal.. I'd rather go in guns-a-blazing than hide around like a pud hoping some goof ball doesn't see me.

I did give this game a chance because Steam had a great sale on it a while ago. It took me some getting used to-- I just can't figure out why 3rd person games screw with me so much, but I finally got used to it and I must say that it is a really fun game. You have the option to sneak around or you can just run into rooms flailing your arms like an idiot and you will still win.

Pretty good for a single player game, (which I'm also not a big fan of). I'd recommend it. It is kind of short though, just a heads up.
 
The game is about average length these days but the extra stuff to find and do actually makes you explore a little more and pads out the game a bit, there's not so many collectibles it's overwhelming but enough to make the searching and payoff worth it.

it's just about the only game I've ever got 100% complete on when it comes to finding all the extras and hidden stuff.
 
The game's awesome and it's cheap. No brainer purchase all the way. I bought it at full price with ZERO regrets. I'd be carthwheeling in the streets if I'd bought for what it costs now. :)
 
Batman:AA is an example of why the term "console port" should not matter at all. All that matters should be whether it is a good game on the PC, which it is.

It absolutely puzzles me when people would prefer crappy PC only games (see that thread about the PC exclusive fps for instance), just so they aren't ports. Why does this even matter? As long as the game is good on the PC, does anything else matter? Even if a game is identical to the smartphone version, if it is a good game that is all that should matter.
 
limitedaccess said:
Batman:AA is an example of why the term "console port" should not matter at all. All that matters should be whether it is a good game on the PC, which it is.

It absolutely puzzles me when people would prefer crappy PC only games (see that thread about the PC exclusive fps for instance), just so they aren't ports. Why does this even matter? As long as the game is good on the PC, does anything else matter? Even if a game is identical to the smartphone version, if it is a good game that is all that should matter.
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Think of it like this. A well funded school has a graduation rate of only 25% and of those who do graduate, only 5% go on to college. Even though they were on occasion able to produce a student who positively contributed to society, the vast majority of their students wind up on welfare, prison or in some other way are burdens to society. Does this school deserve to be praised? Should we give all it's personnel raises and tell them to keep on doing what they are doing solely based on the performance of the few good students? probably not.

The same basic reasoning is being applied by many to console ports. Sure, the industry occasionally produces one that is good (such as Batman AA), but the vast majority simply aren't well done. So, many people choose not to support the practice as a whole, rather than looking at each game individually. The thinking is that if they continue to support even the good console ports, that the industry will assume that there is nothing wrong with the way it is going about producing games, and continue the status quo. So in the end, it's not about supporting crappy PC only titles, but rather supporting the practice of PC only (or at least PC first) game development as it is viewed as a superior practice to console fist development in regards to PC gaming.

So yes, while it's true that a good game is a good game no matter how it came into existence... supporting a good game born of a shitty development practice is still supporting that practice. And as such, nothing will likely change. Or at least that's the reasoning behind people supporting PC only titles with such vigor. I personally support any game that is well done, but I do admit when I hear the words "PC Exclusive", it does peak my interest simply because my experience with most console ports has left a sour taste in my mouth, as it has many other people.
 
I'm waiting for this to go be on a daily Steam sale for 5 bucks. Just got an Xbox controller for the PC for the games it works better with.
 
DDigital said:
Think of it like this. A well funded school has a graduation rate of only 25% and of those who do graduate, only 5% go on to college. Even though they were on occasion able to produce a student who positively contributed to society, the vast majority of their students wind up on welfare, prison or in some other way are burdens to society. Does this school deserve to be praised? Should we give all it's personnel raises and tell them to keep on doing what they are doing solely based on the performance of the few good students? probably not.

The same basic reasoning is being applied by many to console ports. Sure, the industry occasionally produces one that is good (such as Batman AA), but the vast majority simply aren't well done. So, many people choose not to support the practice as a whole, rather than looking at each game individually. The thinking is that if they continue to support even the good console ports, that the industry will assume that there is nothing wrong with the way it is going about producing games, and continue the status quo. So in the end, it's not about supporting crappy PC only titles, but rather supporting the practice of PC only (or at least PC first) game development as it is viewed as a superior practice to console fist development in regards to PC gaming.

So yes, while it's true that a good game is a good game no matter how it came into existence... supporting a good game born of a shitty development practice is still supporting that practice. And as such, nothing will likely change. Or at least that's the reasoning behind people supporting PC only titles with such vigor. I personally support any game that is well done, but I do admit when I hear the words "PC Exclusive", it does peak my interest simply because my experience with most console ports has left a sour taste in my mouth, as it has many other people.
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The issue is I am not debating the merits of multiplatform vs. PC exclusive design policy, that is a separate matter. I am against the idea of biased negativity towards a multiplatform game and praise for a PC exclusive just based on that idea alone, when the game can clearly be judged by itself without those labels.

As to your point of supporting PC exclusive games over multiplatform from a philosophical standpoint, I cannot agree with that at all. The idea should be to convey a message of wanting quality games regardless of how gaming companies choose to cater to certain demographics via marketing. And make no mistake, a game touting itself as PC only or focus is just marketing itself to an audience (albeit a slightly more niche one). If a bad game that happens to be marketed as PC only does well, all this will do is send the message that bad games can sell if you pander to the PC only crowd via marketing.

I do understand expressing interest and preference for a certain approach to game design however, and this is not limited to exclusive vs. multiplatform. But I don't feel that should override judging a game actually based on the game itself. If it is good or bad, that is all that should matter at the end, not how it is labeled.
 
limitedaccess said:
I do understand expressing interest and preference for a certain approach to game design however, and this is not limited to exclusive vs. multiplatform. But I don't feel that should override judging a game actually based on the game itself. If it is good or bad, that is all that should matter at the end, not how it is labeled.
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That's all well and good in the hypothetical, but this is reality. Whether you like it or not, everything is labeled. We are brought up to think in generalities. Whether it's race, religion, nationality, gender, age, brand, genre, industry, political party or whatever. We have a need to fit everything into a pre-defined category, and tend to judge everything in that category as a whole first and individually second. Console Ports are no different, and have earned themselves a bad name among PC gamers. As such, they've reacted in the way and for the reasons I laid out above.

Human nature my friend. You may not like it, but you should at least be able to understand it.
 
I suppose "not understanding" was probably the wrong term to use. It was more along of the lines of hoping people wouldn't think this way as opposed to being oblivious to reality :p
 
AWESOME game. A must have. Works great on PC with an Xbox 360 controller.
 
TheQuestian said:
Thanks, Dad! I do know what a console port is. But I have experienced the same issues with games like Crysis (i.e. pretty much the entire game intro), which were supposedly PC-exclusive. And really, for games as massive as Mass Effect, did they really need to cut corners in cut scenes?
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this shit reminds me of Liar Liar.

"Hey great gift, Dad!"

"Thanks, son!"

lol
 
Fantastic game. I really enjoyed it and can't wait for it's sequel to come out. Very well done, but personally I would recommend playing it with a controller if you have one (at least for me) it makes the fighting a lot easier
 
TheGreySpectre said:
Fantastic game. I really enjoyed it and can't wait for it's sequel to come out. Very well done, but personally I would recommend playing it with a controller if you have one (at least for me) it makes the fighting a lot easier
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Just got it on the Steam sale today. What's everyone's opinion on control? M/kb or Xbox controller?
 
Does this game install Securom? I'm debating whether to get it or not (depends on if PhysX works on my computer or not lol)
 
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