I was a little apprehensive about the character models when I saw previews of the game. Yes, it still has that Gears of War style since it uses the same engine but after the initial shock of change, I really loved how everyone looked. Batman looks as though he's built like a rock and how someone would look of a man who keeps in constant tip top shape with many years of grueling physical training. The Joker looks maniacal and moves with that sadistic yet jovial way you see him in cartoons of the past. At least he doesn't have that bodybuilder model style and looks just like how The Joker would like: skinny and demented. Some of the other characters such as Bane and Killer Croc are obscenely large and menacing with intensely exaggerated features. The Scarecrow's design is one of the better designs I've come across as well with a creepy looking mask complete with respirator and needles for fingers. Combined with the top notch animation, all the characters are really brought to life in Batman: Arkham Asylum.
My only objection is that a lot of the guards use the same models. I don't know if this was done to save some space and I would guess the consoles would suffer from this but on the PC I would've liked to more variety in faces. The same can be said for some of the regular henchman you fight on the island as well. There are repeating models for common characters that crop up a little more often that I would've liked but at least the stand out characters are unique and very well done. While it was a little bit annoying to see the same person over and over again, it's one of the very small issues I do have with the game.
I played the PC version on a computer running Windows 7 64-bit RTM equipped two NVIDIA cards: a GeForce GTX 275 and a GeForce GTS 250. I used the GeForce GTX 275 for rendering the graphics at 1680x1050 while I set the GeForce GTS 250 to be the sole PhysX card. The game uses PhysX to create a much more realistic world with the inclusion of many new effects not seen in the console version. While I won't go into as much detail here about PhysX as I will in a later article, Batman: Arkham Asylum really takes advantage of the technology all around. If you play the game without it, crashing down on Zsasz at the beginning of the game will show nothing of importance. Turn on PhysX and you'll see tiles break where you land. While a small effect, it's actually pretty cool to see this in action, especially as you take out many enemies in the asylum. One of the more effective uses of PhysX is the fog and smoke that's littered throughout the game. The smoke actually reacts to Batman or other characters as they walk through it and swirls around them. You'll even push some of the fog or smoke around while you run through. Another nice little touch is there are papers littered about in some areas on the ground and they react to characters moving or fighting. Taking out enemies in an area like this, it's kind of cool to see papers get blown about and adds a little bit to the atmosphere of the game. Like Mirror's Edge, there will also be some areas that use cloth effects. Some parts of the asylum have clear strips that hang from doorways and move realistically around Batman when he walks through it. Having heavy PhysX activated adds a lot more to the already impressive environment that's depicted in the game and you'll only be able to do this with NVIDIA hardware at acceptable performance, sorry AMD folks.
Another NVIDIA only feature is playing the game using GeForce 3D Vision. With the glasses in play, you'll see characters and Arkham Asylum rendered in eye-popping 3D. Everything has depth and you'll actually feel like you're walking in a full 3D building as hallways fade off into the distance of your monitor. It's more of a depth thing but there are some parts that do pop out of the screen. The effect isn't used that much so don't expect too much of that feature should you use 3D Vision with the game. But, playing Batman: Arkham Asylum in 3D is a real treat and it's an experience that's really enhanced by the product. While the scene where the Scarecrow pops out at you is a little startling, it's a lot more effective when you have the 3D Vision glasses on. The bats that swirl around Batman when he earns experience or when a label of an area comes up looks pretty slick as some bats do jump off the screen as they swirl about. You'll need a strong computer and a 120Hz monitor to get this effect though but it’s oh so worth it when you see it in action. The only things that are disappointing is that the cut scenes are just 2D and there are some anomalies that happen when playing. They don't happen enough to make the experience unpleasant though and the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision is something that, while not necessary, adds another level to the overall fun experience of playing Batman: Arkham Asylum on the PC and something that can't be done on the console.
Not all is roses on the PC side though as I had one annoying issue I couldn't get around. It didn't happen at the same time and sometimes it didn't happen at all but every so often the game's sound would just completely stop. The cut scene sounds worked fine though but after that, any game sound went missing. The only way for me to get it back was to quit the game and restart and since there's no user defined save system you could sometimes find yourself a little farther back in the game than you intended. It definitely kills the mood when it happens though I hope a patch is issued soon to fix it. In any case, crashes were non-existent for me.
Batman: Arkham Asylum on the PC may have been a few weeks late compared to the consoles but on the PC it really shines. The action is not too complicated and looks awesome while you get to do some nice free exploration around the island. Sure you can go straight through the storyline and finish the game quickly but you'll miss out on some of the extras and secrets that are scattered about the island. There are little nagging technical issues here and there but those don't get in the way of an incredibly enjoyable experience. If you have the PC to run it, it looks incredible. To really get the full experience, having a NVIDIA setup brings out all the visuals that make Arkham Asylum come to life. Yes, you can still have a blast playing it on other types of hardware but you'll be missing out on some of the cooler visuals without a PhysX capable setup. 3D's also pretty slick as well adds to the overall enjoyment of the game. My hats off to Rocksteady for finally delivering on a Batman game worthy of the character. They got most everything right with this one and I can't believe they were able to produce a title of this high quality in only their second try. So Batman fans, this game is definitely the one you've been waiting for but it's also a great game for non-fans as well in my opinion.
A
For Batman fans, this game is a long time coming. Taking the Unreal engine, Rocksteady has gone and made a truly fun superhero game and it looks incredible on the PC. If you have the NVIDIA hardware to play with, it looks even better and includes features that you can't find on the console versions.
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