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From all indications, reviews, and personal testimonials I've heard, "Batman: Arkham Asylum" is a very, very good game. How good is it, you ask? So good that even the infamously scathing Zero Punctuation reviews found it hard not to give it big, sloppy kisses. Of course, there's still some nitpicking of the minor but less than genius details of the game, but with the excellent Paul Dini on board I was a little surprised to hear that writing was on the list of complaints. Now, it's not clear that the criticism is leveled at the plot so much as the more hackneyed (but traditional!) hero/villain exchanges, but I appreciate the fact that he doesn't lower the bar for superhero comics writing. And he does kind of have its number when it comes to status quo reboots:"You might say that I shouldn't expect too much from comic book writing, but what kind of excuse is that? Comic book writers do not undergo mandatory lobotomies. Was 'Watchmen' just comic book writing? Was 'Schindler's List' just a bunch of flickery lights on the wall? What I will blame on comic book writing is the fact that there's no closure. It all ends with disappointing inevitability with the status quo restored and all the big name villains dropped down convenient holes so that they can make their next appearance in 'Amazing Man-Child' #165 or whatever."
I find it hard to assess this personally, as I'm stuck with only a Wii and therefore no way to play this possibly best superhero game of all time, but it's one of the first times I've heard less than unanimous praise for it. Any thoughts on the writing from those who have first hand experience?
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Monday 28 September
By tannerama
Like zero punctuation has ANYTHING remarkable to bring to the table regarding writing. Yahtzee's reviews are so full of awful similes and masturbatory claptrap it almost delves into parody. In fact, whenever I feel like he may be writing parody, it's criticisms like the one above that remind me that, sadly, no. He's just a lousy writer who really loves the sound of his own voice.
It reminds me of a Demetri Martin bit
"I had this friend who only spoke in similes. He was like... annoying."
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Monday 28 September
By Julian
The writing could stand to be a lot better, yes. Not that it's bad - there are a lot of excellent bits, mainly a lot of Mark Hamill's Joker dialogue which is genuinely funny and creepy - but it's ultimately more setup for the game's hoops rather than a compelling narrative on its own. It's more an average Batman story that's designed to check necessary boxes, with the nicer bits being the actual atmosphere and less-essential dialogue. For example, the thugs you hunt start with cocky quips and later degenerate into utter panic when they realize there's only one or two of them left. But most of the Batman / Joker exchanges are ones you've heard a hundred times before, but I don't suppose the point of the videogame is to reinvent that wheel.
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Monday 28 September
By George McBain
Yeah, I have to say the writing is the only bad thing about the game (I have played a bit over 20 hours now with close to 100%). It is probably the only thing going against it, as well as the "boss fights". Otherwise, so far my game of the year.
I have to agree with a lot of Ben Croshaw's points, though he PURPOSEFULLY finds parody and goes out of his way to shine a spot light on the bad ... which is the point of his show. He has said it many times his show is meant to be funny. I have highly enjoyed all of his videos, even the ones where he rips the games I love, because I don't get a stick up my ass when criticism is volleyed at something I enjoy.
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