Batman: Arkham Asylum
I’ve had several people ask me what I think, medically, of the game Batman: Arkham Asylum
Overall, it’s a great experience. Though I’m a big fan of video games, it takes a lot for a game to really suck me in to its world completely, and Batman does that (the previous game that pulled this off was the first God of War). The setting, character design, and storyline are all appropriately creepy and the voice acting — especially Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill — is excellent. Playing the game, I really feel like Batman — I see a crowd of thugs and think, “I can take them, easy,” just like Batman should.
1. They sure take a lot of skull x-rays at Arkham. They’re everywhere, including the Sanatorium. It must be one of three things: Either someone has a weird sense of interior decorating, the doctors believe you can diagnose mental illness by x-ray, or they think you can treat mental illness with repeated x-ray exposures.
2. Same thing with the blood. There is discarded transfusion equipment and blood all over the medical center, even in the places you wouldn’t expect it. And remember, blood transfusions don’t work out so well at Arkham.
3. The effects of the drug Titan, with its massive muscle and bone growth, are the way over the top — but then again it is based on Venom, which is itself a ridiculously fast and potent steroid.
4. The heart rate detector when Batman is is “detective mode” is clever, and mostly correct. People who are calm or relaxed should have a heart rate in the range of 60-100, which is what the game shows. People who are excited, nervous, or scared should have a higher heart rate, I’d say 100-150, and again, this is what happens in the game. On the other hand, people who are unconscious do not have heart rates drop down to the 20s and 30s — unless they’ve taken some significant heart of brain damage — I’d expect more in the range of 60-70.
5. To me the big question is why the hell would anyone in their right mind want to work at Arkham? You couldn’t pay me enough to work there — I’d be better off in a combat zone.
Admittedly, the game isn’t quite perfect:
Riddler’s voice seems flat and tinny, but I just blame this on him using a jerry-rigged radio transmitter.
The final confrontation with Harley Quinn was a definite anti-climax.
Once Poison Ivy joins the big baddies, the atmosphere becomes more cartoony and loses much of its creepiness.
Even with these (admittedly minor) flaws, I’d consider it the best solo super-hero video game.
September 4th, 2009 at 9:45 am
“On the other hand, people who are unconscious do not have heart rates drop down to the 20s and 30s — unless they’ve taken some significant heart of brain damage”
Have you seen the way Batman takes those thugs out? I get the feeling it was supposed to be lethal until someone said “Hey wait, Batman has a code against killing.”
September 4th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I’m impressed. I haven’t seen you get that far in a video game that didn’t involve lots of bright colors or cartoon animals for a long time. (What came along about two years ago….?)
So far, I have to agree. It’s not just a good comic book/superhero game, it’s a great game period.
I was a little worried about combat combos (of which I’m not a big fan) but so far button mashing has been sufficient for all combat. I just recently unlocked the explosive gel.
September 4th, 2009 at 11:56 am
I’m also loving the game, though the segment after Joker opens all the cells left me thinking, “Well, this isn’t going to do anything for the general perception of mental health.”
The only thing that took me out of the game was the idea of Arkham itself: once Batman starts destroying buildings (e.g., having a small piece of equipment delivered by aircraft inside a building), I felt he’d come around to my way of thinking, that maybe the Arkham experiment should be ended, because it’s not working.
I see a crowd of thugs and think, “I can take them, easy,” just like Batman should.
My favorite part as well, seeing a roomful and thinking, “No armed guards? Screw it.” It’s best summed up by the exchange between Batman and one of the doctors:
“I’m sorry Batman, it’s a trap.”
“I know, just not for me.”
September 4th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
In Justice League of America #1 (2006), Batman convenes a meeting of the Big Three in the Batcave to discuss membership in the new J.L.A. Superman notes that Bruce must be excited, because his pulse rate is in the forties.
September 4th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Official Comment
The better shape you are in physically, the lower your heart rate gets because the heart is pumping more efficiently.
For Olympic-level athletes, their resting heart rates are commonly in the 30s or lower 40s. I think it’s safe to say that Batman would fall in this category as well, so a heart rate in the 40s for him would be about a 120 heart rate for people not as athletically endowed.
I don’t think any of the Arkham staff or Joker’s thugs count as Olympic level.
September 5th, 2009 at 6:29 am
Maybe they have to take a lot of skull X-rays because most of their patients have been punched in the head by Batman just before admission?
September 5th, 2009 at 6:41 am
lilacsgil: That’s what I was thinking as well. And along the same lines, the transfusion equipment is from the major villains doing their thing.
September 8th, 2009 at 7:47 am
I can’t wait to get this game. It looks incredible, but I would buy it on the voice acting alone. It’s great they reunited the animated cast. I love Bale’s RL performance, but Conroy will always be the voice of Batman IMHO.
September 9th, 2009 at 7:35 am
Eh, blame it on what I grew up with but, for me, the voice of Batman will always be Adam West.
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