To commemorate the 80th anniversary of Batman (#Batman80), AFJ has decided to join in the fun with columns, lists, and reviews from now until Batman Day (Sept. 15th, 2019). The incredible thing about 80 years of Batman, in pop culture, is that we can literally feature anything from comics to movies to the Condiment King. Yes, there is a villain named the Condiment King (Google Mitchell Mayo, Millenials). Today, we turn our attention to a video game from 2009. Enjoy Junkies! #AFJ4LIFE
Written by Rick Alaia
This week we are jumping into the land of video games, and looking at a masterpiece that would become a household name, Batman: Arkham Asylum.
Arkham Asylum was written by the legend Paul Dini and developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and released in 2009.
This game was the Batman game we always deserved. For the first time, you got to feel what it was like to be the Batman. You got to use a wide variety of bat-gadgets and moves. You had to use stealth and brute force to accomplish objectives.
The story: Batman has captured the Joker and is returning him to Arkham. Not understanding why the Joker would allow himself to be captured so easily has made Batman suspicious. He decides to escort the Joker personally into bowels of Arkham Asylum. The trap is already set and Batman can't stop it. Harley Quinn releases the Joker and they kidnap Commissioner Gordon. Joker tells Gotham that he has bombs planted throughout the city and will detonate them if anyone tries to set foot on Arkham Island. Batman is on his own to try and stop the Joker.
As you progress through the game, the meat of the story is revealed. Joker has been secretly funding a derivative of the Venom formula that Bane uses. This new formula is called Titan. Joker wanted this serum to create a thousand super thugs that he would control. When Doctor Young refuses to hand over the Titan serum, that's when Joker made his plan to get back in Gotham.
Like Venom, the Titan serum increases the user's strength and body mass, but in an extreme way. It deforms the body extremely different then Venom, however. More like deforms the body. The user also loses all rationale and is consumed by rage.
Batman creates an antidote to the formula in his Arkham Batcave. Yes, you read that right. Batman has a satellite Batcave on Arkham Island.
The Joker then invites Batman to a celebration party. Batman sacrifices himself to protect Commissioner Gordon and is injected with the Titan formula. After Batman fights off the change, Joker grows agitated and injects himself with a heavy dose of Titan creating Titan Joker. Batman must fight this monster and save all of Gotham from this new Joker.
The game inspired a slew of figures by DC Direct (as well as its sequels). The highly detailed sculpts are a must for any Batman collector.
If you haven't played this game, pick up the remastered version and have some fun. It still holds up. If you've played it, give it another whirl. It's well worth the time and effort to beat it again… although I skip the Riddler challenges since I've found them all once before lol! #LongLiveTheBat
