Yes indeed the best feature of Arkham is its combat system, which shies away from the typical move-based approach. Simply pick the next chump to eat a knuckle sandwich and Batman kindly obliges using an acrobatic arsenal of backward somersaults and flying heel kicks. Throw in a few skillful elements and a stylish slow-mo finish and you'll soon be moistening up the next time you stumble across a pack of unfortunate goons. However, have a gun throw into the mix and suddenly you'll be befriended the crevasses, as a you pick off your opponents one-by-one, before raining some B-man beat-downs on that final, unfortunate bastard. Top the whole thing off with an orchestral soundtrack and you've got yourself a truly awesome Batman experience.
The rest of the game also does well to embrace the Batman universe. Many of your favourite characters pop up, most notably of which is the Scarecrow. Sending Batman into periods of madness, Scarecrow's moments really standout, even if the actual gameplay that accompanies them is more frustrating than enjoyable. The bat gadgetry also plays a key role, including a forensics mode - a mode more commonly known as cheating in other games. Likewise, there are Riddler puzzles, challenges and other additional crap to keep you entertained for hours.
Unfortunately there are still some sources of annoyance. At times the controls can feel a bit awkward and frustratingly (as is also the case with the video settings) they can't be changed in-game (damn PCs!) Similarly, the action can get repetitive, some of the cutscenes are a bit stale and the storyline as a whole is pretty tenuous even by Batman's standards.
Despite these flaws, Arkham still provides a very enjoyable experience, akin to an adult version of Legend of Zelda, slingshot 'n all. While maybe missing the mark as a classic, it's definitely worth a play, old chum.
