Tell Me A Story...

Throughout the history of this blog I have been diligent with my video game reviews. There has been, however, a severe shortage of previews and opinion pieces. Sure there have been a couple posts—see “Tope Five Most Wanted 2008” and “The Overly Biased Top Five Favorite Multiplayer Oldschool Brawlers”—but nothing substantial. It’s time to stop this trend and get on with some opinions. Maybe I’ll even go that extra mile and scrounge up some previews. Maybe.

Stories and games go hand in hand. Duh what about Tetris? Yes. There are exceptions smart ass, but the majority of games attempt to tell a story. How the plot is presented has been a popular discussion amongst the gaming community for both developers and consumers. Reading various articles from Gamasutra.com, and to a lesser extent sites like Kotaku, IGN, and 1UP, I’ve seen two popular sides emerge. On one end of the table is the traditional cut-scene. These usually occur before or after a major event in the story or level. The player looses control of their character(s), and the game swings into a presentation that mimics film. These scenes are often enhanced with improved graphics, and scenarios that can not be experienced through normal gameplay. Examples of games with cut scenes are numerous: Ninja Gaiden, God of War, Halo, Red Alert, Final Fantasy, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Mario, Zelda—the list goes on and on.

Sitting on the opposite end of the table are those in favor of in-game-story-telling. This method delivers all dialogue and major events in game. The player usually has some control of their character(s) the entire time. A popular example of this mechanic is Half-Life 2. Other games that employ this technique are Bioshock, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, L4D, COD: Modern Warfare, and Splinter Cell. In-game dialogue has gained popularity for a good reason. The presentation style rarely impedes the players’ interaction with the game world. This often improves the immersion factor, and strengthens character development. For some studios this technique can also be a money saver by eliminating the need to hire an outside business to create a cut scene.

So what’s better in-game-story-telling or cut scenes? Like many issues people fall on all sides. I personally land somewhere in the middle. Both of these techniques have valid pros and cons. Cut scenes can provide beautiful animated moments that get me pumped and ready to play. I still get goose bumps when I watch the Blizzard cinematic for World of Warcraft or Diablo II. Even a game with a horrible plot like Ninja Gaiden can employ cut scenes as a nice visual pleasing break form the intense action. If, however, cut scenes are executed poorly gamers will find themselves frantically pressing buttons to pass by the garbage and get back to having fun. The same theory of poor execution can be tied to in-game-story-telling. When done right this technique improves player immersion and character development. I don’t believe any of the games that I mentioned early would have had the same impact without in-game-story-telling.

When done properly both presentation methods can deliver fantastic stories and experiences. Combine the two and get the best of both worlds. Most recently, but not exclusively, I experienced this with Batman Arkham Asylum. Right from the start the game blends cut scenes with in-game-story-telling brilliantly. The game begins with a visual rich short video consisting of Batman driving the Joker to Arkham. Once they arrive the interaction kicks in. Players must escort Joker to his cell. While moving the Batman about players are treated with tons of visual and audio moments. This blended style of cut scene and in-game-story-telling continues throughout the game. So can’t we gamers have our cake and eat it too?

Even with my preference of a blended presentation I understand the need to evaluate these methods on a game by game basis. There is also the other side of the puzzle—good writing and cinematic direction. If these factors are lacking in quality, then overall presentation will be monotonous despite the technique employed. That correlation, however, is another topic for another time.

This post is a Featured Blog on Gamasutra.

Batman Arkham Asylum

Game: Batman Arkham Asylum

System: PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Release: August 2009


Batman Arkham Asylum is the best Batman game in existence. Much like the Wolverine title I reviewed, this game succeeds in making the player feel like one of the worlds most famous superheroes. Batman has gadgets, he kicks ass in a fist fight, and he can lurk in the shadows to surprise enemies. What more could a fan ask for? How about having the voiceovers performed by the same cast who did the 1990’s animated series? That’s right my friends Mark Hamill is back as the Joker! This time the fight is not on the streets of Gotham. Arkham Asylum has been taken over by the Clown Prince of Crime and only Batman can stop him. Joker, however, is not alone. He has recruited some of the top super villains at Arkham. The Cape Crusader will have to deal with the likes of Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Bane, and of course Harley Quinn. Does Batman have what it takes to save the day? Sure he does…he’s Batman! The journey, however, is the real adventure. I’m not going to spoil this plot, but trust me it fits like a glove.

To complement the fantastic story, and beautiful graphical presentation, Batman Arkham Asylum offers four major gameplay features. First up is brawling. When facing unarmed thugs Batman can throw together counters and punches for brutal combos. Land enough sequential hits and he does critical damage/special moves. The combat is very smooth and satisfying. It also gets better with more enemies. Taking on twenty guys at once is enthralling—not to mention badass!

The second major gameplay feature is stealth. Batman can’t take a bullet to the dome so when the thugs are armed he goes silent. Swinging from gargoyle to gargoyle Batman can isolate his enemies and take them out one by one. A great move is the vertical take down. Batman hangs from a gargoyle until a thug is underneath him. With the press of a button he zips down grabbing the thug. He then wraps a rope around his leg and lets him hang. There are a host of other toys/moves that help Batman isolate enemies and navigate through Arkham.

The final two features are exploration and detective work. The Riddler has hidden numerous secrets across the island. Batman will have to use all his gadgets—Batclaw, Grappling Hook, Explosive gel, etc.—to solve these riddles. To help himself out he can also turn on detective mode which highlights objects he can interact with. It also illustrates all enemies in the area, and points out vital clues to main objectives. If it wasn’t for the top notch graphical presentation I would have left detective mode on for the entire game.

What’s that? Not convinced that this is the best Batman game ever. Well Mr. you have some nerve. Ok fine. What if I tell you about challenge mode? That’s right. If you are bored with the main campaign you can take on stealth or brawler challenges. Complete them with the highest score (brawler) or fastest time (stealth) and post your victory on the leaderboards for all to see. I am hooked on the brawler challenge that sends infinite waves of thugs to take Batman down.

Batman Arkham Asylum is everything I could ask for in a Batman game. The story is just about perfect, the gameplay is smooth, and most importantly fun. The presentation is top of the line, and the challenge modes will keep on coming thanks to DLC packs. Snerts Snazzy Score grants this game a perfect score: 5 out of 5.