Anybody can put on a cape and pointy ears, but that a Bat does not make

Dec 29, 2009 11:03 GMT  ·  By

Ever since video-game graphics began to enter the domain of photo-realism, there hasn't been a subject quite as hot as video-game violence. Everything was acceptable when you exploded your foes in 8-bit, perfectly square chunks, but, when your adversaries started leaving their liver, guts and brains on the floors and walls, the grownups began to take offense. Even so, it seems like there are people out there that want not to stop video-game violence, but to increase it, for the sake of realism and artistic creation, of course.

Landry Walker, a writer on the Batman: The Brave and The Bold comic book, recently took a few swings inside Arkham Asylum, and he wasn't pleased with what it felt like. Not at all. “Batman doesn't get shot. He doesn't get shot, because he's Batman,” he said. While his logic would not be considered flawless by most academic standards, you do have to agree with him. First of all, Batman doesn't have any superhuman powers, so if he gets shot, its bye-bye Bats.

[UPDATE] As Mr. Landry Walker himself pointed out, a lot of things have been taken out of context, and it was done so with no evil intent, but simply carelessness and by accident. The gameplay remarks concerning Batman: Arkham Asylum were the ones Mr. Walker made in regards not to his own gameplay style and experience, but of one of his friends, alongside which he played the game. While it's true that Batman: AA allows player to step completely out of character and act like a bullet magnet, the “proper” way to approach the game proved to be more than a satisfying experience for Mr. Walker. Stepping into the shoes of Batman is something any gamer can do in Arkham Asylum, put filling them is indeed a different matter. Some changes were made further down the article in order to better reflect this.

“There was practically zero sneaking,” Walker added, describing the adventures of one of his friends inside Arkham. “Almost no subtlety or grace. He would just run up and punch the bad guy, usually taking a few machine gun shots to the face, and then zip away to a magical gargoyle that would render him invisible while his Bat-health recharged. Then he would repeat the process until there was nothing left to punch. It was effective, I will grant that much. But to me, it kinda missed the point of Batman.”

And, yet again, you have to agree with Mr. Walker. His friend did miss the point, in a Wilhelm Tell-parody sort of way, where the crossbow bolt missed the apple and landed a perfect headshot. While the gargoyle does seem to have the magical power of erasing the Dark Knight's presence, silent take-downs and hiding in the shadows were most definitely the way to go against armed thugs. Sure, you could always run up to each of them and punch them in the mouth until they'd get fish lips, but this doesn't break immersion. The comic-book Batman could do the exact, same thing, just that he was too smart to do it.

As for the video-game violence part, Walker explained that, “I want a game that recreates that insane rush of endorphins and adrenaline or whatever it is after hearing a simple bullet crack past your ear. That's what games should be. So real that I just have to put down the controller for a minute because some part of my lizard brain is shaking in disbelief over the scenario I somehow managed to survive.”

So, while it may be true that Batman: AA wasn't the most violent game, it did follow the comic-book style to the unwritten letter. And, as far as titles that get you high on fear go, he should try something such as the likes of Penumbra or AvP, played with the marine. The motion tracker is the most frightening experience possible, maybe second only to a “bad trip.” A comic-book game isn't really a game where you're going to find a lot of realism.