When you hear about a Batman game, you know there are already two problems. First, you should never hear Batman coming — ever. Second, when you actually get the game into your hands, you realize it’s got all of the appeal of a lesser superhero — like that wet blanket Aqua Man. Comic-book based games have fared better than movie-based games, but I think it’s more or less the drawing power of nerds doing each other favors within their own kingdoms. With all this in mind, Batman: Akham Asylum explodes into the fray and offers a healthy dose of subtle efficiency.

Being the caped crusader isn’t all fun and games; the man does fight super criminals after all. Although, I imagine after this particular night he is going to shower with his bat suit on. The night started with a routine apprehension of Joker and continued all the way to Gotham’s loony bin capital: Arkham Asylum. You don’t have to be dressed like a clown to get committed, but it certainly helps. Shortly after Batman helps escort Joker into the asylum, all hell breaks loose, and Batman gets the surprise party of his life. Murder/laughter ensues.

Your job is to assume the role of Mr. Bruce Wayne’s alter ego and put a stop to the party before they can cut the cake — a big, fleshy, bat-shaped cake. As Batman, you have a premiere selection of physical attacks, abilities, resources and, most importantly, gadgets. The fact that Batman refuses to use a gun is of little consequence at the end of the day. If you can’t find a way to enjoy taking out a group of henchmen one by one with the use of guerrilla tactics using only your fists, a piece of metal and your forehead, you aren’t appreciating life properly.

Gadgets range from classics such as the batarang, to the bat claw, and even explosives gel, for all of those stubborn dry walls that refuse to blow themselves up. The effortless use of the bat claw (hook shot) to grapple away from danger is certainly a privilege a lesser man would ignore, and for shame. Use the batarang as a quick stun in combat or as a more succinctly used distraction for all of Batman’s hidey-hole operations and his sneaking about.

And sneak about you will, if there’s any sense in your FPS-riddled gamers rationale left. The stealth is about one-third of the gameplay (should you happen to take advantage of it), with combat and exploration making up the other two-thirds of how you will spend most of your time on Arkham island. There are several difficulties from which to choose, and if you happen to pick an easier way through the game, you might not even realize that stealth is an option until the few mandatory sections the game forces you to enjoy. But that would be a missed opportunity and a travesty for Batman himself. The stealth is not heavily emphasized on the seemingly easier difficulties and plays more or less into the hard mode of the game. I felt Batman: Akham Asylum should have had a much heavier stealth emphasis to begin with, as Batman tends to dress in black to blend into the shadows, not the lucky peripheral of a generic underpaid henchman.

Though the gadgets reward those with an experimental side and the stealth is very satisfying when you actually use it, the combat is when the game starts to fall apart. The game boasts a free-flow system that lets Batman seamlessly flow from one target to another. The free-flow system pretty much boils down to auto-aiming for fists. The amazing thing about the complete lack of depth when it comes to combat is how many times the guaranteed system of autotracking fails. And since the game prioritizes who you will hit, the errors are equidistant to the number of goons in the room.

This does not mean the combat is terrible, but it leaves a lot to be desired. When a game fools around with what boils down to a seemingly one-button attack methodology, you will usually only impress the people who thought that one fight was really that awesome. I was never fully aware of how shallow the fighting truly stood until I did the extra challenge mode outside of the campaign. This is when things get real messy. In the confines of the story, the pace is varied enough so the fights are further away from each other. The combat system itself does not stand well to repeated romps and will soon remind you of the tedium with constant outings in the brawling persuasion. The missed opportunity for something deeper, more engaging or anything just a little less irritating is truly unfortunate, as the POW, ZAP and KABLAM’s of Batman years gone by usually lend themselves for some really good bad guy beatings.

The exploration never gets old luckily, and Batman: Akham Asylum is as secretive as it is gorgeous. The game’s graphics should stand to the glee of most next-gen players, with sweet amounts of shadowing, facial expressions and impressive textures. The architecture in game, the physical location of Arkham itself, is set to the specifications that just beg for exploring, and the game will encourage you in plentifully perplexing ways.

Batman fans will be pleased to know the developers have worked in quite a few villains from the Batman universe for the sole purpose of being disposed of by the Dark Knight. The referential in jokes and hidden gems translates to just under monstrous and will entice several different levels of various Batman fans. While I wanted the inclusion of a few more bit players — and maybe a way to interact with them — the game tries to go the extra mile and remind you what kind of gloried, if not horrifically disfigured, past Batman has had. The Scarecrow’s inclusion lends to a more abstract level design, and some of his later stints are downright hilarious to the point of memorable gaming gold.

Batman: Akham Asylum will keep you busy for awhile, and it offers some nice replay ability for those willing to seek it. The ending is severely disappointing in my eyes, as the game fancies itself as a master of suspense only to come out horribly anti-climactic. The experience is not a very deep one, but it is entertaining. Batman: Akham Asylum marks a definite step in the right direction not only for Batman games, but also far past the comic book side-scrollers of 16-bit proportions.

My main problems with Batman: Akham Asylum are maybe a little off kilter for some, but I truly think the entire experience should have been a first-person stealth adventure, and should have heavily relied on exploration via an enormous selection of gadgets. What is offered is a very Batman-oriented fun house. The theme is cool, and most will certainly have fun, but the exit is easy to find, and you’ll realize a lot of what was featured was merely for show. Without giving respect to Batman and his true grasps of being a detective, stealth and everything he can accomplish in the dark, you have a rather one-note adventure and a bunch of missed opportunities with a lot of repetition. This is a little more O’Neil Batman than it is Miller Batman, but Joker is in it, and I’m sure that’s all most care about.