Batman: Arkham Assylum

Publisher: Rocksteady
Producers: Edios, Warner Brothers Interactive
Game engines: Havok, Unreal

Mechanics and Gameplay:
Freeflow combat system, used to engage grouped enemies.
Main moves-attack, counter, evade, vault enemy, stun, ground finish, batarang, specials (throw, takedown)
Moves flow together amazingly well, makes it fun yet challenging to control large groups of enemies
Enemies: fists, pipes, knives (block all attacks, must stun), stun guns (must vault, then attack from behind), tvs and boxes, gun lockers
Special enemies: zombies drain health, venom mutants are very large and powerful, venom plants shoot spores

Stealth room infiltrations- isolate armed enemies and take them down quietly, then dissappear
Multitude of ways to take down enemies- use technologies, hiding, and descending from above
If you are seen, enemies open fire and kill you QUICKLY
Joker is on the intercom, jeering the whole time; enemies comment on the situation

Detective Situations- use the scanner to reveal clues, follow the clues to next objective

General Exploration- platforming, solving spacial puzzles

Modes of play: Story Mode and Challenge Mode

Collectables and power-ups:
Riddler Trophies to unlock extra content (character bios, character trophies)
Gain EXP and level up--> choose uprgrades to health, combos, and “bat technologies”

Scoring: multipliers for; no damage taken, successful string of combos, critical strikes

New player experience: varying difficulties (easy, medium, hard), entry tutorials for all levels, voiceover/map cues for what to do/where to go next


Batman: Arkham Assylum- Wiki
Villians Trailer

Reaction: God of War 2

I thought the presentation went well. God of War 2 is an action adventure game for the PS2, focused on Greek Mythology with a violent modern-American twist. We discussed story elements, game mechanics, and the infamous "large scale" of the game. The video clips were engaging examples of the aforementioned, and demonstrated the epic soundtrack and cinematic wide-view camera angles used to capture large environments.

Right now I'm playing Final Fantasy Dissydia for the PSP. This series is also known for over-the-top battles, but this game combines 10 famous installments into one conucopia of pain. It's pretty much a fighting game with RPG elements; a chess-style storyboard allows players level up and to explore each character's individual path. The soundtrack takes iconic music from all 10 games, and equippable items reference what is already known from the Final Fantasy universe.

God of War 2- Wiki
Violent Trailer