You could be forgiven at first glance, to noticing a big resemblance between Marcus Fenix and Batman aka Bruce Wayne. They walk the walk, they talk the talk and are both tough SOBs. However the resemblance is only through the fact that both GOW and Batman use the same game engine, which has proved very profitable of late for games studios who use it. Its fair to say that not only are there graphical reminders of GOW within the game with textures and lighting being used to their full effect, there is also a gameplay resemblance as well. At the forefront of this is the way Batman communicates with Oracle, which bears a striking similarity with the way Marcus communicates with Alpha but even if you take into account all the similar uses of the Unreal engine, at the core of the matter both GOW and Batman are very different games indeed.

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A first thing to note is the way the darkness of Gotham is portrayed in the game. Its done very well with a good use of the lighting technology used in the Unreal engine, and does draw the player into the character and cinematographic atmosphere of the game. I particularly liked the way textures are used to full effect which only adds to the ambient nature of the universe in which Batman and his enemies reside. Its dark its gothic and it supposed to keep you on edge, it does this quite well and although its harder for some of us older geezers to shake off the tongue in cheek psychedelic nature of Batman starring Adam West from the sixties, it will still draw you in with a fascinating glimpse into the dark world of Gotham.

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The gameplay is smooth and well timed, like a Cricket Batsman hitting a perfect 4 off the bat. And although simple combat using the x buttons and y buttons seems a bit repetitive at first, it’s the awesome satisfaction you feel when you make a knockout blow on one of Jokers cronies that makes up for the shortfall in what could have been overcomplicated combat. As you work your way through the game you get added gadgets and upgrades, which add to the whole experience, and suffice to say are very cool indeed. A fun gadget is the bat claw with which you are able to grab bad guys and pull them to their dooms if needed, but your best friend in the game is the explosive gel, which if used well can provide extra fun. This is especially true if you do a silent take down on an unsuspecting enemy then plant the explosive under his body, at that point a few of his buddies come running worriedly around the corner and go and inspect his body, and shout for help. At that point you detonate the gel and it makes for an amusing anecdote as you watch the rest of the baddies go flying, this is especially useful if you have a lot of armed assailants hanging around. Another thing to note is to remember that gargoyles are your friend and should be used at every opportunity, it’s especially cool to see batman hanging down and taking out bad guys in a similar way to the recent movies.

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The voice acting audio could be construed as having a duel personality, with the main game audio using sounds that are nothing new but do the job well, the voice acting from Joker is terrific, and used very well to add that demonic yet funny side to the iconic bad guy. However Batman's voice acting leaves a little bit to be desired, it is one dimensional at best, but having said that it could be argued that Batman can sometimes be a one dimensional character to portray in similar way to James Bond.

All in all this game is a rather good romp and even if your not a die hard batman fan like me, you will find pleasing moments in the game, and lots of other stuff to keep you amused for sometime. The only thing lacking is the use of Batmans vehicles which are an integral part of any Batman story, but what the game lacks in that department it does make up for in immersive gameplay, simple but satisfying combat, and great graphics. If I was to buy an add-on for this game I would possibly argue that some sort of Co-op gameplay be introduced in a similar fashion to Gears of War, that way you and one of your buddies could romp home as Batman and Robin respectively.
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