Batman: Arkham Asylum was a gaming masterpiece. There are probably not a whole lot of people out there that would argue that fact. However, there are probably a great deal of people out there wondering if they should get this if they already bought AA. Simply put.......no.
In a nutshell, the plot is simply "Joker takes over Arkham Asylum and releases all sorts of baddies. Batman tries to stop him." The game hasn’t changed much since it first came out and if you enjoyed AA almost a year ago, you can expect the exact same game this time around. Nothing has really been revamped, altered, or changed up.
However, the biggest surprise for me was how well done the 3-D is. While the glasses are little more than cardboard blue and reds from the past, somehow Darkworks/TrioViz managed to avoid the tinting that those glasses used to give. It’s still there a little bit, but at least the image isn’t in blues, reds, and purples the whole time. You can actually notice various shades. Once your eyes relax, the image is clean and clear with very little in the realm of headaches or eyestrain.
However, it doesn’t hurt to pause or stop every once in a while, take off the glasses, and give your eyes a rest. Instead of being "popping" 3-D, it is more of a "passive" 3-D effect. To clarify: In so many 3-D experiences the image comes out at you as if it might hit you, this 3-D effect is more like the TV is simply a window and the depth starts from the screen’s edge. Don’t expect to try and dodge cheesy "in your face" moments. There is depth, but it far more subtle. For the gamers out there who wear glasses, fear not. The 3-D specs still fit over glasses, although I am sure it looks about as cool paisley polyester tracksuits. The passive 3-D has one big perk though, your friends can watch you play without the glasses and the 3-D "double exposure" look is minimal to non-existant. However, for all its style, it still feels gimmicky. Sure, it’s cool, but I probably won’t be playing through more than once with it turned on.