PC GameSource Blog

In its unsurprisingly quiet fashion, Sega seems to be blowing off all attempts to discover any official updates on the Alpha Protocol release date.

As many of you are aware, many major retailers have changed the release date they list for the highly-anticipated espionage RPG from Obsidian to October, and in some cases even June 2010. Yet Sega still holds fast to their October 6 release date, however that seems very unlikely given that no retailers seem to be expecting the game in early October any longer.

The official site simply states “October 2009″, and while it is the least specific, I can only assume the rest of the PC gaming community joins me in genuinely hoping it remains accurate.

In all honesty, however, wouldn’t you be happier playing the game late (even 8 months late) if it meant Obsidian had the time they needed to polish the game and deliver a product that actually lives up to its hype (which is surprising at all given the lack of a respectable marketing campaign thus far)?

While I eagerly await this title, just as I eagerly await just about everything Obsidian does, I also applaud them for their efforts and hope that Sega gives them the time they need to do what they set out to do, and does not force them to release an unfinished or buggy product just to meet a deadline.

When I saw the first advertisements for Batman: Arkham Asylum I thought, “Great, another mediocre Batman title pops out of nowhere and will fall through the cracks just as fast.” But as I looked a little bit more into it, I was surprised to see a very high quality title containing an excellent presentation and some amazing fighting. But what was even more surprising, is it only got better from there!

I have very few qualms with the new Batman title from Rocksteady Studios. It’s a tighter and more polished game than I could have imagined, given past game offerings with our favorite caped crusader that left a lot to be desired.

The look of the game resembles the latest Batman flick (Dark Knight) a bit, however the setting is different, the voice acting is different, the story is different, and I’m happy to report that the game is entirely original!

Anyone remember those old Batman cartoons that were so huge in the ’90s? If so, you’ll be ecstatic to know that many of the voice actors are the same! Batman, the Joker, and other characters’ familiar voices don’t take long to bring back that sense of nostalgia.

The story, while decidedly darker and more violent than the cartoons, is well-written and flows well throughout at least the first part of the game (we’ll have to give our full review at another time–this reviewer is still thoroughly enjoying the 10 to 12-hour single player campaign).

During my initial couple of fights, I was not overly impressed with the fight mechanics, although the graphics and the way the fight animations are chained together is awe-inspiring. Once you get more combo moves and realize there are a lot of other mechanics going on to be aware of, the fighting itself becomes less of a button-mash, and feels really great.

“No downsides then?” you ask.  Well, almost. I was a tiny bit put off by the whole notion of Batman absorbing “bats” from the enemies he floors. What lore is that from? None-the-less, it’s an interesting concept, and it’s a game, so you just have to let a few minor details slide in favor of a great gaming experience.

Look for our full review soon, however if you’re at all interested in this game, or Batman in general, don’t wait to buy it–I can already highly recommend this game to anyone and everyone interested in Batman or superhero games, and anyone looking for a great new gaming experience.

This is already the greatest Batman video game ever released, and it is my opinion that everyone should get to experience it.