Kill
ByTOMKLEMICK
Staff Writer
GTKsoo2@psu.edu
Batman fans are getting spoiled.
Just last year, the film “The Dark
Knight” opened to rave reviews
and enormous commercial
success. This past summer, the
apparent death of Bruce Wayne
and subsequent “Battle for the
Cowl” that followed was one of
the biggest storylines of the DC
comic universe. Now, fans of the
Caped Crusader can add one of
the best video games of the year
to that list. “Batman: Arkham
Asylum” is being hailed by many
as the best comic book video
game ever made. After playing
the game, it’s easy to see why.
“Arkham Asylum” is a third
person action game created by
Rocksteady games featuring an
incredible story written by veteran
Batman comic writer, Paul Dini.
The game begins with a movie
like opening sequence that sets the
ominous tone for the rest of the
story. Batman captures the Joker
and brings him back to Arkham.
Yes, it sounds like the ending to a
Hitchcock remastered
ByTOMKLEMICK
Staff Writer
GTKsoo2@psu.edu
“North by Northwest” is one of
the most exciting, action packed
and fun filled American movies
of all time. Now, you can add
director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959
classic to your personal collection.
On November 3 rd , the film gets the
special treatment it deserves in the
form of a two disc 50 th Anniversary
Edition DVD.
The movie alone is worth the
money. Cary Grant and Eva
Marie Saint star in this film with
a script by Ernest Lehman, dealing
with everything from mistaken
identity to fleeing a killer crop
duster. From a stabbing at the
United Nations in New York City
to scaling Abraham Lincoln’s nose
at Mount Rushmore, this one’s got
it all.
New York executive Roger O.
Thornhill (Grant) is mistaken for
George Kaplan, an imaginaiy U.S.
government agent. Confused and
(with) the Batman
number of classic Bat tales. But
this is just the beginning. Once
inside the facility, Joker breaks
free, releases the inmates and
creates a living hell for all inside,
including doctors, Commissioner
Gordon and of course, Batman.
What ensues is a plot worthy of
any graphic novel or feature film.
The player will have to complete
objectives that range from
saving hostages to obtaining
physician’s notes on the inmates
to confronting some of the most
famous Batman villains. The
Joker is the star bad man, but the
Riddler, Harley Quinn and the
Scarecrow also play dark, pivotal
roles in the story. There are other
characters such as Bane, Killer
Croc and Poison Ivy you’d expect
to see. There are also a few you
might not.
The characterization of these
villains is one of the biggest treats
of the game. Three of the stars of
“Batman: The Animated Series”
are back to lend their voices to
the characters they played on the
show: Kevin Conroy as Batman,
Arleen Sorkin as Harley and a
spot-on Mark Hamill as the Joker.
Hamill is brilliant as Batman’s
not sure what to do next, Roger
flees across the country to keep
from being killed by foreign spies.
Along the way he meets Eve
Kendall (Saint), the cool blonde
that Hitchcock repeatedly made a
centerpiece of his films, and they
spark up a romance consisting of
innuendo filled banter and one
sensual train ride.
Not knowing that Kaplan is an
imaginary agent created by the
government, Roger escapes the
law in the east and heads west,
hoping to clear his name by finding
Kaplan and setting the record
straight. This sets up one of the
most iconic scenes in American
cinema.
Roger steps off a bus and stands
in the middle of a four-way dirt
road, waiting for Kaplan to show
up to a scheduled meeting between
the two. The man he meets isn’t
Kaplan, but he lets Roger know
that there is a plane “dusting
crops where there ain’t no crops.”
Eventually the low flying plane
turns and flies straight for our
protagonist, sending him diving
number one rival, blending just
the right amount of humor and
horror that makes Joker the Caped
Crusader’s most formidable foe.
Other characters like Riddler
and Scarecrow are presented
differently than mpst fans are
accustomed to. It’s a welcome
change. The game succeeds in
soliciting fear, and these villains
look and act like characters out of
a low budget horror film.
The Villains are great, but at
the end of the day, a game like
this will always live or die with
the success of the hero. The
creators of “Arkham Asylum”
don’t disappoint. This is what
a Batman game should be like.
There is less emphasis on combat
and more on stealth-like detective
work. Batman isn’t Superman.
He doesn’t rely on superhuman
strength or any other power to
fight crime. He relies on his
brain, human skills and striking
fear to get the job done. Fans
will enjoy the detective mode
that allows Batman to analyze
different environments and clues.
And rather than simply beating the
criminals into submission, players
have to lurk in the shadows and
into a cornfield for protection.
Obviously the mystery deepens.
The climax takes place 2,000
miles from where the story began
at the American landmark and
artistic wonder Mount Rushmore.
Lehman recalls how the entire
plot of the film came about after
Hitchcock commented that he’d
always wanted to film a chase on
the faces of Mount Rushmore.
There’s a wonderful exchange
between Roger and Eve while
hanging onto the monument for
dear life.
While the film is full of countless
thrilling moments, it’s also a
lot of fun. Grant will always
be remembered as the screen’s
most debonair leading man, and
his suave personality and spot
on comedic timing are perfectly
blended to create one of the
defining performances of his
illustrious career. He is a man on
the run fleeing for his life, but he
never seems to lose his sense of
humor. The best example is the
scene at the art auction. Roger
does all he can to keep himself
crouch in the rafters, picking the
right moment to silently sneak up
behind a goon or swooping down
on a villain, and then quickly
disappearing back into the night.
The game has a lot to offer. The
graphics are very impressive
and it’s obvious that the game’s
creators paid attention to detail in a
variety of different areas, including
progressive damage to Batman’s
suit and references to a number
of characters who don’t make a
personal appearance, but whose
presence is still felt. The score
is suspenseful and even chilling
at times, adding a thrilling feel
to the game. The fight sequences
require combinations of counter
and attack moves to earn points
that allow Batman to upgrade his
armor, combat moves, Bat gadgets
like Batarang, Batclaw, explosive
gel, and more. There are plenty of
patient interviews and character
bios to be unlocked. It’s not a
game that you’ll beat in one sitting
however, which is a blessing or a
curse depending on whom you
ask. Even after the main storyline
is completed, there are still 240
Riddler challenges to beat. There
is an adult feel to the game. Adult
alive and yet one can’t help but
laugh at not only his methods, but
also at how well they work. Saint
shows that she’s capable of playing
more than the gritty dramatic roles
she was known for before this film.
Eve is sophisticated and sexy.
She also knows more than she is
telling. She seems unflinching,
but her feelings for Roger expose
the cracks in her armor. The love
scenes between Grant and Saint
are some of the most electrifying
on celluloid. James Mason
and Martin Landau give great
supporting performances as the sly,
arrogant and possibly homosexual
foreign agents. With characters
this smooth, the movie could be a
lesson in class.
“North by Northwest” is
sometimes overlooked due to
its positioning in Hitchcock’s
filmography. “Vertigo,” released in
1958, has become his most revered
film, while “Psycho,” released
in 1960, has become a horror
standard, practically inventing
the slasher film genre. Obviously
“The Master of Suspense” had one
language is used every once in a
while and the female villains are
scantily dressed. The synching
of the character’s voices to their
lips could have been a little better
but these are small quibbles for a
game this good.
Simply put, “Batman: Arkham
Asylum” is a great game that
allows its players to experience
what it’s like to wear the cowl on
thelongestnightofßatman’scrime
fighting career. It’s a must have
for any true Bat fan. It’s obvious
that right now, Batman reigns
supreme in the superhero universe.
The excitement generated by
the recent success of “The Dark
Knight,” “Batman R.1.P.” and
now “Arkham Asylum” have
pushed Superman, Spiderman
and all other superheroes to the
back burner for the time being.
The character’s history is rich and
includes success in all facets of
pop culture: the sixties TV show,
the graphic novel “The Dark
Knight Returns,” Christopher
Nolan’s films, and now this
excellent video game. “Batman:
Arkham Asylum” is just one more
notch in the Caped Crusader’s
utility belt.
of the best three-year runs in film
history. “North by Northwest”
doesn’t contain the personal
themes of “Vertigo” or the cover
your eyes and scream moments of
“Psycho,” but it’s much more fun.
The fourth and last of Hitchcock
and Grant’s collaborations, it
makes film lovers long for those
director/actor teams who worked
so well together, consistently
creating grade A material.
“North by Northwest” ranks
number 4 on the American Film
Institute’s list of the 100 most heart
pounding movies. It’s also ranked
number 31 on the Internet Movie
Database’s top 250 films list. Fifty
years after its initial release, the
film continues to dazzle and thrill
fans and critics alike. The special
edition DVD is a must have for
any true film fan. If it’s not in
your collection already, there’s no
longer any excuse. A big thank
you is in order for Hitchcock,
Grant and those who labored on
this DVD. “North by Northwest”
is the ultimate thrill ride, You can’t
help but enjoy the trip.