Holiday gift ideas: Video games and toys

Video games are not just for kids, most of us who grew up with either the Super Nintendo or Atari 2600 game systems know that. So don't feel guilty about perusing our favorite games for this holiday season, whether you own a Sony Playstation 3, Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii. Plus we threw in some "regular" games and even some favorite iPhone games to consider.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

(Available for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC)

Batman: Arkham Asylum is the latest video game offering to feature the Caped Crusader in his never-ending quest to rid Gotham City of crime. Like so many other games of late, it uses the Unreal engine, which means you'll be looking at Batman's back in an off-center-left angle for much of the game.

The game starts off with a bang -- Batman is bringing the Joker to Arkham Asylum after capturing him "easier than usual". Then, surprise(!), Joker has set a trap -- he wanted to be captured -- and it's up to Batman (you) to return control of the asylum to the guards and administration.

I grew up watching Batman: The Animated Series as a kid, and I was elated to learn the game is written by one of the show's main writers. Most of the acting talent is back too -- including Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Mark Hamill as the Joker, and I'm pretty sure whoever played Harley Quinn is the same too. As such, the voice acting is top notch -- the best I've ever seen in a video game. Hamill especially shines, as all the scenes involving the Joker are over the top and pretty much exactly what they should be.

Unlike the cartoon, which was designed for youngsters, Arkham Asylum takes on a much more menacing, much more "realistic" tone -- even as a child, it seemed strange to me that super villains like Joker, Two Face, Poison Ivy, etc, never managed to off anyone. Well, that's all changed. While never overly gratuitous, the supervillains earn the distinction here -- the poor guards at Arkham never stood much of a chance. I was initially surprised by how mature the game is, but the darker atmosphere leant a much higher degree of credibility to the villains and therefore enhanced the game.

The animation and graphics are also outstanding -- you can explore the game as much as you like, and be constantly exposed to high detail, gruesomely gorgeous environments. Or you can activate "Detective Mode", and see everything from a different -- slight bluer -- perspective. I spent most of the game in detective mode, because it was easier to see doors and live bodies are illuminated and can be seen through walls (and the floor), making it much easier to get the drop on bad guys. It was a shame to spend so much of the game in detective mode, because you lose out on seeing all the intricate artwork in the game -- highly detailed walls in normal vision are uniform blue in detective mode -- so in the sequel it might be nice for Batman to have a naturally enhanced ability to see bad guys.

Gameplay is phenomenal, especially hand-to-hand combat. You have the option to elusively take down your prey from the relative safety of ceiling rafters/ledges/rooftops, and doing so makes sense when facing a small army of goons armed with automatic weapons. But when I came across a big group of unarmed thugs, I found it more fun to jump right in, fists first. The more you play, the better you get. And it's fun (and satisfying) to control Batman as he beats the stuffing out of the escaped prisoners, and uses their weapons against them. Batman is merciless, and although he never kills any of the thugs, if this were real life, most of them wouldn't get up after the beatdown they received.