Batman: Arkham City was easily one of the best presents I got for the holidays. There’s a very good reason that everyone is calling this game the best Batman game ever. Only the Batman game on the original Nintendo Entertainment System comes close to this one in terms of good game play and overall fun.
When Batman: Arkham Asylum came out two years ago I thought it was a good game, but it just lacked the replay value. It didn’t really pull me back into the game once I beat it. Arkham City not only has more to do to keep you coming back, it almost challenges you to come back and try to complete it.
I would love to talk about the story, but I really shouldn’t. The story in this game is very good and chockfull of classic characters, friend and foe alike. To even list anyone would be a potential spoiler.
All I can really say is if you want a good, dark, and compelling Batman story, Arkham City won’t disappoint you. Also, if you wanted to see your favorite villain make an appearance, chances are they probably will.
Arkham City uses the same graphics engine that Arkham Asylum used. It looks amazing to say the least. I would strongly recommend playing this game on an HD TV if you have one. You don’t have to, but I will say that it can definitely make a difference, especially if you’re trying to scope out an area in the game.
Both the voice acting and in-game music are amazing. It sounds very much like the 1990’s cartoon, “Batman: The Animated Series,” which should be a plus for any fan of the animated series.
Kevin Conroy returns as the Dark Knight, and really, that alone makes my case when I say the voice acting is fantastic.
The music is dark, intense and chaotic, but at the same time heroic.
The game play itself is great. Batman can glide around the city, but unlike in Arkham Asylum he can drop down and use the momentum to fly further up into the air. With a good set of fingers, Batman can stay up in the air for several minutes before he has to land on the ground.
When dealing with the criminals of Gotham City, there are two different situations. One is a big brawl with everyone against Batman. The goal is simply to beat everyone unconscious. It’s like a mixture of the 90’s style beat em ups of the arcades, blended with the hack and slash style of this generation. You need to be tough and aggressive, but you also have to play defense and avoid enemy attacks.
It’s a free flow style of fighting, but it does have the occasional instance where you overestimate where one of your own attacks will take you. Sometimes one of Batman’s acrobatic kicks to the teeth put him right in front of another bad guy who takes the opportunity to slug you.
For the most part it isn’t a major problem, but be on the lookout and keep your fingers on the controller.
The other way to deal with enemies is sneaking around them when they are armed with guns. You hang off of gargoyles, in ventilation shafts and other hiding spots throughout the rooms of the city to take out armed enemies.
Just remember that they might realize what you’re up to and take measures against it. It requires skill as well as wit and it actually makes you feel like Batman.
Another big part of the game is the boss battles. Unlike Arkham Asylum where most of the bosses were generic Titan thugs, in Arkham City you actually fight against the various super villains of the Batman lore. As said earlier I won’t spoil who you fight because it’ll only ruin the surprise.
There are also many other side quests that happen in the city. They can be done at any point during the game, either during the main story or afterwards. Most of them deal with lesser known Batman villains and their schemes. They definitely add to the playtime of this game and give more incentive to explore the city.
The main side quest that will keep you occupied is the Riddler challenges. When you solve riddles in the main game you unlock extra challenges in Riddler’s challenge mode. They are endurance rounds of both all out fights and sneaking fights.
The catch is that they also have extra modifications that have to be used sometime during the challenge.
Some of these modifications are helpful, like regenerating health. Most are not so helpful, like enemies are more aggressive, or you can’t use detective mode which lets you see where the enemies are.
Don’t be ashamed if you don’t immediately succeed at completing all of these challenges. After all, they wouldn’t deserve the name challenges if they were easy.
The only other gripe I have with the game is the Catwoman feature. Although she was promoted as being a huge part of the story, she’s just a DLC code that you only get if you buy the game new. Otherwise you have to pay extra for her. But hey, at least you can actually explore Arkham City with her.
There was also new DLC where you can play as Robin and Nightwing, but only in the Riddler challenges. Too bad you can’t explore the city with them; that would be pretty cool.
There are other Batman outfits you can download as well. The one that actually made me want to download them was the “Batman Beyond” suit. When you can fly through Arkham City in this special costume, you know you’re playing an awesome game.
Batman: Arkham City is a very worthwhile buy. There’s no way you can finish this game in one weekend, nor would you want to. It’s a game that requires dedication to truly complete and makes you feel like the Dark Knight himself.
PHOTO COURTESY of somewhatawesomefilms.com
