Batman: Arkham City Review.

[One]

Batman: Arkham City Review.
by One

Basic Information:
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
North American Release Date: 10/18/2011
European Release Date: 10/21/2011
Trophies: Yes, 1 | 1 | 18 | 42 |

Overview

The Dark Knight is back. Trapped in the high walls of the maximum security prison known as Arkham City with the world’s most dangerous inmates, Batman must rely on his wits and detective skills to uncover the truth about the mysterious Hugo Strange. Will Batman rise above his foes and save Gotham, or will he finally meet his match and fall short of victory?

Gameplay

The combat of Arkham Asylum was revolutionary for many games to come, with a few tweaks made, it returns once again even more fluid than it already was. With an arsenal of new and old gadgets and equipped with some of the best martial art techniques around, players will be able to take full control of Batman using the simple controller layout designed by the developer.

The old controller layout still remains, but that doesn’t go to say that old moves have not evolved. Batman can now perform a number of different takedown moves, each being specifically useful for certain situations you will find yourself in. Surrounded by countless goons carrying riot shields? No fear, Batman can now simply use his brute force to crush his way through to the coward hiding behind it.

This time around, Batman will not only be fighting inmates in the game, but a number of different types of enemies which provides a nice change to the combat. Throughout the game, players will encounter thugs that belong to a certain villain in the game. Joker’s henchmen and Hugo Strange’s TYGER guards are an example of this. Each gang carries different types of weapons and have different fighting styles, which makes the variety of Batman’s fighting moves all the more fun to use.

Double takedowns are new, and play a huge role in the combat this time around

With the game being an open world sandbox, Batman relies on his cape to navigate the large prison in a short amount of time. One of the coolest upgrades included in this game is the Grappel Boost, which adds to the ability of the cape by allowing Batman to grapple to any ledge in the game while gliding, and giving him a boost of speed to traverse the map even quicker than usual.

Aside from the main plot line, there are many other side missions and challenges that will be taking up hours of your time while in Arkham City. Riddler once again makes a return, this time seeking revenge on Batman for the incidents of Arkham Asylum. There are up to 400 new riddles to be solved, but thanks to the new interrogation ability, Batman is now able to interrogate Riddler’s henchmen to reveal the locations of these riddles and add them directly to the in game map. Players will also come across the presence of comic villains such as Bane, Deadshot and Victor Zsasz as side missions to add to the experience.

Arkham City is big place for one guy, but thanks to the new upgrades and combat techniques, you don’t feel so lonely. With little to no technical glitches, Arkham City is truly a well polished game to experience.

Singleplayer

The game opens up some time after the events of Arkham Asylum, with Bruce Wayne himself preparing for a press conference to express his feelings on the just opened security prison Arkham City. Shortly after the press conference begins, a truck of highly trained security guards going by the name TYGER visits to break the party, incapacitating Bruce Wayne and leaving the scene in a hurry.

Later waking up, Wayne comes to realise that he himself is now a prisoner in Arkham City. With his plan coming into full effect, it doesn’t take much effort to break out and get first hand site of his new playground. With his crime fighting gear ready for delivery, Wayne once again puts on his cowl and dons the identity of his alter ego to find out the truth about the security prison and the corrupted mysteries that come with it.

It’s hard to believe that all the incidents in the game take place over one night, but for Batman to reach his goal he is going to have to go through all the obstacles blocking his way first. With villains such as Joker, Two Face and Penguin all fighting for complete dominance over the city, things are going to get a bit overwhelming.

Gliding will be used a lot to get from one objective to another quickly.

Arkham City’s game length is significantly longer than the first game, with an incredible amount of side missions and challenges; you can be looking at about 50 hours of gameplay at most. The moment the game submerges you into the open world, players are free to do whatever they want. With no rules, ways to approach a certain situation are openly up to the player, whether it is stealthy or full on assault. But that’s what makes this game so spectacular, when players are controlling Batman; they literally feel as if they are Batman.

Although optional, interrogating inmates is the best way of revealing Riddlers riddles.

With arguably the best voice acting cast out there, one word I can use to describe this game is nostalgia. Mark Hamil and Kevin Conroy return to reprise their roles as the Dark Knight and the Prince of Crime to make this experience something any fan will not want to miss out on. Try not to get lost in this living, breathing comic book.

Technical

The actual city is beautifully made and is rich with detail. The theme is perfect for the dark tone of the game, and there is so much to discover that players will never get bored of the surrounding environments. Facial animations and character builds are very convincing and life like that you sometimes can’t believe that this is still a game. As mentioned above, voice acting is top notch and even the more supporting roles from henchmen do a fine job with their lines. You can tell that hours of work have gone into every detail of this game to make it a memorable experience, and it all paid off.

The soundtrack of the game fits the overall tone very well, with a dark feel everything is like a tribute to the classic work of Danny Elfman.

Arkham City is a near flawless game, with an excellent cast of characters, incredible voice acting and engaging environments it’s everything a gamer can ask for; a true Game of the Year contender.

Trophies

Batman Arkham City is long platinum, and can prove to be quite tedious at times. Those that had difficulty coping with the challenges in Arkham Asylum may have difficulty coping with the challenges in this game as well. Patience will be needed to solve every Riddler trophy in the game, and to beat the newly added Campaign mode. Although the game is a minimum of two playthroughs, New Game plus is a breeze with every upgrade unlocked. Note that in order to achieve 100%, each side mission excluding the Riddler trophies must be done twice.

Closing Thoughts

Batman: Arkham City was a breathtaking experience. Me being a huge Batman fan, I doubt I will ever experience something better. The plot was unpredictable, taking me places and having me do things I thought I never would. The voice acting is incredible, definitely a high note for Mark Hamil's final role as the Joker. The score, nostalgic, with every note taking me back to my childhood of watching the old animated series. Everything I could ask for in a superhero game was there for me to enjoy at my own pace. Nothing could replace that.

The Batman series is a classic series that no other developer can possibly touch. Rocksteady has created a masterpiece.

Gameplay: 10/10.
- The crisp fighting mechanics are something any developer can take note of, and are truly definitive for the third person fighting genre.

Singleplayer: 10/10.
-Amazingly written plot by comic legend Paul Dini, this singleplayer will keep you on the edge of your seat until the unexpected ending comes around.

Technical: 9/10.
-Great environments, amazing score and a highly talented voice cast. This is the works.

Overall: 10/10 Spectacular

[The Secret Society]

i have yet to open this game from the plastic since launch since im backed up on many games
everyone tells me its way better than the first so i know i will savor every moment

[One]

i have yet to open this game from the plastic since launch since im backed up on many games
everyone tells me its way better than the first so i know i will savor every moment

It's the true Game of the Year in my opinion. It still infuriates me that Skyrim walked away with the prize.

[fillabong]

i have yet to open this game from the plastic since launch since im backed up on many games
everyone tells me its way better than the first so i know i will savor every moment

It sure is much better than the first. I can't seem to stop playing it. The only drawback I found is that its darker than AA making it harder to read enemies while in combat on New Game+. Very good game that everyone should check out.

[Chambers35]

Nice review one

10/10 again? I'm sure it could improve in some way.

[njdog102]

Nice review one

10/10 again? I'm sure it could improve in some way.

I don't know, this is a pretty damn good game. Even though I personally didn't have any problems with Arkham Asylum, Arkham City just takes everything that game already did well and completely steps it up a couple notches. You'd think that Batman and an open world sandbox game wouldn't fit well together but it actually does.

Nice review One, pretty much agree with everything you've said about the game.

[One]

Nice review one

10/10 again? I'm sure it could improve in some way.

Nice review One, pretty much agree with everything you've said about the game.

Thank you both, glad you enjoyed the review!

[Kerwan_Ratchet]

Nice review one

10/10 again? I'm sure it could improve in some way.

I seriously don't think that there's many places at all for the game to improve. I agree completely with the review (great work Once ) and I gave it 10/10 myself.

[Luckay]

I seriously don't think that there's many places at all for the game to improve. I agree completely with the review (great work Once ) and I gave it 10/10 myself.

As did I, a great game all around.

Nice review One.

[Wargazsem]

Nice review, I will go back to it someday. I just couldn't get into it the first time I tried it, I just am not ready for that style of game right now. However your review is spot on.

[One]

I seriously don't think that there's many places at all for the game to improve. I agree completely with the review (great work Once ) and I gave it 10/10 myself.

I would agree, it is probably one of the greatest games to be released in this generation.

As did I, a great game all around.

Nice review One.

Thank you!

Nice review, I will go back to it someday. I just couldn't get into it the first time I tried it, I just am not ready for that style of game right now. However your review is spot on.

The style of the game does require the player to be up for the challenge, but once I got into it I had trouble putting it down.

[K.I.D.]

I made it 20 minutes into this game and made the mistake of wanting to see what Skyrim was all about. I was amazed at how the game looked and how it started. I think your review will be spot on, cuz it was definitely heading down that path in the time I spent with it.

[TheExiledMarine]

Nice review man

I honestly agree with you guys. Arkham City should have been GOTY instead of Skyrim but go figure...

[One]

I made it 20 minutes into this game and made the mistake of wanting to see what Skyrim was all about. I was amazed at how the game looked and how it started. I think your review will be spot on, cuz it was definitely heading down that path in the time I spent with it.

They did a great job of setting the tone of the game right from the start, I knew right from there the game was going to be great.

Nice review man

I honestly agree with you guys. Arkham City should have been GOTY instead of Skyrim but go figure...

It just bugs me to see a game so unpolished to walk away with such a prestigious award such as that. The Batman games have lost twice now. When Arkham Asylum lost to Among Thieves, I understood. But losing to Skyrim? No way.

[apokolypz]

Best game I've ever played so far, no joke. I love the game and it's special qualities. Nice read One, and I definitely agree with the score!

[CaptainHowdy72]

so far my only real complaint is its sometimes to hard to find the entrance to a building/mission
aside from that, much better than the 1st, imo. which i might add i havent finished, this one i will

[One]

Best game I've ever played so far, no joke. I love the game and it's special qualities. Nice read One, and I definitely agree with the score!

It comes close to being one of my favourite games as well. Thanks for the kind words.

so far my only real complaint is its sometimes to hard to find the entrance to a building/mission
aside from that, much better than the 1st, imo. which i might add i havent finished, this one i will

The first game raised the bar in so many ways, I would totally recommend going back to it once completing this one.

[TheGeneral09]

Great review. Very nice read. Now I need to pop this mofo in my system to see if I agree or not, lol

[CaptainHowdy72]

just finished the game and all I an say is WOW! perfect review of the game. the story is my favorite super hero story for any game thus far. im thinking i may get back to the first one now

[One]

just finished the game and all I an say is WOW! perfect review of the game. the story is my favorite super hero story for any game thus far. im thinking i may get back to the first one now

Glad to see you came around finishing it up! Like I said above, you definitely need to pick up the first one. The price is ridiculously cheap now for an experience like that. Thanks for the kind words, and enjoy Arkham Asylum.