Batman: Arkham Asylum is a great game so the idea that Rocksteady somehow could make a sequel that so dramatically surpasses it is pretty shocking. Yet, Batman: Arkham City is clearly a solid step above and beyond the original game. Many things from Asylum carry over, but in almost every case these parts of the first game have been improved or expanded. Arkham City is a near perfect mix of stealth, combat and puzzles. The game has a ridiculous amount of stuff to do. I played for like 10 hours before I even hit 5% complete. What sets Batman: Arkham City apart is that you truly feel like Batman in all aspects. When you’re fighting you may face near overwhelming odds, but as Batman you know you can take them. The detective and Riddler puzzle elements have been expanded so they are even more logical and fun. Instead of simply following trails like in Asylum you have clues that you actually need to figure out at times. Most of them are not overly difficult but since Batman is the “world’s greatest detective” it is nice to see this part of the game explored more.
In a year where there are stacks of great “Game of the Year” eligible titles available, Batman: Arkham City really stands out in the top part of that list. It has a ton of back story and characters for fans of Batman, but for gamers who are not as familiar with the hero, this is a well-made game that has possibly the best melee combat system ever. Combat is just one aspect of the game, but it works so beautifully that it is a real joy to find yourself outnumbered in each fight. The core system from Batman: Arkham Asylum is still there but now you can easily use your gadgets while fighting. There are more moves than before and more unique animations for every situation. For those that never played the first game, unlike many 3rd person action games the combat is fluid and seamless. You move from attack to attack with a brutal grace, but done with a relatively simple control scheme. When you counter an enemy’s attack you don’t have to worry about the timing each punch. Just tap the counter button and Batman counters appropriately with the proper brutal move. This allows you to be aggressive as Batman. There is no need to sit back and wait for attack to come at you so you can defend yourself. Instead go at the enemies full force and when the time comes the counter just works.
I don’t want to spoil any of the story, but I will say I enjoyed the plot. There are a lot of famous villains packed into the story yet I never felt like they just threw them in for fan service. Each one played a role that fit well within the overall story. Beyond the main story line there are also many side-missions which range from the simple point to point stuff, to full-out rescue missions. I also had fun playing the Catwoman sections. Even f you rent the game it is worth paying the extra money to buy the Catwoman DLC that comes with the game for people who buy it new.
While I consider myself a fan of Batman I don’t watch every cartoon or read every comic. Still, it is nice that the voice acting from the game is the same as the recent animated version. This continuity adds to the overall polish of the game. The characters, and there are a lot of them, sound right. You never have a case where the voice acting interrupts your experience. The graphics are dark as one might expect for a Batman game, but they still are stunning while being gritty. Graphically the game looks like Arkham Asylum, with some new lighting and particle effects. THough the development team really did a great job capturing that dark dingy thug filled look through out.
It is a busy time a year for gamers with a lot of big titles coming out each week, but if you’ve not played Batman: Arkham City yet I would recommend checking it out as soon as possible. The whole game is pretty lengthy with all the side quests, but even just playing through the main story missions would make for a fun week. Batman: Arkham Asylum was an impressive game, but with all the changes and just the open world aspect of Arkham City it looks antiquated. Rocksteady has once again out-done themselves and put together a game that is a must buy for fans of Batman and gamers who love action games.
A copy of Batman: Arkham City for the Xbox 360 was provided to us for this review from Rocksteady.
