Batman: Arkham City is the superhero sequel to what many believe to be the best Batman game of all time. Going some better than Arkham Asylum, developer Rocksteady Games has crafted a sequel that somehow manages to top it. Stephen Ebert visits Gotham to check out potentially the best superhero game ever.
Where its predecessor Batman: Arkham Asylum had the Dark Knight fighting criminals within the tight confines of a prison, Arkham City gives players full freedom of a city turned home to no-gooders. In doing so, Rocksteady has equipped players to live out the life of a superhero in a way few such games do. In Batman: Arkham City, you really do become the bat.
Following on from the past events of Batman: Arkham Asylum, the neighbourhood around the Asylum has been transformed into a most macabre maximum-security prison that doubles up as the backdrop to the events of Batman: Arkham City. Left to their own deplorable devices, violent turf wars routinely break out between gangs headed up by some of Batman’s most vile, recognizable foes (most of which we won’t spoil here).
The good
Even without laying a finger on a control pad – Batman: Arkham City looks like a Batman game should. Rocksteady has clearly been taking tips from the Tim Burton-directed Batman movies of old. Settings are delightfully grim. The dark alleyways, menacing and the architecture, typically Gotham-like. It’s the Batman look spot-on. Players will find masses of it to explore. And no more does the player feel like Batman more than when grappling from building to building, before perching on the edge of a high-rise and gliding down, wings spread out before landing two size 10s in the faces of Gotham’s thugs.
Even from the beginning, players will already find themselves equipped with Batman’s tools of the trade. It’s as if Alfred knew the player was coming. By putting the bulk of Batman’s weapons at his disposal from the beginning – it’s easy for players to instantly feel at one with the bat. You’re a deadly superhero from the start.
But there’s still plenty to look forward to. Killing more of the cities baddies will earn XP, to unlock special combos, upgrades to gadgets and moves such as the Bat Swarm that sends a flurry of bats swirling around enemies, disorienting them whist you lay down the law. Batman: Arkham City only gets better.
Combat remains slick, and not too dissimilar to that of Arkham Asylum, with an emphasis on picking of enemies one by one wherever possible when sneaking around like in the movies. The basic punches and Batarang moves are still there, but so are new actions, and counters. Players can get away with tapping a button on the pad, but the real joy comes when stringing together perfect combos, many of which can be learned in the way mentioned above. Even without them, airborne take-downs, grappling enemy guns off them before battering them, and plenty more besides makes playing as Batman feel as it should.
We’ll say little of the campaign to avoid spoilers, but we will say that Batman fans are in for one heck of a thrilling treat. Batman: Arkham City improves on the original so much so that the experience is one of being physically transported into Gotham. Familiar baddies make an appearance. You’ll see The Penguin, Two Face and The Joker to begin with. Of course there are others – you’ll just have to find out who.
And when you’re finished with the main campaign, there are scores of side missions, which players are feel to explore at any time. A nearby phone box might call, or someone may scream for help asking for assistance. Riddler trophies are on hand once again, scattered throughout the city waiting to be scooped up with open arms. Some are easy to attain, while other require puzzles to be solved. Batman: Arkham City will have players playing long after the campaign is over.
The bad
Rocksteady’s vision of Batman is such that there’s are few negatives to consider. However, a lack of tutorial-based help when it comes to learning the early ropes of Batman’s combat repertoire is likely to leave those new to the franchise a tad left out. Although by the time you’ve beaten your first enemy to a pulp, the initial confusion soon fades. But even so, there’s very little to seriously nit-pick over.
The bottom line
Batman: Arkham City is the best Batman game ever. Rocksteady loves making Batman games, and it shows. The British developer has taken everything its learned from the original, and refined it to deliver a title worthy of superhero status.
Batman: Arkham City is out in stores now for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3
