Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Aus Release Date: 19/10/2011
Rating: 9/10
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| They make an awfully cute couple. |
From the get-go, Batman: Arkham City is easily one of the coolest games I've ever played, and a great sequel to an already legendary game. The story of Arkham City opens with the kidnapping of Bruce Wayne by the forces of Hugo Strange. Bruce finds himself held hostage by Strange, who warns Bruce not to interfere in his plans or he will reveal his secret identity to the world at large. Of course, Bruce breaks free, and delivers some nasty beat-downs, before regaining his equipment and emerging in Arkham City as Batman.The story itself is masterfully crafted; written by the creative combination of Paul Crocker, Sefton Hill, and Paul Dini, the writer of Arkham Asylum and the creative mind behind the 1990’s animated series, Arkham City provides a solid explanation as to why the game is set in an enclosed city, and gives us an engrossing, multithreaded storyline; which invites us to ask questions such as whether hardened criminals are worthy of basic human rights, and overall de-constructing the image of the invincible (goddamned) Batman we've come to embrace.
Arkham City features more members of Batman’s rouge’s gallery than the last game, & alludes to quite a few, as was the case with Arkham Aslylum. The best part of this game is how well they are integrated into the city; some have a part in the main campaign, while others are encountered by playing through side missions, their reasons for being in Arkham City are all sound and their dialogue is well written.
Speaking of dialogue, the delivery is always spot on, particularly from the two stars: Kevin Conroy, as Batman, and Mark Hamill who dominates the game with his affably crazy portrayal of the Joker. The dialogue is half of what makes the game’s story so great, and while Batman was a bit too silent for my tastes, his villains more than made up for that.
Players can freely roam through Arkham City but they can’t leave its boundaries; the city is surrounded by tall concrete walls mounted with more razor wire and gun emplacements than Normandy Beach had on D-Day. There’s lots to do, whether it be following the main campaign, or deviating at any point to solve the riddler’s riddles, investigate a series of murders, protect political prisoners, and more. Certain side missions will grant Batman additional tools, while all of them will give him extra experience points, so they’re all worth playing through and add to the game’s atmosphere.
Batman’s ‘detective mode’ returns in this game. Detective mode allows players to observe the vitals of their enemies using an inbuilt X-Ray vision in his cowl which highlights clues and his enemies’ weapons, allows Batman to see enemies through smoke, highlights important targets, and lets Batman track and detect sounds from a distance. However its effectiveness is toned down from the last game; it’s harder to see certain weapons and attacks, and there’s less environmental detail making it harder to roam around the city. Detective mode also lets Batman see enemies’ psychological states slowly changing from confident to terrified, which is a nice touch, and greatly added to the ‘predator’ aspect of the game-play.
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| Detective mode at work, note the highlighted orange goon with the gun, the yellow highlight on the machete, and the guy checking Batman’s shoe size. |
Speaking of which, combat in the game is divided up to a ‘freeflow’ and ‘predator’ style, i.e.brutal brawls, vs. ninja takedowns. Attacking silently involves takedowns and gadgets to dispatch Batman’s enemies. For example, one time I used a ‘Sonic Batarang’ to lure an enemy under a gargoyle, glided over to the gargoyle, had batman hang upside down, and snatch the villain, and hang him there by his ankles, crying out and luring more enemies to that area. Sounds cruel? Don’t worry, he didn’t die, you can’t kill anyone in this game, as much as you want too; Batman’s ‘no-kill’ rule
When attacking enemies head on, Batman can attack using either his gadgets, by punching and kicking enemies, stunning them with his cape, or counter attacking. Enemies will eventually be knocked out, or knocked down where Batman can finish them off, but be careful! Trying to finish off an enemy is risky when his buddies are around trying to kill you!
By keeping the combo meter high, Batman can start using instant takedowns and group attacks, the latter of which make no sense but are ridiculously awesome (summoning a swarm of bats, anyone?) but you can’t kill your enemies. No matter how brutally you pummel them, no matter how much explosives you use, Batman’s no kill rule is enforced. It seems more like Batman is unable, rather than unwilling to kill considering the areas of the body he tends to aim for, but it’s an integral part of the mythos, and Batman’s disturbed psychology that he won’t kill.
The game allows you to briefly play as Catwoman, being able to switch between her and Batman once the game is over. She’s faster and quieter, but much less powerful than batman having less toys to play with and not packing quite as much punch. These differences mean that players will have to adjust their play-style for Catwoman. The music also changes, going from the dark symphonies which surround and underscore batman to lighter more playful tones which help emphasise Catwoman’s nature as a Classy Cat Burgler. During the Riddler trials (side missions played outside of the game) you can also play as Robin, who serves gameplaywise as a halfway point between Batman and Catwoman. Nightwing is also an option if you choose to purchase him but...I didn't.
There’s so much I haven’t touched on: alternate costumes, downloadable content, etc, but trust me on this one, Arkham City is a really good game. Everything about it adds to the gritty, dark, neo-noir atmosphere of the game. Whether it’s brutally beating down thugs, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, or solving clues and riddles, the game makes you feel like you’re the goddamn Batman, and that’s part of what makes it so great.
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| P.S. The boss fights in this game are cooler, particularly this frosty battle of wits against the cold hearted Mr Freeze. |
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