Game Title: Batman: Arkham City
Consoles: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Developer: Rocksteady
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Pregame:
Batman: Arkham City is the successor to Rocksteady's 2009 game of the year Batman: Arkham Asylum, and it takes place shortly after the events of the last game. In the interim, the shady Professor Hugo Strange has walled off a part of Gotham city and let criminals run rampant inside the confines. Stange has dubbed this area "Arkham City."
One of the few black marks on Asylum's record was the final boss fight against the Joker, who, instead of doing something clever or funny with his fight, just amped himself up on the super steroid TITAN and charged at you. All you needed to do, essentially, was dodge out of the way and let him hit stuff behind you. After a few minutes of bullfighting, the Clown Prince of Crime went down. It was fairly disappointing to comic fans, who expected more out the Dark Knight's greatest foe.
It seems as if Rocksteady retrospectively decided this was a poor choice as well, so they decided to punish Joker. He is now suffering from a terrible sickness as a result of the TITAN exposure. That's what you get for copping out, apparently.
Play by play:
Arkham City, along with its predecessor, is an example of a comic book game gone right. It's a secondary medium based on a comic, and gamers have gotten so used to those being terrible (Spider-Man 3, anyone?) that it comes as a huge relief when its done the right way. The key to that, I believe, is treating all the ridiculous things in comic books, like fantastical physics, super-science, superpowers, etc, as utterly and completely normal.
Batman treats the supervillians he encounters as the well-known, established characters they are and reacts accordingly, just like he would in the comics. Players may not necessarily know each villian, but that's what a character bio is for. This way, uninitiated players get some backround, nobody is confused, and the game is better for it.
For example, I'm a bit ashamed to admit it now, but I never knew who Zsasz was before playing Asylum, and now I not only know him, I've read up on the psychotic cutter. This style of game will satisfy an existing comic fan and might even turn the player into one.
Speaking of existing fans, those who enjoyed the '90s cartoon Batman: The Animated Series (and really, who didn't?) will be pleased to know that both Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their roles as Batman and the Joker, respectively. The two lent their voices to Asylum, so their inclusion is pleasant, but no surprise.
Oddly, Nolan North voices the Penguin this time around. For those who don't know, North is widely known as the video game voice actor. The man is in everything; he's most well-known for playing Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series and Desmond Miles in the Assassin's Creeds. He usually doesn't change his voice much, mostly because it's awesome enough on its own, but this time around he played Penguin as a rough-and-tumble Brit who actually doesn't sound like Nathan Drake!
As far a gameplay is concerned, Asylum and City are similar on many levels. Fighting hoards of inmates, sneaking around and picking off armed thugs, and using detective mode on a near-constant basis are all essentially the same. These things have been tweaked, but not overhauled. So what has changed? In a word, scale.
This game is huge. Well, maybe not so huge if you had a car or plane, but in Arkham City, Batman is down to his cape and grappling hook. You would think that would limit mobility, but the Caped Crusader can cover the whole game map in less than a couple of minutes with just those two items. How, you ask? Mario physics!
\
Not unlike a certain Italian plumber, Batman can glide with his cape, dive down, then pull up, and he'll be propelled forward and a little upward (compared to the bottom of the dive, at least). Combine that with the new and improved grappling hook, which pulls Batman toward his target so fast it actually flings him over it, and you've got a recipie for uniterrupted flight.
It's a good thing, too, because some enemies (I'm looking at you, Zsasz) will have you running all over town. Better get those arms a-flappin', people. While you're flying, take in the sights. There are also a number of key Gotham City landmarks throughout Arkham City; in particular, I'd recommend checking out the Monarch Theater, behind which lies Crime Alley, the place where Bruce Wayne's transformation into Batman first began.
As for the rest of town, different supervillians have staked their claims to it. Two-Face has the courthouse, the Penguin has the Iceburg Lounge (and the museam attached to it), and so on. They may have their respective fortresses, but of course that won't stop Batman from coming and going as he pleases.
Once inside and through these tricky areas, there is a boss fight for each major player in Arkham City. Some are easier than others, but they're all great fights. Personally, I greatly enjoyed the Ra's al Ghul fight the most, but each player will have his or her preference.
Although everyone will have a different favorite, I think we can all agree the final boss fight is just stupid. I won't tell you who it's with - I don't want to spoil anything - but right at the end it just devolves into the bullfighting crap from Asylum. I thought we were past this, Rocksteady!
You don't even need to pull the "Torro! Torro!" act with TITAN-infused henchmen anymore, so why? Why include it at all? 99% through the game and then you pull that one out of your hat. It's just disappoing.
Other than that one fight, this is a solid game. Using a utility belt full of gadets (there are some new ones this time around, by the way), swooping down on unsuspecting enemies and battling supervillians defintely makes the player feel like they're Batman. The Dark Knight has some real motivation this time around as well, and the game makes the player feel that, despite how much time they may spend looking for Riddler trophies.
Speaking of Riddler, the twisted quizzler seems to have gone a bit nuts with his riddles and trophies this time around. At least finding all the secrets was a surmountable task in Asylum; in City it looks Riddler blanketed the whole map with a cropduster full of them
Rocksteady has included a way to give players a hand with that, however. Riddler has some henchmen undercover with other gangs, and once Batman isolates one, he can interrogate him to find out the locations of a few Riddler trophies.
Needless to say, these henchmen are everywhere.
There are even some riddler trophies Batman simply can't obtain. Try, and Riddler will zap Batman and say something to the effect of "ah-ah-ahh, those aren't for you, Detective..." Those trophies are for Catwoman. Catwoman has a small part in the goings on in Arkham City, and players take up her mantle for comparitively short sections. It actually a fun change of pace every once in a while, if you can get past the fact that everything she does is smotherd in innuendos and cat puns. But then, that's just being true to her character. It's not a good thing, really, but you can blame the comic writers for that one.
Final Call:
Arkham City is a very, very good game. What's more, it's a good Batman game, which is the harder part. Fans expect Batman to be an unstoppable badass, and with good reason. He's often written as the man with an answer to everything and a jaw-cracking punch for everyone, and this game lives up to that. Whether hunting down Mr. Freeze or just prowling the streets (Catwoman pun not intended), this game makes players feel like a superhero. Players will have a big, open world to play in here, and all the chances they want to flaunt their abilities.
They'll have an arsenal of gadgets, genius-level detective skills, and the fighting prowess of Bruce Lee on steroids. Yep, that's Batman. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Consoles: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Developer: Rocksteady
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Batman: Arkham City is the successor to Rocksteady's 2009 game of the year Batman: Arkham Asylum, and it takes place shortly after the events of the last game. In the interim, the shady Professor Hugo Strange has walled off a part of Gotham city and let criminals run rampant inside the confines. Stange has dubbed this area "Arkham City."
One of the few black marks on Asylum's record was the final boss fight against the Joker, who, instead of doing something clever or funny with his fight, just amped himself up on the super steroid TITAN and charged at you. All you needed to do, essentially, was dodge out of the way and let him hit stuff behind you. After a few minutes of bullfighting, the Clown Prince of Crime went down. It was fairly disappointing to comic fans, who expected more out the Dark Knight's greatest foe.
It seems as if Rocksteady retrospectively decided this was a poor choice as well, so they decided to punish Joker. He is now suffering from a terrible sickness as a result of the TITAN exposure. That's what you get for copping out, apparently.
Play by play:
Arkham City, along with its predecessor, is an example of a comic book game gone right. It's a secondary medium based on a comic, and gamers have gotten so used to those being terrible (Spider-Man 3, anyone?) that it comes as a huge relief when its done the right way. The key to that, I believe, is treating all the ridiculous things in comic books, like fantastical physics, super-science, superpowers, etc, as utterly and completely normal.
Batman treats the supervillians he encounters as the well-known, established characters they are and reacts accordingly, just like he would in the comics. Players may not necessarily know each villian, but that's what a character bio is for. This way, uninitiated players get some backround, nobody is confused, and the game is better for it.
Speaking of existing fans, those who enjoyed the '90s cartoon Batman: The Animated Series (and really, who didn't?) will be pleased to know that both Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their roles as Batman and the Joker, respectively. The two lent their voices to Asylum, so their inclusion is pleasant, but no surprise.
Oddly, Nolan North voices the Penguin this time around. For those who don't know, North is widely known as the video game voice actor. The man is in everything; he's most well-known for playing Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series and Desmond Miles in the Assassin's Creeds. He usually doesn't change his voice much, mostly because it's awesome enough on its own, but this time around he played Penguin as a rough-and-tumble Brit who actually doesn't sound like Nathan Drake!
As far a gameplay is concerned, Asylum and City are similar on many levels. Fighting hoards of inmates, sneaking around and picking off armed thugs, and using detective mode on a near-constant basis are all essentially the same. These things have been tweaked, but not overhauled. So what has changed? In a word, scale.
This game is huge. Well, maybe not so huge if you had a car or plane, but in Arkham City, Batman is down to his cape and grappling hook. You would think that would limit mobility, but the Caped Crusader can cover the whole game map in less than a couple of minutes with just those two items. How, you ask? Mario physics!
\It's a good thing, too, because some enemies (I'm looking at you, Zsasz) will have you running all over town. Better get those arms a-flappin', people. While you're flying, take in the sights. There are also a number of key Gotham City landmarks throughout Arkham City; in particular, I'd recommend checking out the Monarch Theater, behind which lies Crime Alley, the place where Bruce Wayne's transformation into Batman first began.
Once inside and through these tricky areas, there is a boss fight for each major player in Arkham City. Some are easier than others, but they're all great fights. Personally, I greatly enjoyed the Ra's al Ghul fight the most, but each player will have his or her preference.
Although everyone will have a different favorite, I think we can all agree the final boss fight is just stupid. I won't tell you who it's with - I don't want to spoil anything - but right at the end it just devolves into the bullfighting crap from Asylum. I thought we were past this, Rocksteady!
You don't even need to pull the "Torro! Torro!" act with TITAN-infused henchmen anymore, so why? Why include it at all? 99% through the game and then you pull that one out of your hat. It's just disappoing.
Other than that one fight, this is a solid game. Using a utility belt full of gadets (there are some new ones this time around, by the way), swooping down on unsuspecting enemies and battling supervillians defintely makes the player feel like they're Batman. The Dark Knight has some real motivation this time around as well, and the game makes the player feel that, despite how much time they may spend looking for Riddler trophies.
Rocksteady has included a way to give players a hand with that, however. Riddler has some henchmen undercover with other gangs, and once Batman isolates one, he can interrogate him to find out the locations of a few Riddler trophies.
Needless to say, these henchmen are everywhere.
There are even some riddler trophies Batman simply can't obtain. Try, and Riddler will zap Batman and say something to the effect of "ah-ah-ahh, those aren't for you, Detective..." Those trophies are for Catwoman. Catwoman has a small part in the goings on in Arkham City, and players take up her mantle for comparitively short sections. It actually a fun change of pace every once in a while, if you can get past the fact that everything she does is smotherd in innuendos and cat puns. But then, that's just being true to her character. It's not a good thing, really, but you can blame the comic writers for that one.
Final Call:
Arkham City is a very, very good game. What's more, it's a good Batman game, which is the harder part. Fans expect Batman to be an unstoppable badass, and with good reason. He's often written as the man with an answer to everything and a jaw-cracking punch for everyone, and this game lives up to that. Whether hunting down Mr. Freeze or just prowling the streets (Catwoman pun not intended), this game makes players feel like a superhero. Players will have a big, open world to play in here, and all the chances they want to flaunt their abilities.
They'll have an arsenal of gadgets, genius-level detective skills, and the fighting prowess of Bruce Lee on steroids. Yep, that's Batman. I wouldn't have it any other way.
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