This game really doesn’t require any kind of introduction. Anyone who hasn’t played Rocksteady’s big break out GOTY Contender of 2009 Batman: Arkham Asylum by now needs very much to climb out from under the rock in which they live, and once they pick up Asylum they need to immediately play Arkham City. Rocksteady has taken the wildly successful formula of Arkham Asylum and placed it in an open world atmosphere, creating a new formula which is even more successful than its predecessor. Smack in the middle of the stacked 2011 holiday season of gaming, the dark knight has possibly the most anticipated game out of all of them. I am pleased to say that finally a game has not only met the generated hype, but has shattered it to pieces.
It’s difficult to choose a starting point when discussing a game with so many positive aspects, and despite Arkham Asylum being near perfect itself some of the most enjoyable aspects of Arkham City are the new ones. The most obvious change is the open world setting, which is exactly what is advertised and so much more. The world of Arkham City is large, but more importantly it is packed full of reasons to explore it. At first gamers might feel a little overwhelmed with the amount of side missions and collectibles scattered throughout the city; the villains not directly involved in the main story are featured in their own line of side missions. You’ll end up hunting down Titan formula remnants with Bane, trying to catch Deadshot by investigating his sniper victims, and of course Riddler has his plethora of puzzles. Fear not however, as there is an elegant organizational method to most everything once you get used to the game.
For instance once you’re aware of the several types of Riddler puzzles, it becomes easy to categorize them and therefore decrease the sense of chaos in finding them all. The city is divided into sections, and each one has its own entry into the dark knight’s system complete with amount of question mark trophies, riddles, and challenges to meet while in that particular neighborhood. Riddler Trophies can also be “tagged” now so that they show up on your map should you find yourself unable to retrieve one. This ensures that when you acquire a new gadget that may help you in your hunting, you’ll know where to return to.
The sheer amount of areas to explore between rooftops, alley ways, and building interiors are also surprisingly vast. Most importantly, there are valid reasons to actually explore these areas. There is something to be found, a side mission so be started, or something to collect in just about every nook and cranny Arkham City presents. This is possibly the most significant open-world setting we’ve ever seen in a game. Aside from the entire middle area of the map which is reserved for a particular section of the game to be explored, virtually nothing is cut off from the player. There may be locked doors or inaccessible areas until a certain gadget is acquired, or even areas that Batman cannot go but Catwoman can. Ultimately, there is hours upon hours of exploration to be had even if Arkham City is not the open-world juggernaut that an Elder Scrolls or Fallout game are.
The integration of each villain is masterful and every single one feels significant and has their own moments in the proverbial spotlight. The most casual fans of Batman will recognize the main villains such as Penguin, Two-Face, and of course Joker as they progress through the game; the more hardcore fans will even be treated by the appearance of several more obscure villains such as Deadshot, Black Mask, and Talia Al’Ghul. The storyline intertwines plotlines with several villains exceptionally well. For instance, Penguin at one point comes into possession of Mr. Freeze’s ice gun, and the cryogenics expect must be consulted on how to counteract the weapon. The game is full of these cross-encounters and they all make reasonable sense.
Each villain is complimented by extraordinary voice acting, design, and role prominence (maybe aside from Two-Face who appears to be a force in the first hour of the game, then disappears for the next 10 hours). While the focus tends to bounce around a bit, no villain really succeeds in pulling the emphasis off of Joker as the primary antagonist. Even Hugo Strange who runs the show in Arkham City never quite seems like the big threat or the center of attention. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though; in fact it helps to keep a steady core in which the other villains can revolve around. Also while it is hard to outdo Scarecrow’s antics in the first game, Riddler in a way takes over the role of the villain who steals the show a bit. Aside from having over four-hundred puzzles to be solved, he undertakes a role similar to Jigsaw in the Saw movies, creating lethal traps and communicating in cryptic forms whether it be from projectors or voice recorders.
Combat is as smooth as ever, invoking the Arkham Asylum free-flow system and bolstering it with more gadgets, combo finishers, and throwing in new characters that can be controlled to add their own twist on fighting; whether it be Catwoman or Robin. There is plenty of reason to engage in combat as well, constantly coming across random thugs while exploring the city. There is plenty of opportunity to try and top a previous best in combo connections, and different types of enemies that require particular tactics to effectively defeat them. Armored opponents need to be stunned with Batman’s cape first, whereas riot shield wielders must be attacked from above. In terms of the movement and collision detection, Batman: Arkham City is a technically perfect game. Not once did I ever encounter a hit detection glitch or hiccup.
Arkham City even provides a step up in challenge from its predecessor. Puzzles are far more intricate in addition to enemies being more varied in type to throw a necessity for strategy in approaching combat. Nothing ever seems too difficult at any part of the game, but there is a more satisfying sense of achievement with every wave of enemies defeated or riddler trophy attained. Even stage design offers more areas off the beaten path and with them more ways to clear out a room of armed enemies from a stealth perspective. Boss battles are even more challenging than Asylum’s were. They are not only challenging however, each one is different in the most extreme way than another and offers a full spectrum of methods to employ for victory. They are quite exhilarating and keeps you thinking on the move.
The main story progression is coherent, if not a bit short. It’s honestly hard to tell however with so much side content to engross yourself in. Even if you are investing a good 20-40 hours into optional missions however, coming back to the main story closer to the end will still yield a hurried sense of a need for completion. This is my one and only complaint about the game; from a certain point on it just appears as if Rocksteady wanted to move things along as if they felt the plot dragged for too long a time. Nothing of the sort is true in any sense, in fact it could have been extended a bit to fit a solid 15-20 hour window. Without saying too much to spoil anything, a particular well-kept secret turns out to be rather anti-climactic when finally revealed, and what should have been a seemingly grave situation is remedied in a matter of minutes. Mind you this does virtually nothing to hinder the overall desire to keep playing until nothing is left to do. This unfortunately does prevent Arkham City from being a completely perfect game.
Fun Factor: There is endless fun to be had with Arkham City. Combat never bores, you’ll never feel like you’re done exploring the city, and every technical aspect of the game flows together so well. Playing as Catwoman is a nice change of pace and adds even more incentive to progress tirelessly. Boss battles are exciting and fun.
Difficulty: Not unfairly difficult, but can offer moments of brain-teasing. Even if there is one part you can’t quite seem to get to get passed, it’s never because it’s impossible to do so; even those parts will be too much fun to just give up on.
Length: Very easily 40+ hours with side-missions in addition to main story.
On the Negative Side: Main story seems hurried toward the end, seemingly trivial but it does take a bit away from the core experience.
Bang for Your Buck: An incredible value, worth every penny you will spend on it. Game begs multiple plays and lets you go at your own pace. More than enough content to last you a winter or two.
