I’m not even sure where to start with this review….. With so many things to cover and a ton of praise to give its going to be interesting.
Batman Arkham City is the sequel to the Award Winning Batman Arkham Asylum where you played as Batman clearing Arkham Asylum which had been overrun by the Joker. At the end of it Joker was not in a very good state after you “POW” and “WHAM” ‘ed your way to victory.
Arkham City starts off with you playing as Bruce Wayne who’s been kidnapped and thrown into Arkham City by Hugo Strange. Dr Strange wants you to play by his rules so he doesn’t tell the world who Bruce Wayne is at night, that’s right! Hugo Strange knows the true identity of Batman! Hugo strange also advises Protocol 10 will start in 10 hours and you don’t even know what it is………
While playing thought the story you’ll meet a ton of villains all trying to get their hands around Batman’s neck. During your stay you’ll bump into Two Face, Penguin, Riddler and a load more. Some of these villains you might know and some you won’t, I haven’t read the comics myself so it was great to see some new faces. I won’t spoil them for you but anyone who does read the comics then let’s just say Batman will fall down the same hole Alice did and I wouldn’t stand still for long because he won’t miss twice. The story will keep you hooked all the way thought and with a huge ending you won’t want to believe….. I’m not going to tell you but let’s just say you won’t see it coming!
The game is graphically beautiful! With everything looking the part and the characters looking better than ever. With weather effects like snow it really adds a new level of realism to the huge city. Arkham City is 4 times larger than Arkham Asylum but can feel claustrophobic at times especially when fighting off 25+ goons. Batman has a heap of gadgets to help him while he’s inside Arkham City with some access to new ones. The remote control batarang has been updated allowing you to change direction, there is also the Freeze Grenade and Stun Gun. While playing through the game you’ll gain XP which you can then use to upgrade your gadgets and armour. The better your combo’s the more XP you’ll get so start practicing.
The game uses the same controls with just a few tweaks to give you access to some new moves like gliding and multiple counters. The gliding takes some time to get used to and even longer to master but there isn’t any better way to get around! You’ll also get access to use more of your gadgets during the fights which is very helpful in some of the bigger brawls.
There is so much in Arkham City you’ll never be board, with the main campaign and side missions all happening at the same time. And that’s not all because The Riddler is back with his own story line and there’s still Catwoman’s story to play through. A huge amount of content has been added to keep you entertained and playing for hours.
As previously said The Riddler plays a much bigger part of Arkham City by kidnapping innocent people and putting their live’s in danger. Once you’ve collected enough Riddler trophies you unlock challenge rooms where you need to use all your skills and gadgets to clear the room and save the hostage. Collecting Riddler trophies also unlocks the challenge maps so your need to collect them all. You collect the trophies by solving riddles and conquering puzzles which have been dotted all around Arkham City.
Catwoman plays a small part in Arkham City which is a real shame, she’s really good fun to play with! Her story doesn’t have too much to it but does give a refreshing change to playing with Batman due to her not being as fully equipped. She has her own Riddler Trophies and is playable in all the challenge modes. Once you’ve completed the single player you can swap between her and Batman to take to the streets of Arkham City.
The only disappointments I’ve had with this game is with so much going on its easy to get side tracked, also some one else voice’s Harley Quinn….. You can barely tell but there is a slight difference…… to me.
Batman Arkham City has got amazing scores from everyone and I’ll will be doing nothing different. This game is a masterpiece which takes you on a rollercoaster you won’t want to get off. With some of the best graphics we have seen and a ton of content it’s a no brainer to just go out and buy. I’ll leave you with one bit of advice Hard is “Hard”, you’ve been warned!!!
15/16bits
Let’s also not forget the Nightwing and Robin DLC to keep you hooked for weeks to come. Nightwing DLC is available now on Xbox Live and PSN store, the DLC includes Nightwing with his own gadgets and some brand new challenge maps. Check out the trailer below which shows him in action:
Robin DLC is out on the 22nd and who knows what’s next………..
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