ARTICLE Video Game Review: Batman: Arkham City by Eric Deters Published: October 29, 2011 
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Release Date: October 18, 2011Distributor: Warner Brothers Studios Interactive EntertainmentPlatform:Microsoft Xbox 360Related Sites:· Gametrailers PageGrade: A+
There are a few too many ways that I could begin this review. I could talk about how having incredibly high expectations for things often leaves you disappointed, but not in this case. I could mention how the original “Batman: Arkham Asylum” changed the preconceived notion that we have towards comic book games, and how “Batman: Arkham City” proceeds to set the bar even higher. I’m not going to beat around the bush here; “Arkham City” is on my short list for early Game of the Year candidates. I do not hesitate when I make that statement. It improves on its predecessor in every perceivable way, increases the presences from Batman’s Rogue’s Gallery (which some may say has gone too high, but by the end of the experience, I would beg to differ), and tells one of the best Batman stories ever outside of the graphic novels. This is a quintessential Batman experience, a quintessential gaming experience, and a superb sequel to one of the best games in the past decade.
“Batman: Arkham City” takes place in the titular mega-prison; a walled off section of Gotham City repurposed after the destruction of Arkham Asylum in the last game, which was created by Mayor Quincy Sharp and his untrustworthy ally and Rogue’s Gallery member Professor Hugo strange. something seems amiss to the World’s Greatest Detective, and he takes it upon himself to sneak his way into the massive prison compound and get to the bottom of Strange’s mad plan. Throughout the incredibly well-told, sprawling adventure, Batman is actually forced to make some uneasy alliances with many of the criminal forces within Arkham City (naming who would ruin the fun), and it’s these allegiances that make much of the story exciting; Batman knows that he’ll be betrayed, but the question is when.
There are three primary components to the game, as highlighted in the upgrade menu: combat, stealth, and traversal. Combat is a relatively simple affair early on, with the player only really needing two buttons to attack and counter the opposition, but it gets more and more challenging the further the player gets into the game, as enemies begin to acquire new methods to attack the player and defend themselves. however, the combat is so fluidly animated, so empowering and enjoyable, that no matter the difficulty, there is a substantial amount of fun to be had taking out the scum of Arkham. As with its predecessor, “Arkham City” contains a number of exciting and diverse boss battles sprinkled throughout the campaign, with a personal stand-out being a battle of wits between Batman and Mister Freeze (my favorite character in the game, for the record) in a frozen Gotham City Police Department. the stealth sections of the game are often the ones that require the most thought, and they incorporate a wonderful verticality in the environments that differentiates “Arkham City” from other stealth games. Batman has a number of takedown moves to eliminate the thugs and guards stationed around the city, ranging from the iconic Inverted Takedown (wherein Batman hangs upside down from a gargoyle perch and strings up a goon, leaving him to hang above his comrades) to Silent Takedowns (stealthy attacks that usually involve knocking the thugs out by suffocating them) and many more. the experimentation necessary to complete the stealth rooms leads to the player needing to utilize Batman’s abilities and gadgetry in clever ways to progress, and it is just as pulse-pounding and fun as the combat. Finally, the traversal element is mostly used in the open world of outdoor Arkham City. Batman has gained some very helpful abilities when it comes to his signature glide, including the power to Dive Bomb to gain speed and some height, and a new grapple power (which is unlocked after completing Batman’s first 4 Augmented Reality flight missions), which allows Batman to rocket towards a grapple point and use the momentum to continue his flight. these combined abilities make navigating the city a breeze once they are acquired and mastered.
The game lasts around 10-15 hours, and that’s without accounting for the hundreds of Riddler challenges, trophies, and hostages strewn about the city (seriously, there are HUNDREDS). Along with the puzzles that Mr. E. Nigma has hidden throughout Arkham, he has also set up a number of elaborate challenge rooms under the banner “the Riddler’s Revenge,” which set out to test the Batman’s stealth and combat skills. There’s also a rather large amount of side-quests, featuring some of the less well-known Batman villains, including Deadshot, Zsasz, and Bane. these missions, along with the quests in the main story arc, are varied and thoroughly enjoyable, but unfortunately, the Catwoman missions aren’t quite as well-crafted. the Catwoman chapters are accessed through a code packed with retail versions of the game (renters and used-buyers will not be able to access the content, in other words), and they occur in specific points throughout Batman’s journey. While Catwoman has some interesting combat abilities and some fluidly animated takedowns, her traversal mechanics are simply annoying and the constant urge to want to be playing as Batman pervaded these sections of the game for me. Her story arc in the game isn’t even entirely interesting, to be completely honest, but there is a small moment of choice (or at least, there seemed to be one; I never got to see what actually happened if I made the other choice) near the end of her campaign that may give it some legs. the Catwoman missions can be revisited at any time from the main menu.
Much like the original, “Arkham City” runs on Epic’s Unreal 3 engine, and gets an astounding amount of detail and polish out of the engine, something that most other developers can’t seem to do. the city itself is distinctly Gotham, with some classic architecture and an incredible scope. Each villain’s visual design is menacing and reverent towards the source material, and each faction’s thugs have costumes that are accurate and look appropriate. It would be something of a sin to not speak to the audio prowess of this game. Kevin Conroy portrays a intimidating and powerful Batman; Mark Hamill rivals his role in the Animated Series and Heath Ledger’s own performance as the definitive Joker; the score is empowering, epic, and exhilarating, all in equal measure; Nolan North does a fantastic job voicing the vast majority of Arkham’s thugs, alongside his role as Penguin, which is pretty new for him. Overall, there are only negligible flaws in the performance, and to list those would be nitpicking; this is one of the most stunning recreations of the Batman comic book visual style ever.
Aside from the wasted Catwoman content, “Batman: Arkham Asylum” is an extended exercise in how to make an excellent comic book game that pays homage to the source material so truthfully as to make this an essential experience for any Batman fan. It is a dark adventure through the new home of Batman’s Rogue’s Gallery, and it succeeds on a level that exceeds expectations. no fan should pass this opportunity up.
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