XI Wiki
Serra
Batman Arkham City Review
by on 2011-11-14 at 14:44 (7789 Views)
Arkham Asylum was praised as one of the best superhero games ever produced (can you think of another that comes close?). Naturally, its sequel, which was touted as a bigger, better, more expansive game has been eagerly awaited by the multitude of players who played the first. Since it is a sequel though, there are a few important questions. Does Arkham City live up to its predecessor? How does the experience translate to a wider world? Is it worth picking up? Still, the real question remains, why are you asking these questions when it’s the mother-fucking Batman?
Let me start by saying I have been a long-time fan of the Batman franchise and my favorite comic arc is, hands-down, No Man’s Land. Following a massive earthquake, Gotham City is cut off from the rest of the United States and declared a no man’s land. Those who did not evacuate are left in an essentially lawless territory where the Gotham police department and Batman’s rouges gallery carve up the city. The comic follows Batman’s attempts to restore order to a Gotham where anything goes. Arkham City tells a similar story. Following the events of Arkham Asylum, the Asylum is closed and the prisoners are relocated to the recently repurposed Narrows, now christened as Arkham City. Behind this monumental change is Hugo Strange, the recently reemerged psychiatrist. While Strange promotes Arkham City as a necessary step toward rehabilitation, inside the walls, Batman’s Villains and their minions constantly wage war for control of the various territories. Suspecting things are not as they appear and that Strange is interested in more than solving Gotham’s crime problem, Batman investigates and attempts to battle Arkham City through both his personas. However, having discerned his secret, Strange attacks while Bruce Wayne is speaking at a political protest against Arkham City and throws him into the prison. Before long, Wayne becomes Batman and begins his investigation of Arkham City from the inside. Batman must discover what Strange’s true intentions are and fight his numerous adversaries, all the while the threat of Strange’s mysterious Protocol Ten looms over his head.
As most people know, Batman is not your typical hero. Rather than relying on supernatural or superhuman powers that give him an edge, he must rely on his own intellect, gadgets, and training. Arkham City’s gameplay is built around this fact. Batman must rely on stealth and cunning to sneak around Gotham and scare his opponents. Rather than charging in to every possible battle, much of the game is spent sneaking around rooms, eliminating enemies when their allies aren’t around to help. This becomes especially important when said enemies start carrying guns. Now, I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a big fan of stealth games. That said, there’s something about being Batman that makes me completely forget that annoyance. I had no problems enjoying hanging from gargoyles, creeping up on thugs, setting traps, and generally watching my prey from the shadows. Of course, Batman would be incomplete without his utility belt of gadgets, and Arkham City certainly recognizes this fact. Those who played the first game will be overjoyed that a number of Batman’s useful gadgets are immediately available. As he encounters new obstacles throughout the game, Batman adds a number of additional gadgets to his arsenal. Not only do these help him to combat thugs, they also allow him to travel Arkham City. From opening new paths, to scaling buildings, to flying around Arkham City, Batman’s gadgets help build a more complete Batman experience. However, in times when the gadgets and stealth fail (or you just wanna beat up some thugs), Batman’s physical prowess come into play. Rocksteady Studios has produced a phenomenal fighting system that fits all ranges of playstyles. If you’re someone who just likes mashing buttons, Batman will accommodate by plowing through opponent after opponent. If you want to take a more precise approach to combat, Batman can jump from opponent to opponent, integrate his various gadgets, and use specialized combat techniques to take down crowds of enemies before they have a chance to put up a fight. Finishing battles, solving puzzles, and completing objectives rewards Batman with experience which can be put into upgrading his gadgets and unlocking new techniques.
Those who played Arkham Asylum will remember how gorgeous the game looked. Arkham City maintains the high graphical quality standards established by its predecessor. The streets of Arkham City are dark and gritty. As I said earlier, Arkham City reminds me of No Man’s Land. The streets are lined with trash and rubble. Various blockades and defenses have been erected to protect key locations for Batman’s villains. It truly depicts a city where order has vanished, only to be replaced by something far darker and sinister. Incorporating a wider array of characters, the various character designs are phenomenal (as is the voice work). Fans of the franchise will have no problem identifying the faithful and stylized interpretations of characters who have rich histories. I will admit, some of them were fairly odd and disagreeable to me personally (for instance Bane and Mr. Freeze), but overall, the characters fit in perfectly with the world they’ve been placed in. Unfortunately, Arkham City’s gorgeous graphics are plagued by the same flaw that afflicted its predecessor: Detective Vision. Detective Vision is a feature that allows Batman to identify significant landmarks and details, pick out which targets to prioritize, and generally learn every important facet of the world around him. The tragedy is that detective vision puts a filter over the world that masks much of the detail. Due to how useful it is though, most players will regrettably spend most of the game with Detective Vision on. Honestly, the only reason to disable it is to view the compass when wandering around the city.
One major challenge that arises from translating the expansive Batman universe to a game is addressing how to deal with the myriad of characters who have played major roles in Batman’s history. One approach is to produce a convoluted story that incorporates many of these faces into a never ending deluge of opponents. Luckily, Rocksteady opted for the alternative and focused on a few central characters while incorporating many of the other Batman characters into various side-quests. Yes, there are a lot of characters involved in the main story, and at times it does feel a bit rushed and convoluted, but that is probably less than half than the full gallery included with the side-quests. While the side-quests are entirely optional, they serve to produce a more complete experience and I highly recommend completing them. Even after completing the main story, having such a plethora of side-quests kept me entertained for many more hours. As icing on the cake, a number of them also serve to offer hints as to what to expect in a potential third game in this series.
Those who pick up the game new get to participate in some of the more important and relevant side-quests involving Catwoman. Catwoman has a few major missions scattered throughout the story which help to expand the story and offer a different perspective on what is happening in Arkham City. She offers a new, more acrobatic playstyle as she battles thugs and travels throughout the prison. Now, I understand that DLC is a part of gaming that we just have to accept. Yes, it sucks when there are things developers thought of including but saved till later to make a bit more money off, but it has just an unfortunate reality that has become integrated into gaming. However, one thing that I cannot accept is release day DLC. If there is something that is ready to be released, and developers just hold it back so they can charge more in a few weeks, that is simply unacceptable. What I’m referring to is the Nightwing DLC (and to a lesser extent Robin DLC, although I got that with my copy) of Arkham City. Yes, they aren’t things that are necessary to the game, but the fact that they were already included as trophies as soon as I booted up the game doesn’t sit well with me. That said, being able to acquire the Batman Beyond costume by purchasing a Nos drink definitely got me because there was no way I was passing up the chance to fly around Arkham City in that costume...
For many, Arkham Asylum was a strong contender for Game of the Year in 2009. Arkham City manages to take everything that was good about the original while increasing the scope several degrees. No longer is Batman restricted to the few buildings that comprised the Asylum. Batman is free to travel Arkham City in search of the criminal elements that have defined his career. This game provides one of the most authentic Batman experiences across any medium. Even though it’s not across the entirety of Gotham City, this is the first game that I can think of that has allowed Batman to soar above parts of the city, looking for crimes to solve. Honestly, for being the first game that has attempted this, it has done a phenomenal job. True, it’s probably more than Batman would tackle in a single night, but Arkham City is probably a normal night on steroids (or Venom). Arkham City is a great game and I strongly recommend it. And if my review hasn’t been convincing, just remember, he’s the mother-fucking Batman.
I’m a crime-fighter and a detective. I don’t call myself a hero. It’s not a job description…
…it’s an appellation -- bestowed upon one by posterity… ~Batman
All images owned by Rocksteady Studios.
Go to Profile
Mark as Read
