The superhero game genre has been largely destroyed by game developers who have time and again made half-hearted cash ins of movie licenses. Batman has fared better than most in the chequered history of super hero gaming with some passable titles released over the years. This is largely thanks to the lack of any "superpowers" making the game dynamics far easier to translate. However, it was only when Batman: Arkham Asylum moved entirely away from any movie or cartoon tie in that Batman really came into his own.
The main reason Arkham Asylum in 2009 was such an engrossing experience is that it immediately sucked you into a rich and intense storyline and Btaman: Arkham City continues in the same vein. However, gone are the claustrophobic walls and corridors of an Asylum and instead you are treated to a whole locked down City to explore. Think Escape from New York with Batman instead of Kurt Russell and you are not too wide of the mark. However, this game is all about humanising Batman and as such you are initially thrust into the action not as the caped crusader but rather, as Bruce Wayne. This introduction intentionally throws you off kilter a little but builds the tension beautifully as you are thrown into a microcosm of corrupt city life complete with thugs and super villains. From here the story simply takes off and builds to a unique climax that I will not spoil for you all.
The gameplay is far more varied this time round with a lot more freeplay despite a strong central theme throughout. You can choose to steadfastly follow the main story or you might hear a cry for help from a political prisoner and decide to investigate or even stumble across a fiendish sub plot by such villains as Penguin, Ra's al Guhl and many others. Whereas in Arkham Asylum the goal was always relatively linear, this time round you are encouraged, rewarded and punished in equal measure for exploration. There are clues and riddle littered throughout Arkham City and the scope of gameplay is vast. The main storyline alone is epic but with the plethora of sidequests and secrets to uncover there really is an almost endless longevity to this game.
Batman is far more equipped this time round with many of his trademark gadgets readily available and upgradeable. You feel genuinely like a lean mean crimefighting machine as you eavesdrop, solve puzzles, stealth attack and distract enemies with a variety of weaponry from batarangs to freeze grenades. Hand to hand combat has been improved even further with some genuinely intuitive button bashing combinations justly rewarded with explosive knockdown and animations. However, the game really excels when Batman has to use his stealth and ability to strike fear to take down heavily armed and clever adversaries. Will you hide in a great and drag surprise them? How about throwing a sonic batarang to throw them off your scent? Either way however it is not a foregone conclusion that you will be victorious and it is much tougher this time round to dispatch the bad guys. Your enemy actually tries to outwit you destroying vantage points and checking ledges as they go. Even the most base thugs involved in the various turf wars will learn and adapt. This game gives an assumption that you will be au fait with the various gadgetry and tactics Batman can deploy and for the rookie it can be very unforgiving but equally rewarding.
Everything about Arkham City is polished from the flawless voice acting to the stunning graphics. The voice acting in particular shines through and the attention to detail as thugs around Gotham comment on your actions and their subsequent consequences draws you in and makes you feel like you are having an effect. I can't emphasise enough how much you feel like you are Batman as you play this game and this is helped along by intuitive controls that make both combat and exploration seamless. Of course, this is all helped along by a stunning soundtrack and flawless sound throughout.
There are no real criticisms I can make of this game as even on completion the availability of challenge modes, side missions and unlockable characters make the game almost endless. The various versions available give you extra storylines to play with Catwoman in particular tying seamlessly into the main story although I was disappointed by Robin's rather brief appearance. Many have stated that there should have been an online mode but I honestly cannot see what that would accomplish and it would have felt tagged on for me. All in all Arkham City is the most rounded game available on the PS3 at this time and I include Skyrim in this. It's storyline is second to none and it is simply the ultimate single player experience. In 2009 Arkham Asylum was the best single player game I had ever played. Three years later and along comes Arkham City to go one better.
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