Batman: Arkham City – Game Analysis & Review
By Patrick Newman
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Square Enix
Director: Sefton Hill
Writer: Paul Dini
Engine: Unreal Engine 3
Platform: PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Wii U, Xbox 360
Release Dates: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (October 18, 2011), Microsoft Windows (November 15, 2011)
Genre: Action-adventure, Fantasy-comic
Mode: Single-player
Rating: Teen
Fans of the Caped Crusader will be happy to know that Rocksteady’s Arkham City – the developer’s own sequel to what might be the best Batman game made yet (Batman: Arkham Asylum), has effortlessly surpassed its predecessor to become broader in scope and more jam-packed with action, as well richer in the DC Comics mythology the story has always thrived upon. Fans of Arkham Asylum will immediately be at home with Arkham City, which has refined and polished the core gameplay. Batman attacks surrounding enemies with one button, counters oncoming attacks with another, and leaps at the touch of a third button when dodging is necessary. The hospital compound has been much-expanded to accommodate the new city-neighborhood-sized limits, and with that change in proportion comes larger changes in gameplay.
When all is said and done, Arkham City rewards the faithful gamer for learning the basic rules and playing attentively. If the player remains content to just mash the attack button, Batman will just stand around, sluggishly swatting at criminals. But, if you rely upon Arkham City’s system of following the rhythm of battle, carefully timing your attacks and employing counterattacks at the right moment, it’ll look like the graceful ballet of destruction it was intended to be, as Batman’s flurry of animated attacks are effectively unleashed upon enemies that can number up to 100.
Since the original Arkham Asylum’s facility closed at the end of the first game, the new “Arkham City” is really just a section of Batman’s native Gotham City that’s been cordoned off for the violent inmates to use as they please. The story begins as Bruce Wayne chooses to be taken into custody, undercover to see if something might be amiss with the new facility. It should come as no surprise that the Joker has something devious in the works, but his newly-sickly appearance following the degenerative effects of his super-drugs lends doubts as to which game Joker might really be playing. You can’t go into every building within Gotham’s makeshift city, but there are plenty of nooks and crannies in which to discover roughly 400 Riddler Trophies, many which require the use of newer gadgets, and require backtracking to unlock.
The addition of Catwoman, a free DLC character to those who pre-ordered or purchased their games on the first day, and as downloadable content for everybody else, weaves an arc through Batman’s primary storyline that enables her to cross paths with villains that are more back-grounded in Batman’s missions. She has her own trophies and Riddle challenges, as well as a beautifully modeled set of martial arts moves that foreshadow good things to come from impending Nightwing and Robin playable DLC packs. Catwoman even gets an open-world mode when the campaign has ended, allowing Ms. Kyle to finish gathering her trophies and to properly and her story.
Though you can’t enter every building, you’ll find that as you explore, many of the Riddler trophies cannot be unlocked without the use of certain gadgets that must be procured later – asking the player to retrace his steps after certain narrative Rubicons have been crossed if the player wants to complete 100 percent of the challenges. These nooks and crannies often contain political prisoners and murder victims, each which can open up side challenges for Batman to distract himself with. Inconsistent textures and behind-the-curve lip-syncing technology is a chink in the game’s graphical armor, but Arkham City’s dilapidated architecture and cold, slippery weather remains undiminished. After taking enough damage on the field, Batman’s costume breaks down over time, which is a nice touch.
What keeps Arkham City shy of perfection is a bloat when it comes to gadgets, considering that Batman starts off the game with most of the gadgets that he procured from the first game, then piles in more relatively quickly as the narrative unfolds. Though the gadgets can be instrumental in finishing several of the boss competitions, remembering how to use them (or even which gadget a player has), can be surprisingly challenging. On the whole, though, the game is a delight.
You won’t just be going up against the Joker, but a large percentage of the DC Batman’s Rogues Gallery as well. Many of these psychotics dominate the side missions, be they solving the Riddler’s complicated puzzles, tracking Deadshot by following the trajectory of sniped bullets, or gliding through the city to track the serial killer Zsasz. As opposed to the side missions in other semi open-ended games, Arkham City uses its to drive the narrative forward and make Arkham City feel like a complete Batman adventure. Though bloated in parts, this latest Batman Adventure is arguably one of the year’s greatest games, surpassing the original in nearly every way.
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