Batman: Arkham City review
How do you improve on a game that holds the World Record for 'Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever'? Unfortunately you don't, but you can come close.
Arkham City picks up where Arkham Asylum left off. At first glance City promises a lot. It's the bigger, badder, teenage older brother. But every teenager has its fair share of growing pains and skin problems, and City is no different.
You begin as Bruce Wayne, campaigning against the new construction of Arkham City; a quarantined part of Gotham City where prisoners of Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison are combined. Hugo Strange is in charge of the facility under somewhat dubious circumstances, and because of Wayne's outspoken criticism he, too, is thrown into the lawless society.
What you can't fault is the ambition from Rocksteady. Asylum was constrained – it was, after all, a prison – whilst City is by contrast vast. Often, with so much going on in such a large space things can be a little daunting, which director Sefton Hill is the first to admit. There's no tutorial to speak of, so you, like Bruce, are thrown into the unknown. Yes, it's daunting, but isn't it nice to be treated to a bit of freedom from a developer? I'd rather that than being led by the hand through mindless repetitions of meaningless tasks, that's for sure.
Your first task is to find your Batsuit but beyond that is a mystery. Like Asylum, the main storyline evolves and piece by piece you work out where your main objectives lie. And you can't blame them for keeping many of the things that made Asylum the game it was. When you die (and you're not fooling anyone – you will die), there's still something satisfying about being taunted by the baddy who just offered you... again.
But that's not to say this is the same game, because it's not. It's familiar yet fresh. You carry over many of the abilities from Asylum, and continue to add more to your trusty utility belt. Meanwhile, real improvements are also made in hand-to-hand combat which feels much smoother than before. Varied and more challenging attackers, combined with greater options for combination moves, really bring out the best in what is a major part of the game.
Once you get into it, the storyline proves a treat for fans and newcomers alike. The attention to detail is once again astounding, with those little intricacies that drive the hardcore wild, whilst at the same time intriguing those whose only knowledge of Batman comes from Adam West. The museum is a particular joy to look out for.
Many of the favourites that got mere mentions in Asylum's Riddler challenges are finally here in the flesh. Penguin is a highlight, who gives Don Cheadle's British accent in Ocean's Eleven a run for its money. Furthermore, City builds from Asylum in exploiting the detective element of Batman. A one size fits all solution won't work and each enemy needs analysing individually.
The storyline keeps you on your toes, as any game featuring The Joker should do. At times there might even be too much going on with two overarching main stories, as well as side missions that branch off from these. The ending may disappoint some fans, but it is sure to catch you off guard.
On top of all this, the game opens up new opportunities with plenty of downloadable content to offer. In the main story you'll meet Catwoman early on, but later you can give the story a separate go with her, adding a completely new element to the game and the environment.
Riddler challenges are back, but City (like many other new platformers) have given the collectibles additional meaning. Developers have finally caught on that collecting the 200th tiny ornament for very little gratification will make gamers want to end themselves. They still unlock character trophies and artwork, but they're also the key to unlocking Combat and Predator challenges both of which also make a return, with double the amount of each. It sounds unbelievable, but you may actually have fun collecting these right up until the final one.
In Batman you'll probably use the in-game menus more than any other, and that's no criticism - so long as the menus are easy to use. The main menu looks much better than Asylum's, whilst the in game start menu shows an equally great improvement, but the issue comes with the select menu which allows you to interact with the map, Batman's abilities and to search for those pesky Riddler challenges. It's just difficult. Like an uncomfortable seat in a cinema, you'll learn to live with it purely because you have no other choice.
Finally, the unavoidable let down is the glitches. Side missions and the main story clash, audio samples can cancel each other out and actually moving Batman is more taxing than it should be. What's disappointing is that these, as well as the complicated select menu, should have been easy for the developers to avoid.
Overall, this is a treat for gamers and fans of the Batman series alike. The artwork is undeniably pretty. The storyline is as good as any of the Batman films, and easily better than a couple of them. My sympathies go out to Rocksteady because expectations for this were sky high. It doesn't quite meet them, but it doesn't half give it a good go.
