Review: Batman Arkham City

As evidenced by our History of Batman in Video Games piece, Batman has been dragged through the mud when it comes to video games. While it was surprising to find that there were actually several Batman games that were considered good, none could ever hope to match the scope and level of detail as Arkham City. Simply put, Arkham City is the best super hero game ever made.

STORY

Joker's latest plot sets the game up with a real sense of urgency, urging you to press forward right from the get-go. He's been infected with a deadly disease, and to force Batman's hand to find a cure, he infects the Caped Crusader with the same illness. However, Joker isn't the only villain you'll match wits with - Hugo Strange, Ra's Al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, The Penguin and many others all play their part in the overarching plot. And each of those villains' side-stories could easily be their own main story in any other game, yet Arkham City weaves this fabulous intersecting narrative with all these elements seamlessly contributing to the overarching tale. 

The plot development isn't limited to cutscenes and boss battles either as the story literally unfolds all around you. From the chatter of the thugs scattered around the city, to the deteriorating architecture and propaganda posters plastered everywhere, you can't get away from the narrative in Arkham City. It's this element that really draws you into the universe and encourages you to explore the stories and challenges outside the critical path.

GAMEPLAY & DESIGN

Where do I effing start? There is so much to do in Arkham City it's overwhelming. I mean right from the outset, the entire city is open to explore, and there are what seems like hundreds of little objective beacons all over the map. Sure, you're given a main direction and objective, but when I play games, I feel like if I don't explore an entire room before moving on, I'll be missing out on half the game. And this feeling persisted for my first few hours with Arkham City, until I realized it would take months to see and do everything, and I just decided to enjoy the ride and not worry about completing everything.

The actual gameplay itself is really great. You'll seamlessly transition from exploration to puzzle solving to tracking to brawling all within the span of ten minutes. Perhaps one of the simplest pleasures of Arkham City is the ability to explore it in its entirety. This huge map is detailed down to the last roof shingle and is an absolute joy to discover. And you can't go too far at all without coming across some sort of objective or Riddler trophy or citizen in distress.

True. (Penny Arcade.com)

The puzzle solving is also fairly rewarding. While the obstacles that stand in the way of the main story aren't GameFAQs-worthy noodle scratchers, some of the Riddler trophies and challenges require some real mental dexterity to unlock. The tracking element from the first game is also back - where you dip into detective mode to follow a trail of blood or perfume or whatever to lead you to your next objective. And this isn't simply "follow the highlighted blood from point A to point B". The trail will often end abruptly, forcing you to put yourself in the other person's shoes and ask "If I were this person, where would I go from here?" Giving you that much more greater satisfaction when you reach the end of the trail.

Finally, the fighting.  A lot of people I've talked to aren't really a fan of the "auto-pilot" fighting system. Essentially you spam the attack button and hold the left stick in the direction of the thug you want to punch. But as your arsenal of gadgets increases, you have more and more options on how you take down your foes, and are sometimes forced to use certain upgrades to take down certain enemies. Whether they're armed or armored, you have to adjust your approach to each fight depending on what kind of baddies you're tasked with taking down. It's really more about timing and thoughtful use of your gadgets than stringing together complicated combos - and I loved it.



Gamers bemoaned the increase of game prices to $60 this generation, but this is a game that gives you your money's worth and then some. I think it says something for the amount of gameplay in Arkham City that after investing about 15 hours and completing the main story along with a few side stories, I only completed 35% of the possible objectives. Meaning I saw less than half of what was available to me. If you pay $60 for Arkham City, you got a deal. It's easily worth twice that much.


PRESENTATION

I think it's time we officially got away from comparing games bit-for-bit in terms of their presentation. What matters is whether or not the graphics, music and sound contribute to - or distract from - the overall experience. With that in mind, Arkham City's presentation is better than every other game ever.

Hyperboles aside, the art direction in Arkham City is stunning. Combining elements from Batman's rich history of comics, movies and cartoons, the developers nailed the dark and gothic feel of the Caped Crusader's world. The prison-city feels like a real place, and there's not a single blurry texture or shoddy character model that takes you out of the fantasy.

Wow. It seems like he's not stretching too much to get that level of crazy.

On top of the fabulous art direction, the sound design is unparalleled. From the Batman appropriate music cues to the outstanding voice acting, you'll feel like you're playing through your own blockbuster Batman movie. In fact, a coworker of mine said he feels like the voice of the Joker in Arkham City is Mark Hamill's greatest performance. Ever. While I'm not extremely versed in the young skywalker's entire body of work, I couldn't imagine him doing anything better than his extremely creepy and manipulative Joker.

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I can't say enough about Arkham City. Regardless of your fondness of Batman, open world games, or even video games in general - this is a perfect piece of media. It's literally for everyone who can work a game controller. I know it's a cliche, but, really - do yourself a favor and play Arkham City. You won't be sorry. 

REVIEW IN TEN WORDS OR LESS: 

An immense, joyous experience. Batman's best game yet. Mark Hamill.

Rayman Legends Trailer Leaked

Rayman Origins, last year's critical darling, appears to be getting a sequel on the Wii U, with some really snazzy features for the forthcoming Nintendo console. Most notably, the ability to put special real-life toys on the WiiU controller screen and have them appear as in-game assists - or desists.

UPDATE: Ubisoft said that this is only a concept trailer, and that we shouldn't take anything for fact here. I'm assuming they're specifically referring to the ability to put objects on the WiiU tablet and make them appear in game.

A History of Batman in Video Games Part 3

Alright. We've seen some great Batman games, some terrible Batman games, and some shockingly mediocre Batman games. Let's wrap this baby up with the last few games on this list. And we start with...educational Batman?

2003 - Batman Justice Unbalanced (PC) 

Description: An educational PC game starring Batman. Here's a description from Common Sense Media:

"This exciting mystery, with five stellar, multi-leveled logic activities, is both educational and entertaining. Spooky music and dark scenes add to the excitement. Because the clues change each time the game is played, kids will enjoy giving it a second and third go. Plus it is very cool to be Batman's virtual sidekick!"

Corny parent description aside, it looks like a pretty decent puzzle game, with ham-fisted voice acting.

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2003 - Batman Toxic Chill (PC)

 

Description: Released simultaneously with Justice Unbalanced, Toxic Chill is another Bat-ducational game. 

"To help Batman unfreeze buildings, players need to discover patterns in the ice that can permit Firebats to travel up the buildings. By taking part in the activities, kids uncover coded riddles left by the Riddler -- when these are deciphered, players can solve the mystery of the Toxic Chill." - Common Sense Media

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2003 - Batman Rise of Sin Tzu (PS2, XBOX, GC, GBA)

Description: Going back a few Batman games, here is yet another one based off the cartoon series New Batman Adventures. It is yet another beat-em-up, and looks to be a pretty fair take on the license overall.

Reception: Mixed - while it stood out for not being an abysmal failure, critics bemoaned the repetitiveness of the gameplay.

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2005 - Batman Begins (XBOX, GC, PS2, Mobile)

 

Description: Praise the Lord! It's a Batman game that's not a beat-em-up! Batman Begins, based on the first movie in the Christopher Nolan trilogy, is a stealth-action game akin to Metal Gear Solid. It also features an "intimidation" system - allowing Batman to use the environment and his many gadgets to scare the guano out of his foes.

Reception: 

Despite the effort to break away from the mold, Batman Begins received mediocre reviews, averaging about a 65/100 on Gamerankings.com.

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2008 - Lego Batman (DS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Windows, Wii, 360)

  

Description: 

In 2005, Traveller's Tales game released Lego Star Wars. The first in a long running series of lego-themed licensed games. The games are always built with a high standard of quality, but are criticized for being kind of the same thing with new characters slapped on an old engine.

However, this is Batman - and that standard of quality rang out hope of actually having a Batman game that could be classified as at least "good".

Reception: 

It was kinda "meh". A lot of the complaints were based around the fact that not much had changed from previous Lego titles. But as a standalone game, it was the best Batman game in quite a while.

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THE SAVIOR RETURNS

2009 - Batman Arkham Asylum (XBOX 360, PS3, Windows, Mac, OnLive)

Description: 

A Batman game. Minus 1. A Batman game from a new, unproven studio. Minus 2.  

Rocksteady had a huge hurdle in front of it to prove itself. At this point everyone had the assumption that any Batman game would be terrible. But once people started playing it, and reviews started coming in, it didn't take long for the Batman stigma to drop out of the popular mindset. 

It was an action adventure stealth game that nailed every aspect of what makes Batman great: he was a badass, the villains came off as terrifyingly psychotic, detective based puzzles, and there was a great story tying it all together. It wasn't a cash grab movie tie-in. It wasn't rushed to market, and it was made by a team that cared about the final product. Not only was it considered the best Batman game ever, it was considered in many game of the year nominations. 

Read my review of the game here. 

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2010 - Batman The Brave and the Bold (Wii, DS)

 

Description: 

Based on the Brave and the Bold cartoon series, the licensed game provided a family friendly alternative to Rocksteady's dark and gritty Arkham series. 

The game is a fairly standard side scrolling beat-em-up but stands out by incorporating characters from other series like Aquaman, and Green Arrow. 

Reception: 

There seems to be two types of Batman games: terrible and OK. Brave and the Bold seems to fall into the "OK" classification. A solid game that got too repetitive for reviewers tastes. Graphically the game looks pretty great, and the animation looks fantastic. Seems like a great game to play with a little brother.

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2011 - Batman Arkham City (360, PS3, PC) 

 

Review coming soon.

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Batman and video games. A love/hate relationship that's spanned nearly 30 years. We are very fortunate to have the two best Batman games released in the past three years. I hope that this trend continues and we can look back on the days when Batman games were terrible, but expect the Rocksteady level of quality from all future games starring the Caped Crusader. And I hope I speak for all gamers when I say "We can't wait."

A History of Batman in Video Games Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of the History of Batman in Video Games. Part 1 was surprising in that very few of the games were seen as utter bile, but now we're about to get into the real stuff. The games that scored 1s and 2s across the board. Allow me to present to you - the worst Batman games in existence.


1995 - Batman Forever (Gameboy, GameGear, Genesis, SNES, PC)

Description: 

A side scrolling beat-em-up based on the Mortal Kombat engine. Basically Mortal Kombat with Batman pallet swaps. 

Reception: 

The game appears to have been rushed to market with sloppy bugs, terrible controls and uninteresting gameplay. An all around failure.


SNES Version below.
Genesis Version
Gameboy Version
GameGear Version

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1996 - Batman Forever The Arcade Game (Arcade)

Description: An arcade style beat-em-up, strikingly similar to the X-Men, Simpsons and Ninja Turtles before it.

Reception: [From a 1996 Gamespot Review]

While Batman Forever carries on the tradition of Double Dragon, Final Fight, and Streets of Rage, it doesn't add enough new action to make it worthwhile. Fans of the arcade version won't be disappointed, but all things considered, it's just another uninspired game from the folks at Acclaim.

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1998 - Batman and Robin (Game.com, PlayStation) 
Description: A real-time, sandbox, open world style Batman game? Oh you must be talking about Arkham City.

Nope.

Before last year's runaway hit, there was another Batman game that tried its hand at the open world thing, only to fail miserably. It didn't help that it was based on possibly - no - without question - the WORST Batman movie ever made.

Reception: Poor.

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2000 - Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (PS1, N64, GBC)

Description: A super original concept with this one. Get ready: it's Batman...in a side scrolling beat-em-up. I know, right? How did they ever think to do that?

Reception: Terrible.

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2001 - Batman: Chaos in Gotham (GBC)

Description: Based off animated series The New Batman Adventures, "Chaos in Gotham"was a decently reviewed and developed game for the time. It's a side scrolling platformer, similar to the old NES Batman game. Critics praised the attention to detail in the graphics and level of difficulty.

Reception: Fair, 7s and 8s.

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2001 - Batman: Gotham City Racer 

Description: What's it sound like? A kart racer with Batman characters? Well you're wrong. It's actually a mission-based driving game where you drive around Gotham stopping crime. There is a 2-player mode, but it plays more like cops and robbers than Mario Kart. 

Reception:
"The worst game I've played to date." - Gamespot user.

It appears to be very flawed - terrible driving controls, idiotic AI and short and repetitive missions. Also, based on the video below - it looks like absolute vomit. 

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2001 - Batman Vengeance (PS2, GameCube, XBOX, PC, GBA)

Description: The first Batman game for the next-gen consoles, Batman Vengeance was yet another title based on the New Batman Adventures show. It seems to mix several genres together, and seems to do it quite well based on reviews. 

The majority of the game is viewed from a third person, 3D perspective, but you can go into a first person mode to throw Batarangs, and also pilot the Batmobile in the games several driving stages. 

Reception: The game wasn't a killer app for the early next-gen library, but it was seen as a well-made licensed game - a rarity. It was also seen as a well-made Batman game - a statistical impossibility. 

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2003 - Batman Dark Tomorrow (GC, XBOX)

Description: I have a personal vendetta against this game. Unlike most of the other games on this list, I've actually owned this one. Here's what I remember: you start, unceremoniously in a fist fight with three thugs. Then you're immediately transported to the top of a building and swing from rooftop to rooftop. This mechanic was broken and I couldn't get any farther than this point. It was literally two minutes into the game. 

Apparently the story was scripted by some big name dudes, and was supposed to be pretty good. But story doesn't matter if you can't even move forward to see how it plays out. 

Reception: 

"...Dark Tomorrow borders on being unplayable" - IGN

"..."a study in poorly conceived, aggravating gameplay and marks yet another failed caper for the caped crusader." - Gamerevolution

Part 2 ends on what I consider to be the worst Batman game ever made. Stay tuned for Part 3 where things are sure to turn around for the Dark Knight.

Which Caped Crusader games have you guys played? Let me know in the comments!

PART 3, BRAH. RIGHT HERE.

A History of Batman in Video Games Part 1

Before I dig into the review and pick apart the intricacies of Arkham City and what made it so great, I think it would do us all some good to look back to Batman's gaming roots. Before 2009's Arkham Asylum, Batman was usually a ridiculed name in the industry. The common conception among gamers is that there are three good Batman games: Batman on the NES, Arkham Asylum, and Arkham City. Well I'm about to blow some minds. Because there are quite a few Batman games that were reviewed very well. Set your faces to stunned. Here's a history of every Batman video game ever released.

1986 - Batman (Various PC Platforms) 

Description: [Paraphrased From Wikipedia]
The object of the game is to rescue Robin by collecting the seven parts of the "Batcraft" hovercraft that are scattered around the Batcave. The gameplay takes place in a 3D isometric universe, and is notable for implementing an early example of a checkpoint system that allows players to restart from an intermediate point in the game on the loss of a life rather than returning all the way to the start (in this case the point at which Batman collects a "Batstone").



Reception:
Based solely on the video below, I would think this game would be a real stinker. But it got generally high scores from the gaming press at the time.

Why would you make it so difficult to get around your OWN Batcave?

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1988 - Batman: The Caped Crusader (Commodore 64)

Description: [Paraphrased From Wikipedia]
Batman: The Caped Crusader is an action/adventure style game, using comic book style panels to show the action. In this game, Batman is faced with two of his most well-known adversaries, The Penguin and The Joker. The game is split into two different parts, one for each villain. These parts are separate and can be played in any order. There also appears to be a good mix of action and puzzle solving/exploration. Reminds me a little of Adventure of Link.

Reception: 

This second major Batman video game release looks a lot better than the first, and was also favorably reviewed for the time.

I AM ERROR? 

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 1989 - Batman The Movie (Amiga, etc.) 

Description: 

Based on the Tim Burton directed Batman film of the era, this iteration continued the side-scrolling nature of The Caped Crusader and appeared to have a much heavier emphasis on action. This one reminds me more of the original TMNT game on the NES than anything else with some driving and puzzle elements thrown in.

Reception: 

Once again, very favorably reviewed and actually won Game of the Year in 1989 from Crash Magazine.  

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1989 - Batman (NES)

Description: 

This is the most well remembered classic Batman game, and had been the benchmark for quality Batman games until Arkham City came out in 2009. Known for its fast gameplay and fairly high difficulty, Batman drew a lot of comparisons to Ninja Gaiden, even down to a similar "sticky wall jump" mechanic implemented in both games. At it's roots its a side-scrolling action game, where you punch bad guys and they explode. You know - the usual. 

Reception: 

This is one of those games that got more revered as the years went on. As crappy Batman games flooded the market in the late 90s and early 00's, gamers began to develop longing gazes for a time when Batman games could achieve this level of quality and fun. 

Notes:
There was also a Genesis version released from the same developer a year later with significant changes. Most notably, enemies no longer explode upon death. Huge boner killer.

 

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1990 - Batman (PC Engine/Turbografx 16)

Description:  

It seems like this is where the series took a huge nose dive into crapsville. There is very little information on this game in general, and hopefully the reason is evident from the clip below. A pseudo PacMan clone that runs like a slow motion toilet. 

Reception: 

Not enough info, but I can guess it wasn't good. Can you guess which one is Inky? 

  

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1990 - Batman (Arcade)

Description:

Yet another game based off the 1989 Batman movie. A lackluster sidescrolling beat-em-up with still images and over-compressed voice work from the film. 

Reception: 

Looks like crap. 

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1991 - Batman: Return of the Joker (NES, Genesis, Gameboy) 

Description: 

Developed by Sunsoft, the makers of the first NES Batman game, Return of the Joker appears to be a return to form for the series. However this iteration has a much heavier focus on shooting rather than brawling - bringing to mind classic side scrolling shooters like Contra and its ilk. 

Reception: 

Seems to be pretty good and the internet seems to like it.  Five stars!

Notes: 
A Genesis version was also made and titled "Revenge of the Joker" - a subtle but important difference. 

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1992 - Batman Returns (Multiplatform) 

Description: 

Where there's gold, there's a gold digger. Batman Returns was probably the biggest movie release of the year, and out of that bandwagon comes a Batman Returns game for every possible piece of electronic equipment. Reviews ranged from great to awful depending on which version you played. The exceptionally terrible Amiga version is the one embedded below. Click the links to see the other versions.

NES Version

SNES Version

Genesis Version 

Game Gear Version

Atari Lynx Version (skip to 2:00)

PC Version

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1993 - Batman The Animated Series (Gameboy)

Description: [From Wikipedia]

The game is an action-adventure platformer in which the player, for the most part, controls only Batman and controls him to the end of a stage where there is usually a boss waiting for him in the form of one of Batman's enemies from the animated series. However, the style and design of the stages themselves are different between each other, which gives notable diversity to the game.

There are a couple of occasions in the game in which control shifts over to Robin where you control him for a short time before moving back to controlling Batman.

Batman has some of his gadgets available which he can use such as his Grappling Hook and Batarangs. Robin can also use some of the gadgets too. In addition both characters have some abilities that they can individually use. 

Reception: 

Generally OK. Around the 70s. 

 

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1994 - The Adventures of Batman and Robin 

(Genesis, Sega-CD, SNES)

Description: 

The second Batman game based on the animated series. The three versions were actually quite different, but all were generally favorably reviewed. The SNES version was a side scrolling beat-em-up while the Genesis version is a run-n-gun style game.The Sega CD version contains brand new animated sequences from the show, but gameplay appears to be restricted to driving the Batmobile.

Genesis Version
Sega CD Version

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I think we were all a little surprised to find that most of the games in part 1 weren't universally panned as terrible atrocities in gaming. Some of them actually look pretty great. Stay tuned for Part 2 when things are guaranteed to look a lot worse!

CHECK OUT PART 2 RIGHT HERE, SON