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.

__________________________________________________________

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.