Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Platform: Xbox 360 (version tested), Playstation 3

Well, here we are again. The very first review I wrote for this fine website was my verdict on 2009’s terrific Batman: Arkham Asylum. The game was a tremendous effort from a then-unknown studio, even more impressive considering the Dark Knight’s decidedly lackluster track record in video games. Rocksteady did what the greatest Batman graphic novels have done, focusing in on the hero and what makes him who he is. Now they’ve expanded upon that vision with Batman: Arkham City, a game bigger than it’s predecessor in every way possible. For the most part this is a good thing, but as I’ll explain a bit later, bigger isn’t always better.

PLOT

The scum of Gotham have been locked up in a walled-off district of the town known as Arkham City. Batman, in a very cool opening sequence, makes his way into the massive prison and begins to unravel the mysteries and motivations of both its inhabitants and its warden, the enigmatic Professor Hugo Strange. Along the way he’ll encounter such classic villains as The Joker, Two-Face and The Penguin. They are introduced quite seamlessly and are all logical inclusions. There are also quite a few surprise appearances from lesser-known adversaries who pop up during the game’s many side missions.

Although I’m thrilled to see so many of these characters given the ‘Arkham’ treatment, this is also my key issue with the game. There are simply too many characters. While it doesn’t really detract from the engaging narrative, it does force certain characters to take a backseat to make room for everyone. For instance, while Mr. Freeze takes a well deserved central role in the plot, the always fascinating Two-Face only appears in one scene (or two if you have the optional Catwoman DLC installed). It’s a shame, considering that they’ve done such a good job in realizing these characters, and I hope in any future sequels Rocksteady returns to focusing on a select few rather than trying to jam as much fan service in as possible.

The plot itself contains one too many holes for my liking, especially since most go beyond the ‘oh it’s a comic book game, so therefore we can avoid logic’ excuse. I was more than happy to take the story for what it was, until the ending presented one character making a ridiculous and nonsensical decision in order to create a ‘tragic’ closing scene. I’ll admit: These won’t be issues for everyone and you’ll only notice them if you really analyze and dissect the plot like I tend to. Just beware; if you’re a core Batman fan and you know these characters and this universe well, you may also stumble across some disappointing inconsistencies. Despite my complaints, I did enjoy the overall storyline and, although short, it did provide plenty of twists and turns to keep me excited all the way through.

GAMEPLAY

Like Arkham Asylum, gameplay in Arkham City is split into three main categories: Combat, gadgets and predator mode. The gameplay has been refined and expanded upon in every area: Now you can perform advanced takedowns while fighting, you have more gadgets to play with and enemies are smarter when dealing with Batman, just to name a few examples. Just like in the previous game, combat looks simple on the surface, but once you factor in combos, multipliers, gadgets and a wider variety of enemies including ones with knives or shields, it can soon become a very deep and challenging experience. These combat situations, especially later in the game, are quite daunting at first, and Batman will be knocked around like a pointy piñata, but once you get into the swing of things our hero will be leaping around enemies and dealing out pain like there’s no tomorrow.

Predator mode functions much like it did in the original, with Batman grappling up to the top part of a room, surveying the area before swooping down and taking out enemies one by one. Like in combat, the thugs of Arkham City have learnt a few tricks since the last game and can now spot Batman in the shadows as well as plant proximity mines. It’s fun, it works and I’m glad they added to this facet rather than subtracted.

Batman starts the game with most of his gadgets from Arkham Asylum, with plenty more to discover over the course of the game. Some, like the Remote Electric Charge, are used to solve environmental puzzles, while others like the Freeze Blast allow you to keep an enemy frozen in place during combat. A notable omission, at least for me, is the Triple Batarang from the first game, which is a shame considering how funny it was to take three goons out at once. Gadgets are also used to find and obtain the 400+ Riddler secrets hidden throughout the world, a decent amount of which are actually quite challenging. Solving riddles and finding trophies allows you to rescue hostages that The Riddler has captured, after you’ve navigated a dastardly ‘Riddler Room’ of course. Hunting down all these secrets is strictly for those as obsessive as the villain himself, however, as it’s a long time between drinks while rescuing the victims, about 80 secrets must be found before gaining access to a hostage.

Speaking of challenges, the Challenge Rooms from the original game return. This is where you face off against four waves of enemies and try to score as high as possible, with bonuses given for large combos and fully using Batman’s arsenal of tricks. Alternatively, you can try out the Predator challenges, which task you with clearing a room full of enemies much like you would in the campaign, with bonuses awarded for taking out enemies in specific ways. These modes make up Arkham City’s version of competitive multiplayer; scores are uploaded to a leaderboard where you can compete with friends for a higher place. These rooms can also be tackled as Catwoman, Robin or Nightwing if you pre-ordered at the right store or paid a bit extra. While I haven’t had a chance to play Robin, Rocksteady have done a good job with the other two playable characters. Catwoman feels agile, flexible and quick during combat, while Nightwing feels like a middle-weight Batman; his strikes are slow and heavy, but the rest of his movement is very fluid and even cocky - he’ll often hold a hand behind his back while fighting, just to show off. While these characters are really enjoyable to play as, the fact remains that I had to download one and pay for the other, when they would have been much better as unlockables already on the disk.

VISUALS/AUDIO

The world of Arkham City is so impressively detailed that it’s almost a shame you’ll spend most of your time above the streets, grappling and gliding your way around. Almost. Luckily, they have made grappling and gliding a hell of a lot of fun. Character design is given the same level of attention and polish; Mr. Freeze and The Penguin are the real standouts. Unlockable character trophies give you a 3D model to rotate and zoom in on, letting you see just how much detail has been applied to these assets. For some reason, seeing a couple of freckles on the good side of Harvey Dent’s face gives the character that much more realism. Animations are solid and every character moves as you’d expect them to, exemplifying personalities and motivations. Alternate character skins provide a bit of variation, especially for fans of the comics and Animated Series.

Audio is also a treat, with a killer soundtrack and really nice sound effects that include satisfying punches during brawls and humorous idle conversations from inmates while you explore the city. The voice acting is top-notch with Maurice LaMarche Mr. Freeze delivering my favourite performance from this game. The go-to guy for voice talent, Nolan North, injects equal amounts of menace and cowardice into The Penguin and Mark Hamill once again brings the house down as The Joker. Kevin Conroy, as always, was an excellent choice for the Dark Knight himself.

VERDICT

Aces:

• Already excellent gameplay is polished and refined. 
• Fantastic voice work and animations breathes life into classic and not-so-classic characters. 
• Plenty of nods to Batman in other media, every fan’s dream. 
• Very clever and entertaining opening sequence. 
• Nice amount of extras to participate in after the main quest is complete. 
• Gliding mechanic has been absolutely nailed, to the point where flying around the city is an amazing amount of fun just by itself. 

Jokers:

• Too many characters shoved in, leading to some great villains having only a small amount of screen time. 
• Combat can occasionally be frustrating for newcomers. 
• To get the ‘full game’, players will have to navigate a labyrinth of pre-order bonuses and/or downloadable content. 
• Illogical ending to a game that is shorter than expected. 

Rarely do I play game through for the second time immediately after completing it for the first. It may be down to the accessibility of its (slightly) disappointingly short length, but I couldn’t help myself. Rocksteady has hit a home run with round two, delivering another fantastic Batman adventure. Batman: Arkham City may have needed to hold back on its cameos and been a bit less stingy with its bonus characters, but as an overall package it’s very much worth your time. I’d recommend it to Batman fans, action adventure fans, stealth fans, beat ‘em up fans and anyone who likes fun. There, you officially have no excuse for not playing this game.

9 out of 10