I hadn’t really followed the build up to Arkham City, so I didn’t know what to expect other than a bigger version of Arkham Asylum. What first struck me is how Rocksteady have abandoned the closed off, linear feel of Arkham Asylum for a sprawling open world city stacked with side missions. Instead of going from point A to B, in Arkham City I’d find myself sidetracked by a ringing phone, throwing me in a race against time to save a hostage. Or I’d find a dead body and would have to investigate the crime scene and hunt down the killer. Or perhaps I’d hear a political prisoner being threatened and would have to drop down from the rooftops to save them. Batman: Arkham City is the Grand Theft Auto of superhero games.
The main story follows on from Arkham Asylum, but this time the mayor has closed off a section of Gotham City, thrown in all the criminals in Gotham inside and left them to fend for themselves. The place is run by Huge Strange, who has discovered Batman’s identity and arrested Bruce Wayne. Knowing Strange has something sinister in mind, and hearing of an something called Protocol 10, Batman sets off to stop it. And then he finds Joker.
The story is one worthy of the Batman comics, and is told with fantastic performances from Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as Batman and Joker from the animated series. Graphically, the game is beautiful bar a bit of texture pop-in, and the voice acting in Arkham City is the best I have ever heard in a video game. Even the minor characters, such as generic guards and henchmen, who were weak in Arkham Asylum, deliver solid performances this time around. But it’s the cast of supervillains which sell this game. Whether it’s Mr Freeze or Penguin, Two-Face or Bane, most of Batman’s rivals appear in this game. All of them are well done, true to the characters and do a great job of showing a complex and deep relationship with the caped crusader. One or two of the character designs look a bit weird, but most are excellent and present a mix between the gritty realism of Christopher Nolan’s Batman and the phantasmagorical wonder of the animated series. This is a mature comic come alive.
The game mechanics from Arkham Asylum return with only a few tweaks. Movement isn’t as stiff anymore. Getting around the world is mucheasier, but can be a bit clumsy at times. The combat is still fantastic, providing a system that’s incredibly simple to pick up but difficult to master. It’s heavily rhythm based. Players are rewarded for timely counters and hitting the strike button in time with the combat over simple button mashing. Multiple enemies now attack and can be countered at once. And of course, you’re given an array of quickfire gadgets to be used as effectively as possible. Every fight looks wonderfully choreographed, and the learning curve is steady, slowly introducing shields, knives and cattleprods to keep things interesting. Plus, Arkham City lacks the predictable, by-the-book boss fights of Arkham Asylum, preferring to throw a crowd of enemies at you and letting the combat take centre stage.
All your gadgets return as well, along with some new items you’ll pick up throughout the game. You’ll need all of them to access every area in the game, and you’ll often have to return to old areas to access new parts of the map once you get the right gadgets. There’s a bit of give and take in this. It’s a nice way of keeping old maps fresh, but sometimes I found myself getting tired of the same area and longing for something new.
That’s not to say Arkham City is small. Like I said, it’s the GTA of superhero games. It’s five times the size of Arkham Asylum. Rocksteady hasn’t limited the scope this time around. The benefits of this move are obvious, but there are some drawbacks. The game lacks the same intimate feel that Arkham Asylum had and loses some of the environmental detail. Arkham Asylum was beautiful and varied. Arkham City is still well designed, but Gotham’s streets don’t quite match the variation and artistic flair of Arkham Island. Additionally, the game has so many villains that there isn’t enough time to give each one the screen time they deserve, and I would’ve loved to have seen more of most of the fringe villains.
But Rocksteady does things with this depth. Sidemissions are handcrafted, varied and introduced in new and unpredictable ways. The Riddler makes a return too, placing his trophies around the city in neat little puzzles for you to solve. And why would you bother with these if you don’t care about 100% completion? Because The Riddler has captured hostages and concocted puzzle-challenge rooms for Batman to solve, with the life of a hostage hanging in the balance. Once you’ve collected enough trophies, you’ll be given a riddle to solve which reveals the location of the next room. This means interrogating henchmen for clues and solving puzzles throughout the game, giving a constant sense that you’re achieving something in your travels from A to B.
The story itself has some odd quirks. For some reason, Hugo Strange knowing Batman’s identity is never explored as a story angle. Batman’s relationships with the villains isn’t always consistent either. For a large part of the game, the Joker enlists the help of Batman to find a cure for the Titan overdose that is killing him. This complex, common-goal relationship with the villains is refreshing, but it’s also undermined by Joker having his henchmen on order to attack Batman on sight. Begging Batman for help while simultaneously trying to stop him from doing exactly this does ruin things a bit. And I might be nitpicking at this point, but the finale didn’t seem as epic as the story deserved, and came a little too early for my liking.
Stealth is perhaps the game’s weakest point. Arkham City is a surprisingly bright game. Most of the spots that ‘hide’ Batman are perfectly lit and visible, making the whole thing a bit hard to believe. Your gadgets keep things interesting, and it’s always fun silently taking out a roomful of henchmen and watching the remaining few freak out, but without the ability to hide in the shadows it feels like it’s missing something. In the same sense, the game lacks the brutality it should have had. I feel the game would have been much stronger with better lighting, a bit of blood and some bone crunching sound effects. It would have meant a jump to an 18 rating, but what Arkham City would have gained in atmosphere would have been worth it.
Oh, and buy this game new. You’ll save £7.99 on the Catwoman missions that you absolutely have to play. Catwoman is cool, agile and sexy. Her quick, nimble grace is a perfect compliment to Batman’s brute thuggishness. Her missions tell a story of their own, change the opening of the game entirely and integrate well into Batman’s timeline. She’s deeply sexualised, and the feminist in me cringed a few times at some of her lines and animations, but I still really liked her. I don’t think Catwoman could have carried the game on her own, but playing with her was the highlight of Arkham City and, honestly, I wish I could have used her more.
Perhaps you’ve noticed a trend here. I just wanted more of this. Arkham City feels like it should have been a 30 hour game. After finishing the main story, I came back for another two days until there was nothing left to do anymore. It’s that good. Rocksteady have created perhaps the best licensed game ever made. Yes, better than Goldeneye. Here’s to hoping they make another.
Pros:
- Authentic Batman experience
- Enthralling combat
- Deep and varied mission quests
Cons:
- A little light at points
- A few narrative oversights
- Not as long as it deserved
9/10
Well worth full price. iLeetism recommended.
