Batman: Arkham City review

Batman: Arkham City is an action-adventure video game developed by Rocksteady Studios and released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Inspired by the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the direct sequel to the 2009 video game Batman: Arkham Asylum; taking place a year after the events of the first.

Quincy Sharp, the Asylum's former director, has taken the credit for thwarting the Joker's siege of the facility and uses this merit to become mayor of Gotham City. He closes Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Penitentiary after declaring them unsuitable to contain the detainees and purchases Gotham's decaying urban slums, converting them into an immense prison enclosure known as Arkham City. This new facility is placed in the care of genius psychiatrist Hugo Strange and monitored by a rogue private military firm, Tyger Security. The shady Strange permits inmates to do as they please, provided escape is not attempted. A wary Bruce Wayne/Batman maintains his own vigil over the new project, concerned that the chaotic situation there will get out of hand and it soon does.

At a press conference held by Bruce Wayne to declare his opposition to Arkham City, Tyger mercenaries assault Bruce Wayne and incarcerate him in Arkham City. Together in the holding room, Hugo Strange discloses his knowledge of Wayne's dual identity as Batman before releasing him into the prison's criminal populace. While Strange prepares to commence the ominous "Protocol 10", Wayne obtains his equipment via airdrop, allowing him to become Batman.

Shortly after arriving Batman rescues Catwoman from being executed by Two-Face and consults her about the nature of Protocol 10. After Joker attempts to assassinate Catwoman during this discussion, Batman tracks him to his hideout, believing Joker may know the truth behind Protocol 10.

In addition to the primary mission, the game introduces secondary missions featuring key characters and their stories; these characters include but are not limited to Bane, Mr. Freeze, and the Riddler. For example, optional challenges from the Riddler to collect hidden items placed around the city require additional effort to locate, such as interrogation of the villain's henchmen and the cunning use of gadgets to disable traps and barriers. After completing a select number of challenges, Batman must rescue a civilian hostage held in one of the Riddler's many death traps.

Batman: Arkham City is an open world action-adventure game presented from the third-person perspective with a primary focus on Batman's combat, stealth and detective skills. Gadgets can be used in both combat and exploration. Some gadgets obtained in Batman: Arkham Asylum are present at the start of Arkham City, while others become available during play. It will become evident right away that this sequel expands Batman's arsenal of gadgets and gadget combat attacks. The new detective mode is now an "augmented reality mode", enemies and evidence can be seen more clearly, but navigational visuals have been toned down due to many players in Batman: Arkham Asylum using detective mode throughout almost the entire game…guilty!

OK, let’s be honest, Catwoman really stole my attention throughout the game as a playable character included with the PC and Game of the Year editions. Catwoman's campaign features her own heist-focused storyline that intersects with the main story at specific points in the game. Her combat emphasizes agility, and allows for the use of unique weapons such as clawed gauntlets, bolas, and the iconic whip. When I wasn’t playing Catwoman, I wanted to be. She’s wicked fast with her attacks and I can only imagine how fun it would be to co-op with her. Other potential playable characters include Nightwing and Robin, which are available via GOTY editions or DLC.

Batman: Arkham City is well worth the investment and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the Dark Knight. This game has about 40 hours of gameplay with the main campaign lasting 25 hours and 15 hours for side missions. The game contains 440 Riddler challenges, which makes up just one of the multiple side missions that players can undertake. I can only hope Rocksteady and Warner Bros. are hard at work on the next installment to this masterpiece!

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Check out "The First 60 Minutes of Batman: Arkham City"