Review: Batman: Arkham City

Welcome once again friends!


Today, we at Games of All Names are proud to present to you our first game review. The piece that we've chosen to focus on for this review is Rocksteady's high-anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City.


Our video game reviews will follow a similar structure to other gaming sites, discussing a game's gameplay, plot, graphics, and audio. However, we will also try to pass the overall experience of the game to the reader. In addition, we will always have a thorough written review for those who would like a more detailed critique, but also preface this longer review with a bite-sized mini review; a snapshot of a game. Finally, as often as we can, we will have Asian correspondent, Trisha Takinawa (not really Ms. Takinawa, but actually from South Korea) give his two cents for a second opinion, and vice versa. As a total departure from the norm, we will not be providing games with overall scores. We will share our objective findings with you and let readers decide the scores, rather than tarnishing a reader's opinion with a totally subjective numeric score. Our "scores" will be expressed more meaningfully through our Snapshots. Enjoy!


Snapshot:


Batman: Arkham City is an homage to the Batman experience. Whether you are a longtime fan of the comics, remember watching Batman, The Animated Series as a youngster, or are a more recent fan of the Caped Crusader based on Nolan's films, this game will enthrall and captivate you. Playing very similarly to the first Arkham game, Arkham City is easy to grasp, but difficult to master. The game is more polished than it's predecessor despite being vastly larger, eclipsing the original in terms of scale, gameplay depth, and unlockables. Fear no more Dark Knight fans, superhero games no longer suck. 


Review:


Gameplay: Few games mix stealth and combat as well as Batman: Arkham City. Combat is fast and stylish and the kicks and punches feel devastating. It's quite easy to believe that the thugs you routinely knock to the floor will not be getting up any time soon. Controlling these action sequences is smooth as butter thanks to the game's Freeflow combat style. Striking is as easy as pointing the left thumbstick in the direction of a bad guy and pressing the strike button. There are times when you can surrounded by as many 25 enemies but the game still manages to pick the targets of your assaults intuitively, rarely choosing the wrong enemy to obliterate. Combat can be as simple as strikes and counters, but this will get you only so far. Thankfully, the game lets you unlock a series of takedowns, stuns, evasive maneuvers, and quickfire gadgets as well to throw into combat. Using all of these moves and gadgets (and more which we won't spoil) are pivotal in the later stages of the game. Only on the rarest occasion will the game miss a target counter or perform a takedown on the wrong enemy, but these such minor concerns that they can easily be overlooked. More often than not, failure will be your fault, and not the game's; the mark of a well-crafted and well-balanced game. 
Predator mode shakes things up by allowing players to take out throngs of enemies stealthily. These sequences often get the heart racing with tense showdowns between the Bat and armed, armored, and gadget-laden baddies arranged in ways that will require your entire arsenal and your wits to overcome. Equipped with Detective Mode, a vision filter that tracks your foes through walls and floors will become your best friend here as you take henchmen down, one-by-one. As their compatriots disappear, your remaining foes will become ever more jumpy only adding to the tension of the sequence. With careful planning and precise execution, it is possible to clear encounters without ever being noticed. These sequences make you feel most like the Dark Knight.
The Riddler also returns, hiding a staggering 440 riddles throughout Arkham City. These range from the hidden trophies and wordplay riddles from the first games, to more devious, puzzle-type riddles that require Batman to perform a number of actions in a certain order to complete them. Locating this seemingly overwhelming number of riddles is made easier by giving the player the chance to interrogate the Riddler's henchman (instead of knocking them out) to reveal the locations of some of his riddles in a certain part of the map. The player also has the ability to scan temporarily inaccessible trophies. Doing so places a question mark on the player's map permanently so they can return, Metroid-style, later in the game when they have the proper gadgetry. 
The best of the combat and predator sequences can be revisited at any time once they have been unlocked in the challenge rooms, dubbed Riddler's Revenge. These challenges offer benchmarks for points in the combat rooms and specific ways of finishing off enemies in the predator rooms. New to the game are Campaign Challenges, that string together sequences of a combination of 3 of the challenge rooms, but also add modifiers that must be used by the end of 3 rooms in order to successfully complete the Campaign. These modifiers range from adding time limits, disabling silent takedowns, and giving thugs access to guns, to more helpful ones such as allowing you to move more quickly or allowing quickfire gadgets to instantly knock out enemies.


Plot: Following the events of Arkham
Compared to the plot of it's predecessor, Arkham City's is convoluted and intricate, with many more characters (villains) making appearances, hoping to thwart the Dark Knights progress. While still interesting and engaging, the plot seems disjointed, lacking the cohesiveness that Arkham Asylum nailed. In this case, less fan service may have led to a more fleshed out story. A lot happens in a very short time. The story feels more like a large story arc from the comics than a single night in the life of Gotham's protector. The game's pacing will keep you wondering what will happen regardless. 


Graphics: You would think that a bleak, quarantined, prison-city would be a bummer to look at, but Rocksteady's trademark, comic book aesthetic makes this decrepit, crime-ridden facility a pleasure to view. The sharp, vibrant colors coupled with the games stellar engine make for a visually stunning experience. Animations are believable, and slow-mo finishing punches are brutal. 


Audio: Voice acting here is top notch. Many of the voices from the Animated Series reprise their roles here including Mark Hamill as the Joker (the standout as usual), Kevin Conroy as Batman, and my personal favorite, Arleen Sorkin as the notoriously Brooklyn, Harley Quinn. The soundtrack is intense and pounding when it needs to be and subdued when appropriate but, unfortunately because it's stellar, can easily be overshadowed by the voice work. Even minute details like the sound of a punch connecting with a jaw, the brutal snap of a leg, the muffled screech of the line-launcher, or the distinct metallic *clink* of a batarang sounds sharp and believable. Hopefully the audio folks at Rocksteady weren't actually breaking the legs and arms of inmates...


The Experience: This one's easy: I'm Batman.