Batman: Arkham City (PS3) Review

No Escape. 

 2009's Batman: Arkham Asylum was game excellent game that won many 'Game Of The Year' awards and developer Rocksteady rose to fame. They didn't stop there, they went strong with Batman: Arkham City. Larger, better, and more engaging, Batman is back back with more gadgets to use, villains to fight, and riddles to solve. Having beaten this time-consuming game, it does stack against Arkham Asylum -- scratch that, Arkham City beats it.


STORY- One year after the events of Arkham Asylum, Warden (now mayor) Quincy Sharp takes credit for Joker's capture and declares that Arkham Asylum and Blackgate prison can no longer sustain criminals. Thus creating Arkham City, which houses most of Ghotham's notorious criminals. It's managed by Hugo Strange and his group of guards known as "TYGER". Interestingly, Strange offers the criminals to what they please, at the cost that they try not to escape. Skeptical, Batman investigates the rather mysterious project, and break many bones as possible.

The Dark Knight returns.

 Compared to Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City has many characters included. Returning villains include the Joker, his "side-kick", Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, and more. However, it's the newcomer villains that make Arkham City a place you don't want to stay in. Two-Face, Penguin, Mister Freeze, Bane, and more are here. Fortunately for Batman, both Catwoman and Robin often lend a hand. Nightwing is playable outside the story mode in challenge missions.

GAMEPLAY-  Right off the bat (pun intended), Batman: Arkham City plays very similarly to its predecessor. Arkham City is large and can be fully explored from the start, Batman has access to new gadgets, and the combat is same, only this time its improved and expanded. Also, Detective Mode, now known as "Detective Vision" is back to help Batman in his journey. 

 The combat, compared to Arkham Asylum, is improved. Enemies can now throw objects at Batman, but thankfully they can be evaded or reflect at the press of a button. Furthermore, some enemies use shock batons, which requires a more tactical approach than just mashing buttons. Some gadgets make a make a return from Arkham Asylum such as the Batarangs, explosive gel, the sequencer, and more with new functions to them. 

Exploring Arkham City while gliding as Batman is great.

 New gadgets include Freeze Blast, which if thrown at water creates ice platforms (which is useful in some points in the game), the Disruptor, which blocks enemy guns, and finally the Remote Electric Charge gun, which can stun enemies and open electric-powered doors. Batman will be utilizing them the most to solve the Riddler's plentiful puzzles.

 Speaking of the Riddler (my favorite Batman villain), this time there are over 400 Riddler trophies both for Batman and Catwoman to find. Tracking some of them will come natural when progressing through the game, but some are a pushover when it comes to careful timing and using the Batarangs to hit switches via vents. Overall, they unlock some neat artwork and character models and will keep you occupied for a while.

Many Riddler conundrums await!

 Since Arkham City features more villains, how are boss fights and are they good? That's a question I've been asking myself since its release back in 2011. Fortunately, some of them are really interesting. One fights, which pits Batman against the basically immortal Solomon Grundy was a nice, reflex-testing treat. Also, the battle with Mister Freeze was a change of pace since he can freeze Batman instantly, thus needing stealth and utilization of the environment. 

 Another good point in the game was when Batman accepting  Ra's al ghul rather mysterious "test". He's transferred into this mysterious world to prove himself worthy of becoming the leader of league of assassins, however, the actual fight with Ra's was okay. Again, while not a complete improvement over Asylum's bosses, City has some great ones.



PRESENTATION- Batman: Arkham City's presentation is similar to its predecessor, which was amazing. The scope and freedom given in the game are fantastic. Also, the visuals aren't any different and its great, though I had a few hiccups on the PS3 version. The voicework delivers as always, Troy Baker and Grey DeLise both do great performances as Two-Face and Catwoman, respectively. Also, Kevin Conroy's Batman and Mark Hamill's Joker both have great moments and is the game's best aspect. The soundtrack, especially the menu's, is well-done and foreshadows the threat that awaits.

The presentation in Arkham City is top-notch.

OVERALL- After hours playing Batman: Arkham City, its an improvement over Asylum that adds many new content to the table. It's my favorite in the series and is a must-play for any action/adventure or Batman enthusiast despite some setbacks.

EXCELLENT