To bring this topic back on track, Batman Arkham City is out in Australia. I'm installing my copy now.

Yup! So much content its insane. The way you run into so many characters, and the way you do in some of the coolest unexpected ways. Oh and the secrets everywhere! Its fantastic.

travo said:

I feel completely overwhelmed and frustrated at this point.  It's great!  Overwhelmed with so many riddles to find and sidequests to complete.  Frustrated that I see some riddles, but can't get them at this point.  It's like Batman GTA, with some Metroid -like gameplay.  God, it's perfect!

I'd love to see Gordon again at some point, maybe even Oracle.

*spoiler*

Did you see Calender Man?  I wonder if we could open his cell later?

Where the hell is Gamespot's Batman thread?  I thought JBul was gonna make one.

I haven't seen Calendar Man yet...I'm fairly far into the game, but I've yet to find him. And you may get your answer about one of those characters.

So far, digging the game over here. Combat is...well, the same, save for some of the improvements (double takedowns! Blade takedowns!), but I LOVE moving. Moving around the city is so awesome and fluid.

Though if anyone else is upto it, am I the only one who thinks the Museum is the worst part of the game so far? It combines the worst parts of Arkham Asylum with a slow pace...

Dvader said:

i am still at the start, yes I saw calendar man. so many hidden easter eggs. Oh and the challenge maps are going to be so awesome, there is a ton and you can do them as the different characters. Robin is so awesome.

I think the thing I really love is that they did multiple versions of each character - like Animated Series versions of Catwoman, Robin (and Nightwing, presumably).

travo said:

At the moment, I can't even be bothered to go talk to the Joker.  The sidequests keep calling me to complete them.  Then I inch a little closer to meeting the Joker and I see a Riddler challenge or a balloon to burst.  It's like I have gaming ADD....Ooh, let's go here!  No, what's around this corner? I want to fight those thugs.   I bet I can climb up there!   ........It's brilliant!

A balloon??? There is soooo much to do!!! The riddler challanges have just picked up tremndously, now I am flying around the city answering riddles to save hostages.

It is --THE-- definitive superhero / open-world game...

...better than inFAMOUS...

...better than GTA...

...better than any Spiderman game.

I have never seen --ANY-- exisiting concept done such justice in a game before. From the brutal but free-flowing fighting, to the many, many "wonderful toys" to the awe-inspiring comic book world come to life. You --ARE-- Batman. Pretty much anything he can do, you can do. The world is his world. From Joker's Steel Mill and the Amusment park area to the bleak and ever-present blizzard Thanks to Mr. Freeze...  you get such a detailed glimpse into the world of the Dark Knight, I just don't see how any superhero game could EVER top this!

Even the story and the way it's presented... The way the many personalities of the Villians, Alfred and other supporting cast (Vicki Vale) members are presented... This is such a complete and all-encompasing entity. More than a game... more than a comic book come to life... more content than any movie can hope to contain... one of the best games of this generation ever!

In case you don't get what I am trying to say: I like it!  

I want to talk about the mechanic of putting hidden objects in an open world for the player to find. In most games this mechanic sucks, it started with GTA putting random stuff in the world with the only way for the player to find them is literally covering every inch of the world, NO FUN. For some reason most games just copy this and in the gen they tie it to trophies and achievements, these are always the worst to get. No one wants to go over every inch of a big world to find a random item that does nothing. Now some games have offered maps to find them, this makes it better as it includes an in game way to actually find them, cause for the others you will have to use a guide. But its still a big fetch quest, not that fun. A game should make finding these items FUN, it should incorporate elements of gameplay to get them, if not guess what, its just random crap to grab. This is why in a game like Zelda getting all heart pieces is so fun, cause to getting them is a major part of the GAME, it makes you solve puzzles, use items, fight enemies, find all new areas to get to them. They aren't sitting behind a tree that you randomly walk up to.


This game does what Zelda does but on an even bigger scale. This game puts all other open world games TO SHAME when it comes to covering the world with "hidden objects'. The riddler challenges are fun as hell, they make you think and almost all make use of your equipment. Yes there are a few easy ones just sitting there to grab but the majority make you use your brain. Plus there are a ton of in game mechanics that make sure you will never need a guide to find them all, discovering their locations is part of the gameplay. I hope other games take note, finding 300 random hidden objects in a world is not fun when they are just hiding behind corners. It needs to be part of the gameplay. Thank god Rocksteady gets this.

Foolz said:

Could this become the most hyperbolic thread here?

There, I've contributed my bit.

All threads are hyperbolic until you and me drop the hammer. For instance see my trashing of Okami and TWEWY and let's not forget your trashing of Half-Life 2. Will probably buy both Batman games in the future, until then, this game is safe.

Iga_Bobovic said:

All threads are hyperbolic until you and me drop the hammer. For instance see my trashing of Okami and TWEWY and let's not forget your trashing of Half-Life 2. Will probably buy both Batman games in the future, until then, this game is safe.

True.

Dvader said:

No. Batman punches a shark in the face. How does that not make this game the greatest super hero game ever.

Where was the shark repellent?

I thought this game was full of fan-service?

Finished it last night. Very satisfied with the way it all concluded, which is something I couldn't honestly say about Asylum, but otherwise generally happy with the game.