| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 3 | 9.60 |
| Overall | 9.60 |
|
Arkham City sets a new standard for video games using a license. The sequel to the excellent Arkham Asylum keeps the same core gameplay while expanding the world Batman is in to create a deeper more content filled title. While the main campaign may not be as meaty as Asylum it provides a more interesting playground in which to become the Dark Knight. Rocksteady borrowed elements from Metroid to create Arkham Asylum and for the sequel they kept with Nintendo themed gameplay borrowing elements from Zelda to create City. Arkham City is an open world game, the city is your overworld serving as an area to complete side quests and find loads of secrets. The meat of the story campaign takes place within the various major buildings which serve as mini dungeons where Batman battles enemies and solve very basic puzzles while usually using a new item he acquires. Sound familiar? Well it works for Batman as well as it works for Link, of course don't go expecting anything close to being as complex as a Zelda dungeon, most areas are pretty linear. The two pillars of action started in Arkham Asylum return with a few new enhancements. The hand to hand combat returns with it's timing based mechanics now with much easier ways to incorporate Batman's toys into the fight. Takedowns have been expanded to include more ways to stun enemies and enemies come in more variety types to keep things interesting. For the most part the combat feels the same which to me is fantastic cause I think this system is brilliant but it never reaches its peak until you play the challenge maps where the score matters. The predator segments remain largely unchanged except for the new tools Batman has like a smoke pellet and electricity gun which open up new ways to silently take out enemies. I actually wished there were more predator segments, I think there fewer of these than in Asylum, instead there are way more fist fights. The core combat mechanics remain a perfect translation of Batman's skills and makes for some fun gameplay especially in the challenge modes. The largest change in the gameplay comes from Batman's maneuverability which now allows him to quickly grapple up buildings and glide across Gotham. The entire city is built around these mechanics offering loads of tall structures to glide from. Gliding works very well and you can quickly travel from one side of the map to the other in two minutes (its a small map). Glide takedowns are added as well which makes for some awesome Batman moments as you swoop down in the middle of a crowd of thugs and scare the crap out of them. All these moves are there to simply make you feel like Batman, I have never felt more connected to a comic book character like I have with this game. YOU ARE BATMAN. There are those that felt like the story campaign of Asylum was better than City. I agree to an extent, yes if you just play the story AC is the shorter game and not as interesting. But AC offers so much more with its slew of side missions, most of which star a Batman villain to take down. Where I sank a huge amount of time were the over 300 Riddler challenges scattered all over the game. This makes ever inch of the map have something interesting to do or find with the majority of these challenges offering a sort of puzzle, not a simple hidden object. This feature is so much better than the crappy hidden object fest that fills open world games, all those games need to take notes cause this is how it should be done. They make use of all of Batman's items, all of his gliding skills and make you think. Boss fights are improved as well, the best one in particular reminds me of a fight you would find in Metal Gear Solid. I must give huge praise to the way Rocksteady fills this game with Batman lore, it's oozing with Batman history. There are a ton of famous villains in the game and the ones not present are mentioned as a hidden riddle or in one of the Arkham City stories unlocked as you play. All the voice acting is stellar of course lead by Hamill's Joker. Arkham City comes alive in a way few games do simply cause Batman can hear what goons are talking about as he flies around the city. This simple addition changes everything, the world becomes real because the inhabitants react to everything that is occurring around them. I cannot tell you how cool it is to be flying around and hear some cocky goon say he isn't afraid of some freak who dresses like a Batman which of course makes me glide right down to him and beat the crap out of him. Never has Gotham City come to life in any medium like it does in this game. I actually have a sort of idea of what it would be like to live in an insane city where costumed freaks rule the streets because you are getting the perspective of the goons who are viewing this as a spectator. Catwoman has a playable role during the campaign which adds a nice changeup to the Batman norm. Don't expect any drastic changes to the gameplay as it is all essentially the same (same with Robin and Nightwing DLC) but her moves are different enough to feel like you are controlling a different character. These extra characters really shine in the challenge mode where maps have challenges designed around their exclusive weapons. The storyline has issues cause it feels like two major storylines going on at once and never properly puts emphasis on either one. For the most part it is a thrilling story and Batman is pushed to the edge. The ending is one of the most shocking endings I have seen in years, I still can't believe what happened. I think that is part of the problem, I don't think the story built up enough of an emotional crescendo to support the story it was trying to tell. The challenges return, which were my favorite aspect of the first game, with way more choices. This is a game in itself as you have over 200 medals to earn with Batman alone, every other character has the same amount all with their own goals. The best new addition are the campaign challenges where combat maps are mixed with predator maps and you must clear all in a row while selecting preset penalties. It's hard to explain here, just know it is a great challenge and really explores the depth of the gameplay in a way the campaign never does. After completing the main campaign you unlock new game + which is the same game with a much harder selection of enemies and more difficult boss fights. As I played this mode I noticed how basic the main campaign really was. This mode starts you with all your items and all riddler challenges were completed so the game was stripped to the core story campaign and it really stood out how simple it was. After going through the challenge maps none of the changes to make the game harder on new game + mattered, they were all a breeze. I guess it should be that way cause I am the god damned Batman but a challenge would be nice. What I really don't like is how the main story campaign doesn't explore the combat the way the challenge maps do. The next Batman game really needs to work to make all your tools and moves useful in the game itself not just for a high score attack mode. While it may not be a sequel that improves in every single aspect it is to me a clearly better game. The main campaign maybe is not as long or as well designed as the first game but all the new features and extras built around this new open world city more than makes up for it. It has fantastic graphics and a musical score that is fit for a movie, the production values shine throughout. Above all the point of a Batman game is to make you feel like you are Batman and no game has ever translated a license so perfectly like Arkham City does. |
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Posted by Dvader Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:59:56
Recently Spotted:
*crickets*
This review throws me because you love it a lot, 9.6 but you wrote it in a way which makes the game sound unappealing to me.
I'm sure I will enjoy it, but I am the kind of gamer that ignores the fluff and goes for the meat if you know what I mean. Challenge maps and riddler quests be damned etc.
So what is the mission structure? Is it like GTA?