Batman: Arkham City Review

Batman: Arkham Asylum is considered one of the best games in the video game medium. Not only did it feature total immersion into your character, but it gave you an open and detailed world filled with smart villains, helpful allies, and enough trivia and side content to keep you entertained long after the main story was finished. Now, combine that with the stigma of video games based on comic book properties, and Rocksteady performed a miracle. A sequel was inevitable, and the question becomes; can lightning strike twice? Find out after the break!

---

Batman: Arkham City
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Single Player
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Publisher: Square Enix and Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
ESRB Rating: T For Teen
Price: PS3,PC, 360: $59.99

---

Pros
Story: Arkham City takes you into the game, fighting masterminds, minor villains, and even allies.. Each story, aside from some hiccups, dovetails into the main narrative with ease, and the player feels the urgency the rest of the NPC’s feel. The dialogue is mostly top-notch, almost everyone feels in characters, and the added story details you unlock, the side missions and the main missions all give you a complete experience very akin to a well written story arc in comics.


Gadgets and Combat: The gadgets you unlocked in the last game are mostly kept, and the new ones add many layers to the game. The wonderful part about Batman in the comics is not only his willpower, but that he can think himself out of most situations. The game fosters that feeling with gadgets that truly make you feel that if you sit down and plan out something, you can achieve it. The reversal system, and the system that allows you to use gadgets in your combat combine to make you feel like Batman at his most Morrisonian (Grant Morrison) “Bat-God”, and leaves a very satisfied player. Altogether, you feel like a world-class martial artist, and a brilliant gadgeteer that can solve or combat anything.


Middle Ground
Graphics: It seems unfair to judge the graphics of the game too harshly, after all most of the game is lovingly rendered. The backgrounds look fantastic, the characters represent themselves well, but once things are in motion, the game has serious issues. The greatest issues are clipping with the cape and other characters, and the camera during fights. The one time you do not want to be confused, is during a fight and the camera has a nasty habit of moving in a wrong direction during climatic exchanges, not to mention the clipping of the voluminous cape can distract during a mass fight, along with issues with stepping through people, being stuck in doors, etc.


Cons
Characterization: The characterizations of the criminals, specifically Two-Face and the thugs are one note, bordering on parody. I know most developers want to save the big moments for the bad guys, but I found the utter lack of differentiation of the thugs problematic. Not only that, but Two-Face was lacking a lot of the complexity that other villains in the game displayed. Two-Face fans may be extremely disappointed in his portrayal here.


Violence and Sex: The disturbing violence in the game should be a warning to all parents who buy this for their children. Batman repeatedly abuses criminals, even some who do not deserve such harsh treatment in the game. Only the lack of blood makes this game a teen rating. The utter brutality in the game (bones breaking, dropping off rooftops, unprovoked violence etc) is disturbing as Batman is deemed heroic or even funny with each crunch.


The other issue is an old enemy of video games; sexism. When Catwoman was announced for the game, a lot of people were excited. Excitement sort of faded when it was revealed that she was only in a few missions, and faded a bit more when it was revealed what she looked like. Media consumption is part of what the rating system is all about, and when you see the game and how it refers to Catwoman and other female characters as “bitch”, the talks about lewd things that the men would do to the women, the costume designs, the camera angles; many might think twice about buying the game. It’s a major issue for the medium, the overt sexualization and misogyny directed towards the characters, show an institutionalized sexism that is impossible to ignore. The characters can be sexual, and perhaps it is in character for criminals to be misogynistic, but the camera angles that act as a voyeur (like Catwomans introduction), the avalanche of derogatory words towards women, the costume designs, the objectivication, the list goes on. Be vigilant when buying or renting this game.


Overall/Verdict
Overall, Batman: Arkham City is a fine game. Lightning will strike twice, but the scorch marks remain. It puts the player into the shoes of the iconic DC hero, and creates a world that is brutal and exciting for the characters and player to explore. The worrisome aspects of the treatment of women and the excessive violence might put off some parents, but overall the game is a fantastic recreation of Batman, and I recommend it with the hope that Rocksteady and DC Comics take the time to improve aspects of the game in a, hopeful, sequel.

The Level Cap: Batman Arkham Asylum Review

Batman, he doesn’t like chocolate ice cream. What he does enjoy is beating the living pulp out of the Arkham Asylum inhabitants, groovy huh? Batman Arkham Asylum takes us under the cowl as Batman to fight some of his most known enemies and stop them from taking over the island. Not to mention that the Joker is also in full force in this game and is to blame for Arkham going to hell in a hand basket. With Joker being the figurative thorn in Batman’s side, Arkham Asylum should make for one of the most interesting and intelligent games out on the market. But with many Batman games in the past falling flat on their faces, will Arkham Asylum prove to be one of the  hottest games this year or will it too suffer the same fate as other licensed games? Find out below!

Batman Arkham Asylum
PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
1 Player
Developer: Rocksteady
Publisher: Eidos
ESRB Rating: T for Teen
Price: $59.99, $49.99 (PC)

Pros:
Stealth Action To The Max: The first and foremost important thing about Arkham Asylum is its delivery of the stealth game play. When you are stalking through the shadows hunting your pray you FEEL like Batman not like Sam Fisher or Altaïr and thats what is important. Although it is easy to draw comparisons to Assassins Creed or Splinter Cell, Arkham Asylum in its own right is not like these games, although feels like it is. What is also interesting is the ability to be stealth or not to be stealth. You have a lot of freedom when it comes to this, as you can either go in batarangs blazing or sneak in for the silent take down. Although, some missions do require you to be super sneak. What also adds to the “Stealth Action To The Max,” as I call it, is the ability to duck in and out of vents, floor coverings and grapple on to stone gargoyles. Also sneaking up on a thug and choking them out never gets old.


Environments: This is another great feature that Rocksteady delivers on. They were able to capture the madness of the inmates and create and that showcased that this island is Arkham Island not Gilligans Island. Each area, from the outside to the twisted corridors of the buildings had a certain madness to them, almost capturing the atmosphere of the island perfectly. My personal favorite area was the Botanical Gardens with its rich colors and design.


Graphics: Like any great game on the next generation market, Batman Arkham Asylum has some damn good graphics. Utilizing the Unreal Engine 3, the game delivers not only a beautiful looking game but an interesting one. Along with the environments, the graphics help immerse the player into the game for a better experience. Having played the PS3 demo and the 360 version, the PS3 overpowers the 360 in terms of graphics. Not to fuel any fanboy wars but, the game does look much more streamlined on the PS3. However, with that said the game looks simply downright gorgeous. So if you are a graphics connoisseur Batman is the game for you.

Story: What good is a game without a good story? Not good at all. Not to worry though, Arkham Asylum does a great job story telling, ever-so-much that it feels like you are reading a comic book. What’s important, however, is that everything and everyone has its place in the story and it all pans out very well and nothing seems out of place. What is also important is that there are no plot holes in the story, at least that I can remember. The story also puts you into the mindset of the Joker and his planning, everything has a cause and effect with Jokers plans.


Riddles, Gadgets, and Detective Mode: Along with the stealth gameplay this is also what makes Batman what he is. In the game you have eight different gadgets that you collect and earn while progressing through the game. Each of the different gadgets has its use with the Batarang being the most notable. One of those gadgets, which you automatically have, is the “Detective Mode” which enables you to see things that you wouldn’t normally see. Some of those things being little riddles that a dear old friend has left around the Asylum for you to solve. When unlocking the gadgets as you progress you are able to find more clues and riddles and ultimately get that achievement or trophy.

Scarecrow Halluciantions: At first I was undecided if I wanted to put this in my review but then I realized that this was an important aspect to the game. Without spoiling anything the Scarecrow hallucinations were a nice break from the standard third-person over the should gameplay. When entering said hallucinations you go into a platform-side-scrolling type game. This may seem kind iffy but it really brings more to the game.

Cons:
Boss Fights Are A Cake Walk: This is where Arkham Asylum falls flat on its face. When going into the game you are faced with some mean villains that are holding a hell of a grudge on you. First thing I thought was “Boy they sure are going to kick my ass.” But I was severely wrong. Almost every boss fight had you facing off against a super villain while you chucked your Batarang at their face until their ultimate demise. Mind you I was playing on Normal on my first play through and I barely had any problems fighting the bosses. Needless to say this is something I wish Rocksteady would’ve addressed better.


Countering:This is another issue with the game. During a fight if you are approached by an enemy you have to counter their attack no matter what you are doing. You can be doing a take down and still have to counter said attackers lead pipe or knife. This is a small gripe that can hopefully be improved or fix, but for now it is a little frustrating.

In the end Batman Arkham Asylum is an amazing game that was undeniably underwhelmed for me when released. I did not expect it to be such a smart, fun and immersive game. If you are looking for something that is different than many of the other games on the market than this is the game for you. So Batman Arkham Asylum gets a BUY or for you savvy star people it gets a 5 out of 5 stars.


Side note: One thing I would love to see Rocksteady do is make an open world game like Arkham Asylum but focused in Gotham City. You know, being able to run across rooftops and run around in the sewers while fighting super villians. Yeah thats a dream, Rocksteady take note. :)