Batman: Arkham City Review
Barrel
chest, voice made of gravel, excels in orgies of physical contact, and a
truckload of crazy boyfriends, you know you want it. Batman is back and he’s dragged his most
famous rogues with him, and even a cat lady, uh woman. If you are a fan of any facet of this
franchise you want this game. Gotham is
beautifully broken and has given over a corner of itself to its criminals,
Arkham City, surprisingly this arrangement doesn’t work. Hugo Strange knows who Batman is and has
Bruce Wayne thrown into the criminal ghetto.
Every villain has carved a corner and wants more, and a larger villain
has plans of his own. You mus unravel
this mess, mostly with your fists.
The
characterization is right on, characters are well-voiced, well modeled, and convincingly
conniving. They can’t trust each other
and each thinks he is smarter than the rest and you. It’s pretty delicious. The story got a little too video game-y for
me in that each time you take a step closer the problem moves a little bit to
the left. This decision confused me because
I think it would be enough for Batman to neutralize each badguy to quell the
brewing riot, and not have you searching for this thing that just got moved
over there or needs this special ingredient now or some bad shit went down
somewhere else and your conscience demands you take care of it. This frustrates me, but I may be the only
one.
Gotham
is broke down and moldily majestic. It’s
greatness and beauty has decayed but it’s promise and its history is still
visible. The city is a major character
in the game and the art design team has kicked some ass with their
architecture- it’s creepy and compelling.
It’s a pleasure to explore and the few buildings you get to enter are
disgusting in a good way. There were
moments where I was horrified at what I saw not because of the gore, but because
of the cruelty and suffering casually displayed.
Kicking
ass comes pretty easy, both Batman and Catwoman move fluidly dancing from one
villain to the next. The system is
simple, basically two buttons and the joystick, but timing is key and strategy
is helpful. Various gadgets are available
for your use- I did have a bit of trouble with these because combat is fast
paced and they come at you from all sides, but even with that I didn’t get to a
place of utter frustration. There is
much to do in the city even after the main quest, and you can replay on a
harder difficulty when you finish, so there is plenty of time to experiement,
and various skill levels are welcomed into the game.
That
bitch can kick- I tell you Catwoman is damn cool. She has her own fight set and method of
movement through the city and feels nothing like Batman. She is a cool addition to the game and well
fleshed out (and I mean well fleshed- take a look at that booty).
If you
enjoyed Batman: Arkham Asylum, you’re going to like Arkham City. If you like boys, you are going to like
getting your hands on some of the sexy thugs.
If you like leather, whips and heels, you’ll be in heaven. There is a lot to like in Arkham City, none
of it is overly innovative, but it is fun, and one of the best games I’ve
played in a while. Love Batman, love
him.
