Arkham City
There is an unwritten rule that states any game of a non game franchise is doomed to failure. Similarly any non game media, such as movies, made from games are also doomed to failure.
Sure there are the odd exceptions. The Resident Evil and Tomb Raider movies were passable, The Resident Evil books are worth a read and I’m hearing good things about the Gears of War books (which I’ve just started).
As for games well there is always Goldeneye and my Game of the Year 2009, Batman: Arkham Asylum. Recently the hotly anticipated sequel was released Arkham City and I loved every minute of it.
What Rocksteady have done with the Batman franchise is nothing short of brilliant. With a rich set of characters, a tragic back story full of angst and a hero centred on a notoriously nocturnal animal, the dark world created by Rocksteady seems like the perfect home for the Dark Night.
To get through the twisted world of Arkham asylum you had to be Smart, Quick and adapt to any situation. Gameplay was broken into four parts, Metroid style exploration (where certain paths and items are not available until you obtain an upgrade), Condemned like Detective sections, Brutal Hand to Hand Combat and Stealthy Predator sections.
Not much has changed in Arkham City, but then not much needed to be changed. This is more of the same, but more of brilliance.
As with Asylum the Metroid Style Exploration compliments the Riddler challenges nicely. Scattered around the city are 400 challenges waiting for Batman to solve. Most of them are find hidden trophies or highlighting special parts of the scenery that dip into that rich history.
There may be 400 but collecting them never seems drawn out. Every Riddler secret can be revealed on your map by interrogating highlighted enemies. You do this by eliminating the other nearby enemies and pressing Y when they are the last inmate standing. Everytime you feel like a badass doing it.
Combat is pretty much the same with some slight improvements. There are a couple of new inmate types that require whole new strategies. For example there are now inmates that use car doors as shields. To beat these you have to stun them and double tap A to perform an aerial attack.
Alone these don’t cause much of a threat but towards the end of the game there will be times where mixed in with a large number of normal inmates, are knife inmates, armoured inmates, shield carrying inmates, etc all carrying their own tactics to be them. Winning isn’t so much about inputting complex combos as it is prioritising the most problematic enemy and reacting on the fly to who you’re attacking. I.e. pressing X may hit the majority of inmates but press it when facing a shielded one and you can say goodbye to your combo. It’s a very nice blend of Skill and Strategy.
Sadly one of the flaws on Asylum is still there with City. Like Sonic in 3D it can be difficult to work who exactly Batman will attack next. You can direct Batman in a general direction with the left stick, but you can’t always be specific in who you want to attack. When you press X instead of Y when facing a thug about to hit you, you want to hit the attacking thug, not the one next to him.
Predator combat is where the game really shines and where you really feel like Batman. Entering a room of patrolling armed thugs, you need to stealthily take out each one. No guns, just your gadgets, wits and the environment. When they get down to just one or two, the AI gets scared and starts jumping at the slightest noise, like steam escaping from a pipe.
It’s these moments where you really feel like Batman, the way Batman should feel and this is why these games are so special. The detective sections are the icing on the cake, giving you the perfect package of being Batman. Really all that’s missing is being able to drive the Batmobile.
City also shines over Arkham by being based in a small part of Gotham City (kept separate by a large impenetrable wall). You now have an overworld filled with rooftops and alleyways that you can use to your advantage. The city is filled with Shadows and they are all yours to use as your will.
My only gripe with this is that the city itself is a little small, well compared to the likes of Liberty city in GTA4. Although oddly I kind of want a fast travel feature. That doesn’t make sense, if it’s so small why do I want Fast travel? Maybe I’m just being too picky.
Also the inmates never seem to shut up. They are amusing at first but it gets a bit much after a while. Would’ve been nice to turn that down a bit.
The story follows on from the first game. Joker is dying and he encourages Batman to find the cure. Meanwhile Hugo Strange, the person behind Arkham City, is up to something called Protocol 10. While the ending comes with a big shock, ultimately I’m left wondering what Strange’s goal actually was.
It’s clear that there will be a sequel as some side missions are left unfinished. Where they’re going to go now is anybody’s guess.
Outside of the story mode is a vast array of challenges and extras filled with enough fanservice to keep even the most cynical fan happy. This is the closest anyone is ever going to come to being Batman and a part of his universe.
In another year this could easily be Game of the Year, but with Xenoblade Chronicles and Portal 2 already being strong contenders for the award, and Uncharted 3 and Skyward Sword to come, one thing is for sure picking a winner won’t be easy.
A brilliant sequel to a brilliant game, Arkham City does so much right and so little wrong. Bring on the next instalment
9/10
Sure there are the odd exceptions. The Resident Evil and Tomb Raider movies were passable, The Resident Evil books are worth a read and I’m hearing good things about the Gears of War books (which I’ve just started).
As for games well there is always Goldeneye and my Game of the Year 2009, Batman: Arkham Asylum. Recently the hotly anticipated sequel was released Arkham City and I loved every minute of it.
What Rocksteady have done with the Batman franchise is nothing short of brilliant. With a rich set of characters, a tragic back story full of angst and a hero centred on a notoriously nocturnal animal, the dark world created by Rocksteady seems like the perfect home for the Dark Night.
To get through the twisted world of Arkham asylum you had to be Smart, Quick and adapt to any situation. Gameplay was broken into four parts, Metroid style exploration (where certain paths and items are not available until you obtain an upgrade), Condemned like Detective sections, Brutal Hand to Hand Combat and Stealthy Predator sections.
Not much has changed in Arkham City, but then not much needed to be changed. This is more of the same, but more of brilliance.
As with Asylum the Metroid Style Exploration compliments the Riddler challenges nicely. Scattered around the city are 400 challenges waiting for Batman to solve. Most of them are find hidden trophies or highlighting special parts of the scenery that dip into that rich history.
There may be 400 but collecting them never seems drawn out. Every Riddler secret can be revealed on your map by interrogating highlighted enemies. You do this by eliminating the other nearby enemies and pressing Y when they are the last inmate standing. Everytime you feel like a badass doing it.
Combat is pretty much the same with some slight improvements. There are a couple of new inmate types that require whole new strategies. For example there are now inmates that use car doors as shields. To beat these you have to stun them and double tap A to perform an aerial attack.
Alone these don’t cause much of a threat but towards the end of the game there will be times where mixed in with a large number of normal inmates, are knife inmates, armoured inmates, shield carrying inmates, etc all carrying their own tactics to be them. Winning isn’t so much about inputting complex combos as it is prioritising the most problematic enemy and reacting on the fly to who you’re attacking. I.e. pressing X may hit the majority of inmates but press it when facing a shielded one and you can say goodbye to your combo. It’s a very nice blend of Skill and Strategy.
Sadly one of the flaws on Asylum is still there with City. Like Sonic in 3D it can be difficult to work who exactly Batman will attack next. You can direct Batman in a general direction with the left stick, but you can’t always be specific in who you want to attack. When you press X instead of Y when facing a thug about to hit you, you want to hit the attacking thug, not the one next to him.
Predator combat is where the game really shines and where you really feel like Batman. Entering a room of patrolling armed thugs, you need to stealthily take out each one. No guns, just your gadgets, wits and the environment. When they get down to just one or two, the AI gets scared and starts jumping at the slightest noise, like steam escaping from a pipe.
It’s these moments where you really feel like Batman, the way Batman should feel and this is why these games are so special. The detective sections are the icing on the cake, giving you the perfect package of being Batman. Really all that’s missing is being able to drive the Batmobile.
City also shines over Arkham by being based in a small part of Gotham City (kept separate by a large impenetrable wall). You now have an overworld filled with rooftops and alleyways that you can use to your advantage. The city is filled with Shadows and they are all yours to use as your will.
My only gripe with this is that the city itself is a little small, well compared to the likes of Liberty city in GTA4. Although oddly I kind of want a fast travel feature. That doesn’t make sense, if it’s so small why do I want Fast travel? Maybe I’m just being too picky.
Also the inmates never seem to shut up. They are amusing at first but it gets a bit much after a while. Would’ve been nice to turn that down a bit.
The story follows on from the first game. Joker is dying and he encourages Batman to find the cure. Meanwhile Hugo Strange, the person behind Arkham City, is up to something called Protocol 10. While the ending comes with a big shock, ultimately I’m left wondering what Strange’s goal actually was.
It’s clear that there will be a sequel as some side missions are left unfinished. Where they’re going to go now is anybody’s guess.
Outside of the story mode is a vast array of challenges and extras filled with enough fanservice to keep even the most cynical fan happy. This is the closest anyone is ever going to come to being Batman and a part of his universe.
In another year this could easily be Game of the Year, but with Xenoblade Chronicles and Portal 2 already being strong contenders for the award, and Uncharted 3 and Skyward Sword to come, one thing is for sure picking a winner won’t be easy.
A brilliant sequel to a brilliant game, Arkham City does so much right and so little wrong. Bring on the next instalment
9/10
posted by Master hunter at 1:29 pm
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