Batman: Arkham City | Game review

by Rebecca Christou

★★★★★

It has had gamers and reviewers alike singing its praises since its release on 21 October 2011. The game has already been critically acclaimed, but this seems to be one of the rare moments when the term is deserved.

As the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, the game is based on the real comic book plot and definitely does it justice.

From the intricate plotlines devoted to each playable character and the visually stunning graphics, this game truly seems to have it all.

Producers, Rocksteady, have gone all out perfecting the game’s graphics. The city forms a huge area of game play, and attention to detail has not been spared in any part of it. Much more effort has also been put into ensuring the less wooden movements of characters and tighter than ever lip-syncing.

The game is a treasure trove of sub-plots and trials that devoted gamers will love. As well as the main storyline, which in itself has many sub-plots, there are the side quests.

These can be played during or after completion of the main game, and are specific to the character in play – Batman or Catwoman. There are also the Riddler’s trophies, hidden around Gotham and protected by numerous death traps, to discover and collect.

Also updated is Batman’s arsenal, with a bunch of new toys to play with. These, including the improved grapnel, all help in the quest to discover the truth as Quincy Sharp, mayor of Gotham, plans to ‘quarantine’ criminals in a locked-down part of the city under the watchful eye of Hugo Strange, a psychiatrist with questionable aims.

Overall, the change of scene in Arkham City, away from the claustrophobic vents and corridors of Asylum, is a breath of fresh air and allows the player a huge amount of freedom to explore the triumph of graphics that is Gotham.

You may find that, on completion of the game, there is still much more to discover.

Batman: Arkham City, various platforms, RRP £34.99.