Game rating: Batman: Arkham City

[JRD]

Game title
Batman: Arkham City

Category	Rating	Comments
Story line	9	For any comic books fan, Arkham City will be very familiar. If you are not into super hero, comic books stuff, you will be able to follow the storyline with no trouble at all but, obviously, won't appreciate all its details. Characters are very faithfull to the original characters in the graphic novels both visually and personality wise! It might have used too many super vilains, hence under developing what could be more interesting. It never looses the pace and action though and you won't get bored with the story as everything seems to be very well timed. Great w@&k!!
Graphics	8	I didn't play it using the DX11 capabilities which will make me rank it down a bit. If you own the gear to play it all maxed out with DX11 then you might get a different impression than me! The whole game takes place at night as Batman is not quite a daytime kind of guy, so no dynamic shadows shifting as time passes by and no fancy effects. Still, lighting is very well designed in this game. Batman looks a bit stiff all the time but that's not an issue. NPC models, specially girls are very well made and the locations are so diverse you won't see the same place twice never. The whole city was designed to create an eerie atmosphere and it is spot on!!!
Sound	10	Again, Mark Hammil and Kevin Conroy are amazing (Mark steals the show though) on their roles as Joker and Batman respectively! Whoever played Catwoman also made an outstanding job... in fact, all voice acting is great in this game and the music just suits it very well... sound effects are very satisfying and hitting a henchmen with a pipe you just stole from his very own hands and listening to that KPEEW as his head swirls back is fantastic!
Game play	10	Top notch... one of the best games I have ever played, no bullshit! A great mix of stealth, action, combat, puzzle solving and side missions to get you busy for a long time! Getting to choose how to tacle a situation as Batman and having to master the fighting techniques will put you on a kind of ecstasy... it will suck you in!
Replay value	10	The New Game Plus mode extends the lifespan of this game a lot... and I mean A LOT... I just finished the main story and started a NG+ and I can tell you... it feels different, it's not just another playthrough of the same game... and I still have Catwoman's side story to go on with plus all side missions I left behind with Batman plus all challenge maps with both characters on different modes... man, this game is fantastic!!!!

Final thoughts
I guess it's a love it or leave it game. Either it has no appeal whatsoever on you or it'll get you hooked for a long time. I got hooked! Can't even play any of the new games I have installed because I feel like I have to do some more in Gothan... by the way... have to go back!!!

[Fiach]

Great Review mate, only problem is that you rate it sohighly, making me want to play it more, but I cant due to the save bug  :D  >:D 

[JRD]

I thought it would hit you but I just couldn't hold my excitement down... sorry mate!  ::)

Yes, I rank it highly and it's the emotion of having just finished the game and started a NG+... but that's just an opinion! It was a highly anticipated game for me and I'veen frustrated so many times with titles I wanted to play so bad (like OFP:DR for instance) that playing a game which is at least as good as I wanted it to be is great!

One can argue that the bosses are too easy, breaking down the game, but I felt so relieved it is this way. I remember being very frustrated at some bosses in Asylum and thinking "I just want to finish this crap"... and that is a game breaker to me. I managed to finish all bosses with one or two attempts except Rã's Al Ghul but still it was not an issue.

I wanted Gotham to be bigger at first but I learned it's size is what it takes to hold the story and action it is meant to. It's not Gotham, actually, just a walled part of it so I can live with that, besides I'm already reading rumors of a third gaming which can be even bigger.

[Fiach]

Yes, the bosses were annoying in the first one, I dont mind the size of the map being on the small side, I prefer a more focused game, thats why I dont really care for games like Saints Row or GTA, too much filler.

[Fiach]

Caved in and bought it on Gamersgate sale, so now I have two copies (one on 360) lol, wont get to play it 'til after xmas at this stage.

Taking a break from LOTR WITN as I will be playing it a lonnnnggg time with the three characters and NG+, fired up Dead Island again, playing through quickly as Purna, the gun toting cop, its a great game to just let off steam and have a blast when the christmas cheer becomes too much  >:D

[Art Blade]

 :)

[fragger]

Nice review, JRD :) :-X

I was never a comic book kind of guy and not much into the whole superhero thing, so I don't know whether this game would appeal to me or not. As a kid I was into more down-to-earth heroes like Zorro and Shintaro (OK, so being able to jump 30 feet backwards up a tree isn't exactly down-to-earth... Shintaro was still cool :-() ).

Some aspects of B:AC do sound interesting though. And Catwoman's a dish :-D

[PZ]

I'm with fragger about the super hero thing  ;)  Good review though, JRD - clear and concise  :-X

[Art Blade]

same here about super heroes.

[Binnatics]

Great review JRD! I recognize the view of a specialist :-X ^-^

I've never been into super heroes either, and never will be. I remember when I first played Asylum I found Batman, the ever wise and forgiving Batman, so damn annoying in his speaches I was praying to be able to play as the Joker. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible for us PC gamers. Anyway, when I got through this first annoyance, I found myself happily entertained by the story line which is very good. I don't care if it's over the top, and I've learned to ignore the pedantic ways of the Bat. I just love the game for its madness and the perfect gameplay. Especially the combo multiplier. It brings you to extacy once you reach higher numbers and see the score tilt into the sky.
I totally agree on the world size. Doesn't have to be bigger. It's perfect and focussed.
I wrote a little rating myself just before reading yours and I guess we can shake hands in many parts of our judgement.  ^-^