OH MY GOD THIS GAME IS AWESOME. That was my thought every time I saw a new screenshot, video, or spoiler in general leading up to the October 18 release. Arkham City has easily been one of the most fun games I’ve ever played. Now, I preface this by saying that my previous top game of all time had always been a tie between Red Dead Redemption and Batman: Arkham Asylum. I actually skipped several classes to finish Arkham Asylum when it was first released. Of course, I would never do that again. Never.
I do not want to ruin any of the amazing plot twists or anything that was not inside the spoilers before the release date. However, I will say that the amount of time invested in this game is well worth it. Sadly, I’ve had to take an indefinite break from this work of art, for I have broken my hand and cannot finish playing.
One of the best upgrades in this game as opposed to the last is the removal of an arbitrary switch between detective mode and normal viewing. Now, the different filters have all been combined into a seamless and efficient augmented reality mode. This means that the forced switching or sometimes merely playing the entire game in detective mode is gone. The real beauty of the skyline can be seen.
There are better puzzles, better enemies, better weapons, and a better combat system that truly puts you in the middle of a destructive and usable environment. The game does not start easy either, throwing you right into the action from the get go. There are not many games that really get me worked up like this does.
The lowest score I saw any one give this gem of the game was nine out of 10. Folks, that is still an A. I think one of the reasons that they did not give Arkham City a perfect score was because Arkham Asylum was so freaking amazing. In fact, this could not have the expectations because the original was so great. There is only so much one can do with a superhero type game, and they have done it here. They have maxed out the potential.
Unfortunately, this is a milestone game I did not want to reach. The voice of the Joker, Mark Hamill, retired after the production of Arkham City. He went out on top as the voice of, in my opinion, the greatest villain of all time.
Truly I tell you, you need to go get this game and finish it. Once again, despite knowing and having inclinations as to what will happen, the finale will throw you for a loop. More importantly, you’ll be happy while your mind is blown.
This game gets a well-deserved A. The only reason that I do not give it a plus is because it is a sequel and not the original game. That might sound like a crappy reason to you, but those European game magazines got it right. The surprise and mystique factor is not quite as they are, for we know to expect the insane awesomeness. However, even if you’ve never played Arkham Asylum, this game is still a strong, enjoyable experience.
Now you, too, can be like Batman
