Grade: A-
Death and disease have moved into Gotham.
Arkham's thugs, murderers and psychopaths have been released into the city and Bruce Wayne, Gotham's self-appointed sheriff, has been captured. To make matters worse, in 24 hours one of the Dark Knight's greatest foes, Dr. Hugo Strange, has plans to make the city's population plummet by engaging his cryptic "Protocol 10." With the likes of Two-Face, Joker, Penguin, Riddler and Ra's conspiring to take down what's left of the city, strap on your utility belt because it's going to be a long night in Batman: Arkham City.
A prisoner in his own home, it is up to the Dark Knight to step up and fight for Gotham's freedom even if it kills him. Given the savage virus transplanted from Joker's blood slowly tearing Bats apart, chances are it will.
Comic connoisseurs and action aficionados were blown away by Rocksteady's 2009 Game of the Year contender, Batman: Arkham Asylum. Good news is, the game's sequel has only gotten better.
Arkham City represents everything players loved about its predecessor, except this title was fine-tuned like the Bat's own equipment, resulting in one of the most polished gameplay experiences in the history of the medium. Rocksteady went above and beyond to fill the game world with an unprecedented amount of content. With a sizable chunk of Gotham at the player's fingertips, having copious content is a very, very good thing.
Former Arkham Asylum Warden turned City Mayor, Quincy Sharp, under the influence of Strange, decommissions the decrepit Asylum to institute his dream of an enclosed citywide prison appropriately dubbed Arkham City.
Before long, Wayne dons his historic cape and cowl to right these wrongs and restore Gotham to its former – and only marginally safer – self.
The game's plot, written by legendary comic scribe Paul Dini, has more twists and turns than Gotham City's sewer system. Players pair up with a plethora of members from Batman's Rogue Gallery, including Mr. Freeze, Ra's al Ghul, and the feline femme fatale, Catwoman. While the main plot's completion clocked in at just over 10 hours between side-quests, Riddler Challenges and the "New Game Plus" option, players will be patrolling Gotham's streets for long into the foreseeable future.
Rocksteady's execution on gameplay is near perfect, as the guard's AI has received a much-needed facelift producing some of the most challenging enemies and strenuous boss battles to date. Controls also got their fair share of attention from Rocksteady, and return even more fluid than before with combos and movements that will have even Zsasz shaking in his blood-soaked boots.
Batman's extensive arsenal becomes essential in combat as players toss freeze grenades, shock the Tyger Corps troops, and grapple weapons away from unsuspecting enemies all with quick two-button combinations.
For players purchasing the game new, the additional content of Catwoman comes packaged with the game and can add hours of fast-paced, visceral combat juxtaposing the Bat's more time-tested tactical approach. While this DLC is highly recommended, those who can't bring themselves to shell out for the extra incentive will find themselves berated at every opening to pick up the additional expansion making the game, at times, feel somewhat incomplete.
Arkham City's ending deserves special mention. While skipping over the details, the game's cinematic conclusion provides players with one of the most haunting endings in any comic-laden game, and proves that Arkham City knows how to wrap up the title in style. This ending, assuredly, is worlds apart from the anticlimactic fisticuffs found at the end of Arkham Asylum.
There's so much to love about Rocksteady's latest and greatest Dark Knight interpretation that it's hard to find any chinks in its armor. That being said, when one arises it makes Batman's visage marred that much more. The few flaws included flippant dialogue with some of the game's major characters and the ever-present possibility of arbitrarily being spotted by a roving patrol.
Minor reservations aside, Arkham City represents the culmination of every comic game before it. A masterfully crafted action-adventure title that will surely contend with the top titles of the holiday season and, more likely than not, will be placed in the top echelon for the fast-approaching Game of the Year awards.
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