Batman: Arkham City

Wow. Talk about a game completely living up to expectations. The twists at the end were so intense. I don't know, everything about the game was so perfect for me. The story could have been a little longer probably, but I'm sure it was at least ten hours which for a game like this is very impressive. Plus I didn't do any side stuff, which I'm sure will give me another five or so hours at least. The gameplay was brilliant, kept everything feeling fresh and exciting.

Even the basic combat with thugs never got repetitive (which it did quickly in Asylum), and unlike Asylum, instead of just button-mashing you actually have to use a lot of strategy in even the most basic combat. When surrounded by a group of thugs you have to employ Waynetech and prioritize who to go after, instead of just hopping around like in the first game. You also don't have the easy move of being able to use Detective Mode nonstop, which is a huge step up. There's a lot of thinking and strategy needed for many parts of the game and there were definitely a few moments where I had to stop for a few moments to figure out just what to do.

The detail was out of this world, from the dark and perfectly toned scenery to just the simple things like thugs talking about the villains while you fly overhead. I'm so surprised that a game of this nature was fused with such rich and diverse detail. A lot of people, myself included, were disappointed by the lackluster boss fights in Asylum and to say that they stepped up their game with this one would be to really under appreciate just how much they improved on that front. Every boss fight was fantastic (except for the last one, ironically) and challenging, keeping things fresh and utilizing all of the weapons in your arsenal. These aren't just ordinary boring fights like they were before.

With all of that being said, the highlight of the game is absolutely the story. From the brilliant opening to the haunting final shot, I've rarely been more immersed in a story in a game like this one. The emotions were very high, you felt like real things were at stake here and the twists and revelations in the final act were remarkable. Everything from the confrontation with Strange until the last shot had me on the edge of my seat and my mouth hung open. This story is up there with some of the greatest works to come out of this franchise, as far as I'm concerned. A case of a company truly listening to the complaints on a game and fixing every single thing about it. This is one of the closest encounters I've had to something I would call a perfect game.