Batman: Arkham City

I had gotten Arkham Asylum a couple years after it came out as part of a Cyber Monday deal on Amazon and it proceeded to stay on my shelf for about a a year or so. I had heard about it but felt no burning need to play it.

Now let me explain, I'm not much of a gamer. Sure I play some from time to time but on the whole it's not something that takes up most of my days. But I love just about all things Batman and figured even if I never played it it would be a nice thing to have.

So I pick it up one day and decide to see what it was all about and from the very start I was just hooked. The story was good. The voices were incredible, the fights and predator events made you feel like you were Batman. I finished the game and immediately went in search of the sequel Arkham City. I found it and immediately ran out to get it.

They had improved the game mechanics, added more abilities and just cranked it up to 11. Now instead of being limited to a small island, you had part of an entire city to explore. And the best part about it was you could literally take the time to play it in whatever order you wanted. There was no "right" way to play it.

The games that came afterwards weren't quite as good which is why I say this one was the best.

This game is amazing. It has a VERY large atmosphere, and has tons of side missions and game play.

There is plenty to do and tons of new gadgets and gizmo's and lots of new take downs. Tons of new styles of enemy's and as many things to do as you can count.

Get this game, lots of game play. If you get it you will not be sorry you did, lots of riddles and a LOTTTTTT of challenge maps. Now stop looking at this review and go buy it. Please just play it, it has so many creative things. I don't know what else to say other the to have fun with this game and i hope you like it as much as i do

Batman: Arkham City is one of the best open-world video games I've ever played and experienced. It's right up there with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Grand Theft Auto III, IV & V, Red Dead Redemption and even The Mass Effect Trilogy.

Arkham City has so many sub-missions and side stories that it shows Batman and other comic characters are ideal for the world of video games, to explore their own lore and make experiences larger than life. This game was incredible: from the start where you have to fight your way out from the clutches Penguin's thugs as Bruce Wayne, this game just keeps building upon one of the most promising starts ever done in gaming. And it only improves from there on.

Great story, gorgeous gameplay, brilliant camera, theatrical cinematics and timeless characters make up an experience to remember.

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.

The first time i played Batman Arkham Asylum i could not wait for the sequel. And after playing Batman Arkham City, i can safely say that it is the best superhero game ever. The plot is perfect, the scenery is perfect, the game play is perfect. You could tell that the creators improved on the detective aspect of the game massively. (Meaning that you don't have to spend as much time in detective mode.) The characters are well introduced and every character has a vital part to play in the plot. The voices for the characters were well suited (Mark Hamill giving another astounding performance as the joker.) But i have to say, the thing i loved most about the game was the additional things, the side missions were great and the Riddler trophies, though challenging, were fun to do. I recommend this game to anyone who either enjoys Batman or a quality game.