[Computer Games] Batman: Arkham City

The events of Batman: Arkham Asylum have had dramatic repercussions for Gotham City. With the asylum declared unfit for purpose, the city's slums have been segregated by giant walls and turned into a super-prison where criminals are free to roam. Various gangs have sprung up with allegiance to the main supervillains of the Batman mythos, and fight for control of Arkham City. Enter Bruce Wayne, who declares his opposition to the scheme only to be arrested and thrown into the mix. As Batman, he must try to find out what the prison's governor, Hugo Strange, is planning, discover what 'Protocol 10' entails, and thwart the plans of his arch-enemy, the Joker, who is fatally ill after his Titan formula overdose.

Arkham City is the second entry in Rocksteady's Batman franchise, and builds on the hugely successful Arkham Asylum to create a larger, free-roaming, sandbox environment. All of the hallmarks of the first game are present and correct: the hard-hitting, visceral combat; the superb voice-acting; the dark and gloomy atmosphere; the strong storyline with its questions over what it means to be a hero; the setting that changes as the story progresses, and the gadgets. But this time it's bigger, not to mention better.

Box art for the release of Batman: Arkham City. (Credit: en.wikipedia.com)

I really loved Arkham Asylum. I thought it captured the Batman mythos perfectly, but managed to put its own spin on familiar characters and locations. It was an immensely satisfying game to play, with a strong storyline that really made you feel as if you were Batman. As such I was really looking forward to Arkham City, and despite being a few years behind the curve have found it living up to my expectations, and exceeding them.

One of the unexpected pleasures of Arkham Asylum was the voice acting. With Kevin Conroy as Batman, and Mark Hamill as Joker, it was like playing an episode of Batman: the Animated Series (of which I have childhood memories). Both are back, and once again on top form. Hamill in particular is  the Joker; no one, not even Heath Ledger, has every quite captured the mania of the character quite like him, and that laugh is iconic. Conroy is the perfect straight man too, with just the right amount of gravitas without it ever becoming po-faced. We get to see a vulnerable Batman this time around; after being poisoned part way through the game he is clearly suffering debilitating effects in several of the cutscenes, although sadly there's not in-game effect (which I feel is a missed trick on Rocksteady's end).  There's also a scene about three-quarters of the way into the main storyline, when Protocol 10 is initiated, where Alfred has to bring him back from the brink of abandoning the ideals that Batman represents in order to chase down a personal vendetta. It's a powerful moment. The rest of the cast are also good, particularly Harley Quinn and Hugo Strange. There's even an all-too brief cameo by Robin. Possibly the only slight misstep is Mr Freeze, who comes across a bit too robotic for my taste.

As I said, some strange and twisted things going on in Arkham City. Although I suppose you'd expect the

Joker's based to be a bit off-the-wall. (Credit: fanpop.com)

Arkham City itself is a fantastic location, in both senses of the word. There are some truly odd, twisted things going on around the place, which is dripping with atmosphere and character. For example, you can find the place where Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered, complete with police outlines and taunting message from Hugo Strange. Then there's the flooded section of the city, the Riddler's bizarre puzzle rooms, the sewers and subway system, etc, etc. You can (and I did) spend many hours just exploring the city. To encourage you to do so there are several side missions to complete, many of which are activated and progressed when you enter different areas of the city, overhear certain conversations, or reach a certain point in the main story.

The combat is as satisfying as ever, with even more variety this time around thanks to an increased arsenal of gadgets and upgrades, all of which are useful, several new combo moves, and wider variety of environments. Towards the end of the game there are a couple of big mob fights which are frustrating thanks to the increasing number of enemies that have to be defeated in a certain manner, but these are a minor irritant. The boss fights are more varied this time around too, with fewer that simply just big mob fights with a big guy hanging around causing trouble - that's a definite improvement.

The plot moves along at a fairly steady pace for two thirds of the game, then suddenly explodes with the activation of Protocol 10. Suddenly it all kicks off, and there are effectively two finals. The first involves an assault on Hugo Strange's hideout in the central control tower, which is an amazing set piece. Once that's dealt with, you have to get to the bottom of the Joker's plot in a far-more story driven event that is pure Batman. I won't spoil it, but it was a brilliant case of 'ooohhhh, that makes sense. That's really good' from the joker and a touching denouement which puts an unexpected, heart-breaking touch on one of the classic Batman tropes.

This a great looking game and incredibly immersive, in part thanks to the Arkham City setting. (Credit: collider.com)

This is a brilliant game. There can be no argument about it. It's rare that I finish a game, let alone continue playing after I've finished the story, but I can see myself continuing to explore Arkham City for some time.