Alex Reviews...

Arkham City

This is both the game that the world needs, as well as the game that the world wants - I tried to think how I would word that Dark Knight reference; it didn't really pan out all that well. Anyway; one day after release I got my hands on Batman: Arkham City for the Playstation 3 and I have wasted a whole day playing it. Well, not wasted; just spent a whole day on a highly addictive game. And oh, is it addictive. 

So anybody who played the Arkham Asylum game a couple of years back will know why everyone was waiting with baited breath for the release of this sequel. Asylum did for Batman games what Christoper Nolan has done for Batman films. We relished at the combos, counter-attacks, gadgets and pummelling familiar villains, and Arkham City delivers more of the same, with a whole lot more pumped in. I have only progressed so far into the game, and I can tell that I've only brushed the top of the sidequests and challenges available, and immediately I'm kicking ass and taking names. I've seen Two-Face, Catwoman, The Penguin, The Joker, Bane and heard rumours of many more lesser known Batman baddies to come. The combat mechanics are just as gratifyingly awesome as before, with more satisfying counter-attacks added to Bruce Wayne's arsenal; a particular highlight has to be being able to counter-attack three goons at once, and whenever Batman uses his environment as a tool to smash a thug's face into. And although the moves are simple to execute with one button for attack and one button to counter, the game doesn't seem too easy; early on there are different types of enemies to face that require different tactics, and if you aren't paying attention they'll get the better of you. My only problem with the combat system is you barely notice that your health is almost depleted - you'll be merrily fighting, and then one lame kick to the knees will have 'killed' you, and you'll realise that you've taken a few too many hits in your attempts to finish of each thug in a spectacular fashion.

Arkham City is also a bigger playground to play in, and being able to grapple and glide your way across the city in style reminds me of the successful Spiderman 2, except darker and more gritty. You'll often be distracted from the main goal by Riddler's Trophies, or a citizen in distress, or just a bunch of goons minding their own evil business. Then, you'll likely enter one of the many buildings to continue the main story line, and at some point you'll have to utilise the gadgets at Batman's disposal to navigate your way through, as well as think of ways to defeat a room of guards with guns. Here, so far, I haven't been blown away. In Asylum, the parts where you stealthily took out thugs one by one was particularly satisfying because of the options you had available. The options are still here in Arkham City, but you'll probably find yourself falling back on familiar techniques to get the job done. That being said, the AI has improved considerably and you will have to try and be more original as the game progresses; now your enemies will blow away the handy vantage points you use to swing from, just because they know it will make your job that little bit harder. And, once you've used one trick (say, breaking a fire extinguisher to catch their attention), you'll be hard pressed to convince them to fall for it again (one thug actually shouted out into the darkness "you think I'm that stupid to fall for that twice?"). I'm just hoping that there will be more opportunities to feel like a real Batman predator in the later parts of the game.

I don't want to spoil any of the plot points or anything like that, but the story is gripping and has a sense of urgency, although you won't feel too bad if you divert off the path now and then to grab a few items. It's hard not to squeal in nerdy excitement when some of the characters that you love or love to hate appear, (as you may have noticed I have not commented on the playable Catwoman section - my internet is down as I am in university dorms so I can't download it to my Playstation!) and when you have a spare moment it's worth looking through the database of characters that are mentioned. You'll be surprised when you spend a good five hours playing, and upon reloading your game you find you've only managed around 7% completion, which can only be an encouraging sign. If you like Batman, you'll like this.