The Arakham City builds upon an intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, leading the players inside the Arkham City which is the new maximum security home for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. All the actions take place under the open skies of Arkham City, a closed section of Gotham that incarcerates evil masterminds. Unlike in Arkham Asylum, the previous edition, where you had to make your way through claustrophobic rooms of the loony bin, in Arham City, Batman uses his detective skills to find the mysterious psychiatrist Hugo Strange and stop his mad district from Spiralling out of control.
Arkham City is a multi-starred game with mindboggling challenges thrown at you by the Rider and the usual suspects-the Penguin, Two-Face and Catwomen. Hardcore fans of Batman and Stana Katic (best known for playing Detective Kate Beckett in TV serial Castle) will be happy to know that the beauteous actor will voice the character of Talia al Ghul, daughter of Batman’s archenemy Ras al Ghul.
Realism is the key to Arkham City-our hero can take only few bullets before Game Over starts flashing on the screen. The game has a storyline but you are not bound to stick to it; you are free to wander around, seeking out hidden secrets, side missions, or simply beating the living day lights out of Gotham’s vilest residents. There’s always something to do, and as you progress through the game you’ll unlock new equipment and abilities that enable you to visit areas previously inaccessible.
This new game comes with cool new movies and gizmos. Batman’s new stun gun is awesome. Stun an opponent and you as Batman gets a special assault move that increases the combo meter and unlocks more special moves (knocking out a single enemy, permanently breaking an enemy’s weapon knocking all nearby enemies down). The stealth mode- a key combat skill- is specially engaging. Some situations also require special tactics, such as hostage situations. The good old jumping down on foes from building rooftops never gets old, and the street crawing while confronting increasingly different foes adds to the punch-literally. As Batman remains a pacifist superhero and refuses to kill under any circumstances, this idealistic approach can backfire at times.. a previously defeated maniac can reappear at any time.
With his faithful butler Alfred helping analyze data and sending additional equipment, you can be sure Arkham City will not mark the death of Batman as hero. Commisioner Gordon’s daughter acts as a guide and researcher and the Cavalry-Catwomen, Robin, Nightwing-all offer help in times of need.
If Arkham Asylum was a ground breaking game, Arkham City bests its predecessor and can easily be titled as one of the most outstanding Batman games ever. The jaw dropping graphics and impressive lip syncing should make everyone take up a batarang.
Genre: Action Adventure
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Release Date: October18, 2011
MSRP: $59.99
T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco, Violence
