In 2009, Batman: Arkham Asylum blew gamers away. Much like the Ghostbusters video game earlier that year, Arkham Asylum was a game which gave a long-tortured license a more-than-worthy title. You had a great control set-up that was simple to use. Cast members of the classic 90's animated series like Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin reprised their respective roles as Batman, Joker, and Harley Quinn.
In the midst of this game, there was a hidden room that served as a hint to the next game. The sequel would not be limited to the confines of Arkham Island, but a section of Gotham City. This open-world approach in Batman: Arkham City is the Batman game fans have been expecting. While it does a lot right and gives us so much content, it added and fixed things that weren't really brokent to begin with. But, first, let's look at what Rocksteady excelled in with Arkham City.
The Voice-Acting Cast
Collette Sunderman should be commended for her direction for the voice-actors. You have a talented group of actors that were brought in for these amazing characters. Conroy and Hamill are great as usual. However, there are some performances that steal the show from them. Numbers star Peter MacNicol is inspiring as the Mad Hatter. The legendary Maurice LaMarche makes his presence felt as Mr. Freeze. I didn't even recognize Nolan North as the Penguin. This cast ranks with some of the best in other games like Fallout: New Vegas and Bioshock.
The Environment
Putting the action in Gotham City was the next logical step. Giving us a breathing, active world to play in is the best since the video game for Spider-Man 2. Now, all they need is to give us Gotham outside of Arkham City.
Batman as a Detective
Between the Riddler's clues, Victor Zsasz's phone calls, and hunting Deadshot, this game really highlights crime scene investigation and footwork. We had a small sample of it in Arkham Asylum, but in Arkham City, it's a major element of the game. I'm surprised that after the innovative use of investigation in L.A. Noire, Heavy Rain, and Condemned 2: Bloodshot, there wouldn't be more crime solving games.
Supporting Heroes
Giving gamers a chance to plays as other characters was welcomed. As much as I enjoyed playing Batman, having Catwoman into the mix was a nice change of pace. I wish more was done with Robin and Nightwing.
Now, What the Next Batman Game Needs to Consider
Simplify the Defense
In Arkham Asylum, you only needed to press the counter button on a bad guy, no matter of he had a weapon or not. Whether the henchman had a knife, pipe, bat, or his fists, Counter was all you needed to push. In Arkham City, we have to juggle not only the basic counter, but also button combos for bladed weapons. This was uncalled for. Combat can be hectic enough to juggle Attack and Counter, now we need to use the analog stick to counter as well as move?!
Don't Have the Deck Stacked So High
One major point of frustration in Arkham City was the fight with the Joker. Not only did you fight Joker, but also a dozen of his goons – many with bladed weapons, a Titan-enhanced henchman, the one-armed clown with the giant hammer, and dodge passing by rollercoaster cars. For a game that is supposed to make you feel like Batman, its not doing such by filling the screen with so many people and attacks to dodge at once.
Ditch the Riddler Trophies
The Riddler was never about material awards. He was about using the environment. I liked the riddles where you have to scan the environment, which added a lot to the narratives in both Asylum and City. I even enjoyed rescuing the hostages since it gave Riddler a sense of true menace akin to Jigsaw of the Saw movies. But, the trophies and the means of obtaining them were rather convoluted, even for a villains like The Riddler.
While Arkham City had many steps forward, there were a few steps back. Still, its a phenomenal game, worthy of all the press praise its been given. Kudos to Rocksteady for delivering two of the greatest Batman video games, as well as two amazing action video games.
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