Story time, Spoilers Time:
With the game now complete it's time to talk about the overall opinions of the game, and that is difficult to do without some spoilers. While I'll avoid 'major' spoilers I will be discussing some of the characters the make an appearance in the game and the flow of the story.
The story ties in well with Arkham Asylum, and the story focuses Joker's deteriorating health from his use of the TITAN serum. Batman is coerced into tracking down a cure, and through that quest for the cure he is exposed to the various warring factions in Arkham City, all while Protocol 10 is ominously counting down.
I'm not going to spoil the ending, but it was absolutely fantastic, and easily puts the game among my favorites.
The Supporting Cast:
While the main story showcases an impressive catalog of Batman's enemies and associates, the side missions do an excellent job giving other characters appearances in the game. Bane is around to address a TITAN problem, Riddler makes a return with his trophies and challenges with a much greater amount of face time, Zsasz returns with a game of phonetag, and Deadshot makes an appearance as an assassin eliminating key witnesses around the city. Several other characters are also around, and the face time for Batman's enemies seems to be greatly increased. While in the previous game the villains seemed to show up to present periodic boss-fights, the build up and payoff seems far better in Arkham City. There is a glorious segment where the Mad Hatter makes an appearance, and even with his being one of the shortest side missions, he establishes his menace quite soundly.
So Many Toys:
By the end of the game Batman's impressive arsenal of gear grows quite large, and there is even a slight quip from Alfred about why he didn't take everything with him in the first place. The game seems to make an effort to emphasize multiple uses for his tools, to give everything both a utility and combat use. It can sometimes feel a bit clumsy with so many options, but at the same time the options give the game a strange sense of depth that makes both exploration and combat interesting.
Final Thoughts:
The plot of the game was fantastic, with several extremely dramatic moments and epic reveals. The boss fights were varied, and didn't overstay their welcome. (I'm looking at you Killer Croc segment in Arkham Asylum.) The side missions added a wonderful distraction from the main plot, and made the City come to life as things happened all over the City as the various villains went about their plots. Overall there were very few criticisms I can level against the game, other than the brevity of the tutorial. I'd strongly advise this game to anyone that enjoys the Batman franchise or enjoys other adventure/action games.
Showing posts with label Arkham City Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arkham City Review. Show all posts
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Batman Arkham City: 10 Hour Checkpoint
Playing in the Sandbox:
Having finished some basic storyline I started exploring Arkham City in earnest. Wandering the various parts of town I came to appreciate the little touches here and there that add depth to Arkham City. The gang members talk about the recent events from their different gang perspectives, side missions are scattered about to encourage exploring, gang members to interrogate, lots of little things that make Arkham City come alive.
All of these things add up, creating a wonderful sandbox of things to do. They add a sense of immersion as you stalk the streets of Arkham as Batman. Leveling is important to improve your survivability as the story progresses, but there are some many things to do that you never feel like you're grinding, just doing other Batman things.
The Rogues Gallery:
The cast of Batman villains is larger this time around. While the original Arkham Asylum did an excellent job of incorporating several different villains into the game, the generic thugs were all associated with the Joker. Arkham City it brings other villains to the forefront as the different baddies wage war over the City. In addition to those showing up in the main storyline, several other villains show up in the side missions and in little details around the City.
New Toys:
As you complete various missions new gadgets unlock for Batman, including several new abilities and gadgets he didn't have in Arkham Asylum. The new items serve various purposes, but add even greater depth to Batman's bag of tricks, and as an improvement over Asylum, many are given quick-key combos to activate them without having to select it in your inventory.
Treasure Hunting gone Crazy:
While Arkham Asylum had some treasure hunting with the Riddler Trophies and Jokers Teeth, Arkham City has added several more types of collectibles to be destroyed around the City, including security cameras and Joker Balloons. It seems a fairly common idea in 'sandbox' games to add a mess of collectibles and treasure hunts, and Arkham City doesn't skimp on this standby.
Thoughts after 10 Hours:
It's difficult for me to pinpoint when I hit the 10 hour mark gameplay wise. I was so completely enthralled with the game that I lost track of time. I have actually finished the game at around 20 hours, but in the spirit of 5/10/20 I'm posting my thoughts at around the mid-point of the game, and the details that caught my interest. For a game to be so good that I lost track of time, and played it through to the end in a matter of weeks when my free time is at a premium, you can rest assured that the game is great.
Next Time, The End and What Comes After:
In the 20 hour review I'll present my final thoughts on Arkham City. Due to the nature of the game and the importance of Story I'll probably have to warn against some spoilers to express what parts of the game I really enjoyed and why.
Having finished some basic storyline I started exploring Arkham City in earnest. Wandering the various parts of town I came to appreciate the little touches here and there that add depth to Arkham City. The gang members talk about the recent events from their different gang perspectives, side missions are scattered about to encourage exploring, gang members to interrogate, lots of little things that make Arkham City come alive.
All of these things add up, creating a wonderful sandbox of things to do. They add a sense of immersion as you stalk the streets of Arkham as Batman. Leveling is important to improve your survivability as the story progresses, but there are some many things to do that you never feel like you're grinding, just doing other Batman things.
The Rogues Gallery:
The cast of Batman villains is larger this time around. While the original Arkham Asylum did an excellent job of incorporating several different villains into the game, the generic thugs were all associated with the Joker. Arkham City it brings other villains to the forefront as the different baddies wage war over the City. In addition to those showing up in the main storyline, several other villains show up in the side missions and in little details around the City.
New Toys:
As you complete various missions new gadgets unlock for Batman, including several new abilities and gadgets he didn't have in Arkham Asylum. The new items serve various purposes, but add even greater depth to Batman's bag of tricks, and as an improvement over Asylum, many are given quick-key combos to activate them without having to select it in your inventory.
Treasure Hunting gone Crazy:
While Arkham Asylum had some treasure hunting with the Riddler Trophies and Jokers Teeth, Arkham City has added several more types of collectibles to be destroyed around the City, including security cameras and Joker Balloons. It seems a fairly common idea in 'sandbox' games to add a mess of collectibles and treasure hunts, and Arkham City doesn't skimp on this standby.
Thoughts after 10 Hours:
It's difficult for me to pinpoint when I hit the 10 hour mark gameplay wise. I was so completely enthralled with the game that I lost track of time. I have actually finished the game at around 20 hours, but in the spirit of 5/10/20 I'm posting my thoughts at around the mid-point of the game, and the details that caught my interest. For a game to be so good that I lost track of time, and played it through to the end in a matter of weeks when my free time is at a premium, you can rest assured that the game is great.
Next Time, The End and What Comes After:
In the 20 hour review I'll present my final thoughts on Arkham City. Due to the nature of the game and the importance of Story I'll probably have to warn against some spoilers to express what parts of the game I really enjoyed and why.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Batman Arkham City: 5 Hour Checkpoint
5/10/20 Review, Batman Arkham City:
I came late to the game with the previous entry in this series, Batman Arkham Asylum, only picking it up this year. With the memories of that game reasonably fresh in mind, I've been looking forward to this newest iteration of the Batman video game franchise.
On Pre-Order Incentives:
Before I go into the primary review, I feel I should touch on the rather massive pre-order campaign that this game launched. With both a Premium and Regular edition of the game available there were several special features added to help differentiate the games.
One of the major features that was added was special costume skins available for play, and apparently it was very popular with the marketing team for this game. Long story short, there ended up being almost a dozen different unique costumes for the game depending on which edition you bought and where.
Opening With a Bang:
I attempt to avoid major spoilers in my posts, favoring to explain my overall feel for the game, its mechanics, and the story at the different checkpoints. Arkham City opens full throttle and gets you invested in the happenings of Arkham City almost immediately. A few brief tutorial sections later you are introduced to the basic mechanics of the game, though familiarity with the previous game is a distinct advantage. Also the basic storyline of the game has been introduced, and you're motive for Arkham City is clearly established.
I Know What I'm Doing:
While playing Arkham Asylum isn't strictly required for Arkham City, it definitely helps. In an interesting deviation from the norm of most games, the game doesn't ignore or use plot to remove the abilities you had in the previous game, the batsuit comes with the full compliment of interesting toys from the previous game, with the Batgrapple, RC Batarang, and Explosive Gel all making return appearances.
Several new abilities have been added as well, so it feels like Arkham City is a true sequel to Arkham Asylum, and you don't have arbitrary explaining away of your old abilities. Batman feels like he has grown and progressed since the events of the first game, and as sequels go this earns it extremely high marks in my book.
The Gameplay:
If you have played Arkham Asylum you will already be familiar with the basics of Arkham City. The combat maintains its action packed punch and counter style, and stealth and surprise are still important elements, particularly when dealing with armed enemies. However, the new open cityscape style of Arkham City changes the feel of things considerably, with stealth, mobility, and exploration having a much more epic feel than the previous game.
The Setting, The City the Villains Built:
The feel of Arkham City itself is fantastic, with many interesting building scattered across the different sections of Arkham. Another nice touch is the new ability to overhear the conversations of nearby thugs, which gives the baddies more personality. This personality is even further magnified by their reacting to different story events, and different parts of the the City being controlled by different gangs.
Batman also feels much more like a detective in this iteration. In Arkham Asylum there were interesting moments where Batman did some investigation or followed certain clue trails to the next story point, a detail I most certainly appreciated. Arkham City seems to take the detective angle to the next step, with investigations happening as he discovers things around the city. The addition of numerous side-stories and optional investigations really adds to the flavor of the City, and takes the game from a great action game, to a truly delightful sandbox.
It feels like the game was designed to give you a very flexible experience, adapting to however you choose to play the game. This creates a wonderful sense of immersion as you go about the City and create your own Batman. Do you save a random mugging victim, or are you busy unraveling the latest series of clues left by the Riddler? Maybe you're to busy dealing with the main storyline to deal with the other Villains, but will stop to clear out a den of Two-Face's thugs. Does your Batman try to sneak around enemies and minimize his presence, or does he brawl his way through waves of armed thugs?
Arkham Asylum was a wonderful game, and i admit to have been a bit leery of a sequel, however Arkham City not only lived up to the original but has surpassed it. If the game continues to maintain this momentum throughout I may very well laud it as an example of everything i sequel should be, both a continuation of those that have gone before, and both gameplay and setting that strive to exceed the standards set by the games that have come before it.
Conclusion:
While I tend enjoy a wide variety of games, I try to take a fairly objective stance and embrace both the good and bad parts of a game. This is a rare instance where I can level few complaints against the game, and it approaches a near perfect status where there is little I would change. The only complaint I could level against it is that it might be a bit brief on the tutorials, so knowledge of the previous game helps.
If you have any love for action games this is an absolute must for your collection. I'm often rather skeptical of games that get extremely high ratings, however Arkham City is most certainly worthy of the praise it receives.
I came late to the game with the previous entry in this series, Batman Arkham Asylum, only picking it up this year. With the memories of that game reasonably fresh in mind, I've been looking forward to this newest iteration of the Batman video game franchise.
On Pre-Order Incentives:
Before I go into the primary review, I feel I should touch on the rather massive pre-order campaign that this game launched. With both a Premium and Regular edition of the game available there were several special features added to help differentiate the games.
One of the major features that was added was special costume skins available for play, and apparently it was very popular with the marketing team for this game. Long story short, there ended up being almost a dozen different unique costumes for the game depending on which edition you bought and where.
Opening With a Bang:
I attempt to avoid major spoilers in my posts, favoring to explain my overall feel for the game, its mechanics, and the story at the different checkpoints. Arkham City opens full throttle and gets you invested in the happenings of Arkham City almost immediately. A few brief tutorial sections later you are introduced to the basic mechanics of the game, though familiarity with the previous game is a distinct advantage. Also the basic storyline of the game has been introduced, and you're motive for Arkham City is clearly established.
I Know What I'm Doing:
While playing Arkham Asylum isn't strictly required for Arkham City, it definitely helps. In an interesting deviation from the norm of most games, the game doesn't ignore or use plot to remove the abilities you had in the previous game, the batsuit comes with the full compliment of interesting toys from the previous game, with the Batgrapple, RC Batarang, and Explosive Gel all making return appearances.
Several new abilities have been added as well, so it feels like Arkham City is a true sequel to Arkham Asylum, and you don't have arbitrary explaining away of your old abilities. Batman feels like he has grown and progressed since the events of the first game, and as sequels go this earns it extremely high marks in my book.
The Gameplay:
If you have played Arkham Asylum you will already be familiar with the basics of Arkham City. The combat maintains its action packed punch and counter style, and stealth and surprise are still important elements, particularly when dealing with armed enemies. However, the new open cityscape style of Arkham City changes the feel of things considerably, with stealth, mobility, and exploration having a much more epic feel than the previous game.
The Setting, The City the Villains Built:
The feel of Arkham City itself is fantastic, with many interesting building scattered across the different sections of Arkham. Another nice touch is the new ability to overhear the conversations of nearby thugs, which gives the baddies more personality. This personality is even further magnified by their reacting to different story events, and different parts of the the City being controlled by different gangs.
Batman also feels much more like a detective in this iteration. In Arkham Asylum there were interesting moments where Batman did some investigation or followed certain clue trails to the next story point, a detail I most certainly appreciated. Arkham City seems to take the detective angle to the next step, with investigations happening as he discovers things around the city. The addition of numerous side-stories and optional investigations really adds to the flavor of the City, and takes the game from a great action game, to a truly delightful sandbox.
It feels like the game was designed to give you a very flexible experience, adapting to however you choose to play the game. This creates a wonderful sense of immersion as you go about the City and create your own Batman. Do you save a random mugging victim, or are you busy unraveling the latest series of clues left by the Riddler? Maybe you're to busy dealing with the main storyline to deal with the other Villains, but will stop to clear out a den of Two-Face's thugs. Does your Batman try to sneak around enemies and minimize his presence, or does he brawl his way through waves of armed thugs?
Arkham Asylum was a wonderful game, and i admit to have been a bit leery of a sequel, however Arkham City not only lived up to the original but has surpassed it. If the game continues to maintain this momentum throughout I may very well laud it as an example of everything i sequel should be, both a continuation of those that have gone before, and both gameplay and setting that strive to exceed the standards set by the games that have come before it.
Conclusion:
While I tend enjoy a wide variety of games, I try to take a fairly objective stance and embrace both the good and bad parts of a game. This is a rare instance where I can level few complaints against the game, and it approaches a near perfect status where there is little I would change. The only complaint I could level against it is that it might be a bit brief on the tutorials, so knowledge of the previous game helps.
If you have any love for action games this is an absolute must for your collection. I'm often rather skeptical of games that get extremely high ratings, however Arkham City is most certainly worthy of the praise it receives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)