Batman: Arkham City
Preview
Can Batman finally beat his enemies?
by Chris Capel
previewed on PC
Where does he get those wonderful toys?
The biggest happy shock is that Arkham City is open-world, unlike the Metroid stylings of Arkham Asylum. From the get-go we’ll have access to all our gear from the last game, which will be tweaked and expanded upon as we progress. I think it’s superb that Rocksteady have done this. I can’t think of a single game where you start the sequel with all the correct equipment – and then keep it!
Anyway, while you get objectives like “save Catwoman” you’re pretty much free to explore Arkham City and discover all its various sub-plots and side-quests whenever you want to. There aren’t any vehicles, however, so don’t expect GTA with grappling hooks and batarangs, but it’s still a large chunk of Gotham City to save from itself – and that’s utterly superb.
In case you don’t know, the plot centres on the newly-appointed Mayor Sharp’s last-ditch plan to contain the crime in Gotham by walling off a large section of the city and letting the criminals run free – but if they try to escape, they’re dead. The mastermind of this dubious policy is Professor Hugo Strange, one of Batman’s oldest adversaries in the comics (he pre-dates both the Joker and Catwoman). In Arkham City continuity he and Batman are meeting for the first time, but Strange knows Batman’s identity.
This city deserves a better class of criminal
Let’s not forget the Joker (how could we?), who was left fatally poisoned by his over-exposure to the Titan formula in the previous game and is now trying to take over Arkham City. It’s not known what his motives are or whether he is indeed at death’s door (somehow we doubt it), but he’s always the one to watch. Also recently revealed was Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot, sporting a broken-bottle monocle, a cigar fetish and a British accent, sounding like how he was rumoured to be in The Dark Knight. He’s got his own agenda for sure.
The Riddler, aka Mr Edward Nygma, will actually be appearing in person this time around and seems to be almost taking over from The Scarecrow in terms of weird side-missions (until Dr Crane makes his reappearance). No longer content to just leave Riddler Trophies scattered around, Nygma is now holding people hostage, and Batman will have to negotiate a series of freakish traps to save them. I’ve always liked The Riddler, so I’m glad he’s featuring properly in this one.
As for the rest of the villains, apart from Harley Quinn, Zsasz and Calendar Man it’s all just rumour and speculation so far. Black Mask, Mr Freeze, Ra’s and Talia Al Ghul, Bane, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy… we’ll just have to wait and see. I’m going to put money on Bane making a decent reappearance though, thanks to his main antagonist standing in next year’s The Dark Knight Rises. Catwoman is already in (she’s also in the film), so I’ll be surprised if Bane is not. A little more of the brain and less of the brawn, though, this time Rocksteady. Please.
A watchful guardian, a silent protector
Combat has been enhanced a great deal. Improvements include: Combos, better and quicker use of Batman’s gadgets against enemies (such as explosive gel), triple-takedowns, an improved set of moves and various imaginative ways of putting down enemies. All this and it’s still just as smooth, satisfying and easy-to-use as Arkham Asylum. I don’t know how Rocksteady manage it, but I hope whatever dark entity they prayed to doesn’t require too much blood in return.
An open-world Batman game, with an even better story by expert Batman writer Paul Dini; Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill back as Batman and Joker; improved combat system; better detective mode and stealth sections; more Riddler... okay, forget Skyrim. This is my most wanted game of the year. Who cares about dragons? I want to kick a guy in the face while simultaneously slamming two other guys’ heads together. As Batman. Is there anything better? ‘Cause I don’t think so.
