Batman: Arkham City

It might seem a little unfair that I’m about to praise Batman: Arkham City for expanding on a previously successful game, when my previous review of Dead Space 2 criticised the developers for doing just that. But where Dead Space felt like version 2.0 – a little slicker but perhaps with a little less heart – Arkham City is packed to bursting point with new content. Rocksteady have seemingly decided to skip 2.0 and go all the way to 5.

Before I get too over-enthusiastic I should point out that the above comparison does hold some water: this isn’t a new game by any means. Anyone who played Arkham Asylum is going to be able to dive right back in. The fighting system is the same, as are the sneaking sections and (broadly) the locomotion controls. You’re still Batman, you still stride around after your great big chin with your cape flowing behind you, you still pull petrified hoodlums off balconies or leave them dangling from gargoyles, and you still get to bang heads in flowing, graceful combat.

What makes Arkham City a great sequel is how far the developers have pushed the formula. Firstly this it down to some inspired extras. I don’t know how much extra programming it took to include Catwoman and Robin but it was surely worth it. This is how you do extra content: the basic mechanics of both characters are exactly the same as Batman but they both feel fresh and vibrant and different. The Catwoman sections are well plotted and provide a nice break from Batman, although there simply aren’t enough of them to provide anything but a distraction. The downloadable option of Robin is limited simply to challenge modes, so it’s gratifying to see how much effort Rocksteady have put into the package: Robin has a whole different gadget set and his fighting moves are a joy: agile, skilful and flashy compared to Batman’s ‘break every bone one-by-one approach.’

But the game itself has more than enough content to keep people happy without going near an internet connection. Arkham City is huge, and as a sandbox is delightfully constructed. There is stuff everywhere. Hardly any areas are simply there to be traversed, riddles, collectables and power-ups abound. It’s the mark of a good sandbox game when travelling across a small area takes a long time simply because there are so many distractions. The main story is a little too short and is poorly paced, but you probably won’t notice because you’ll spend much of your time off doing side quests. The fact that the basic mechanics of the game are so enjoyable means you’ll relish the chance to play even if it’s not related to the story: it’s hard to just glide over a collection of henchmen idly chatting in the street when you can leap down among them like a black angel and start doing the fighty-fighty. It makes you feel like Batman every single time.

It’s the fighting mechanics that are at the core of this. Rocksteady toyed originally with the idea of a beat-match style system for combat and although that idea was dropped you can see its legacy in the smooth flow of moves. The fighting system is still largely the same as the previous game: strikes, counters and evades make up the basics, with special moves and gadgets being introduced as the game progresses. Arkham Asylum was praised for providing depth with an apparently simple system and Arkham City expands on this by simply stuffing in more moves. You can use almost every gadget in a fight, and there are hardly any two-button combinations that don’t do something in combat. Combos can contain more than a dozen unique moves. It makes you feel like Batman, and it makes you look like Batman to anyone who might be watching.

The stealth sections have also been beefed up, but here it becomes apparent that there’s more to creating a great experience than cramming things in to the build. The predator sections are in many cases inferior to the previous game's offerings simply because there is too much going on: too many bad guys, too many guns, not enough obviously scripted areas. Although this provides a greater challenge, it robs some of the atmosphere. The guards are smarter and more vigilant but it’s less cinematic to take them out in the most practical way; we want more idiot guards snoozing under skylights or hanging out by fragile walls.

The challenge maps provide a nice counter to this, as they demand that you fulfil particular tasks while taking out enemies. A lot of these are ingenious and fun and so they add a little of what the main narrative has lost. Many are unlocked by solving The Riddler’s puzzles and collecting trophies so there’s a nice progression to content that continues after the main game.

The Riddler makes an in-the-flesh appearance this time, along with a cavalcade of other Batman villains. Again it feels like Rocksteady wanted to give you your money’s worth and generous as that is it can sometimes feel like the game is at bursting point. The story is packed full of villains and so it can occasionally seem like you are wandering about at their behest rather than as part of an overarching tale. Villians are introduced and disposed of too quickly, sometimes with little introduction and no back story. The superb codex and occasional audio logs go some way to counter this but they cannot match the raw atmosphere of Arkham Asylum.

If there are any real criticisms to be made of Batman: Arkham City it is that the game occasionally tries to do too much, without giving adequate time and affection to what makes it so fantastic. But with the sheer level of content on offer, it’s hard to argue with Rocksteady’s choice. There are a few underused or lazy patches, but there’s enough quality here to allow them, and enough quantity to keep you in the Batsuit for a good long time.