Arkham City already has an amazing story, filled with hours of entertaining content of its own but what really makes the game is all of additional content there is to explore. Between Riddler trophies (there are now twice as many as there were on Arkham Asylum), side missions, and easter eggs hidden around the city, the game manages to deliever a long lasting experience to players. When it comes to combat, the game plays very similar to the first game with the exception to a few new moves and counter attacks. Batman already starts out with all the equipment gained in the last game and gains a few other items throughout the game...some that are only unlockable by completing certain side missions. The major difference between Arkham City and Arkham Asylum is the free roaming. It gives the game a completely different feel (in a good way). With the amount of seemingly random bonus content there is to find, there's always an air of unpredictability when playing. However, I would advise NOT to actively go after the Riddler trophies during the early parts of the game. There are 440 in all but only 400 are needed to confront him. You risk the chance of losing interest in the game due to how long it takes to collect many of the trophies and riddles scattered throughout the city. Fortunately, I gave up actively seeking them out after 200 or so and just collect them during missions and between missions once I unlocked a few items that gave me access to more of them. Paitence is a virtue when it comes to this. Catwoman's addition to the game didn't really elevate or hold back the experience any. Her usage in the main story (if you've downloaded her DLC) is very limited and personally, I feel the game would have still been great without her...even though her own see of 40 Riddler Trophies to collect did help me out, A LOT! Catwoman plays..."differently" than Batman. This down to her strengths, weaknesses, and even the way she gets around the city. IMO...Batman > Catwoman. She's a lightweight and can't withstand as man hits as Batman can especially from gun fire.
The story was a major step up from the first entry's. It was less straight forward and nothing appeared as it seemed from the start...middle...or down right to the almost very end. The basic plot of game is that Arkham City has been sold and an older part of Gotham City has been sealed off as a new prison facility (for convienently many of Batman's worst foes). Bruce Wayne is unjustly placed into Arkham City by its new warden, Hugo Strange after the former publically advocated for its closure. Some how Strange has deduced Batman's identity as Wayne. Once becoming Batman, Wayne attempts to discover why he and several other innocent people have been falsely locked away in this prison facility with Gotham's worst offenders and exactly what is this "Protocol 10" that Strange keeps counting down to. As stated before, the story gets a lot more complex than this and leads Batman to running to a lot of old faces and many new one (mostly new). Also, 3 of Batman's past romantic interest appear throughout the game's story but only one serves as his central love interest.
My Breakdown:
What's Good:
- Great Visuals
- Dynamic story
- Great cast of characters
- Awesome voice acting
- New weapons are pretty cool
- Larger environment to free roam and explore
- Tons of fun and rewarding side missions to embark on
- Plenty of Easter Eggs to discover
- The Mad Hatter case file tape recording is HILARIOUS! LOL!
- The Riddler side mission rewards your periodically with rescue missions that involve Jigsaw (SAW) like deathtraps
What's Not-So-Good:
- Playing as Catwoman wasn't all it was cracked up to be
- I wish Robin had a bigger role in the story and Nightwing had a role too
What's Bad:
- The stressful nature of collecting/solving so many Riddler trophies and riddles (respectively)
In all, if I had to describe Batman Arkham City in just one word, it would definately be "Dynamic". The gameplay and story mixes things up so often that it will keep most entertained and playing for hours...if one doesn't lose their way hunting all those Riddler trophies!
4.0