In 2009, Rocksteady Studios teamed up with WB Interactive to create “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” which not only turned into one of the highest-rated games of the year, but is now the most critically-acclaimed superhero game of all-time.  Two years later, Rocksteady Studios has more than outdone themselves with the sequel, “Batman: Arkham City.”

Picking up a year after the first game, Arkham City, sees a section of Gotham City walled off and every inmate from Arkham Asylum placed inside. Chaos ensues and Batman has to go in to regain control, causing him to go up against almost every villain from his rogues’ gallery, from heavy hitters such as the Joker and Two-Face, to the smaller, almost unknown villains, such as Deadshot and Mad Hatter. All of them get dark, edgy redesigns, but remain familiar to fans.  Don’t think that Batman is alone, though.  Throughout the game, he encounters the likes of Catwoman, Robin, and his loyal butler Alfred, providing Batman with intel or new gadgets to help him in his fight to shut Arkham City down.

This isn’t a child’s Batman game; all of Batman’s villains are more than playing for keeps and try their hardest to make him die in the most painful way possible.  The actual story for the game is incredible, and is definitely the best Batman story for years in any media (and yes, that’s including “The Dark Knight” and “Batman Begins”).  It’s haunting, dramatic, and filled with twists and turns that you will absolutely not see coming. It’s deeply engrossing, and you’ll want to begin a second playthrough as soon as the credits finish rolling. 

The Talent

The talent deserves mention as well. All of the voice actors for the game do an absolutely amazing job with their characters, be it Nolan North as the Penguin or Kevin Conroy as Batman (reprising the role he’s inhabited since “Batman: The Animated Series”).  Special praise must be given to Mark Hamill, as this is without a doubt one of his finest, and unfortunately, final, performances as the Joker – he retired last year.

Excellent Graphics

The graphics must also be noted, as they are some of the best to grace consoles.  The amount of detail in everything, from the environments to the character models, is staggering.  Right from the start, you can see the little details in the smallest object, and it only gets better from there. Part of the story is played out through those details, as Batman’s suit is constantly degrading and getting damaged as the story plays out It’s quite jaw-dropping to reach the end of the game and see the amount of damage, gashes and blood that coats the Batsuit.

Amazing Locations

Of course, an amazing story and excellent graphics are nothing if it doesn’t have the gameplay to match. I’m happy to say that the game more than excels in this category as well. Let’s start off by addressing the open world.  It’s incredibly realized and the art direction eschews personality. Every location in the game is unique and is designed perfectly for whichever villain inhabits that area, whether it’s the Joker’s steel mill or the Gotham City Police Department building that’s been taken over by Mr. Freeze.  Navigating the gameplay area is not only a breeze, but fun in itself.  Batman can freely glide all throughout the city while his grapnel gun can be used to extend the length of his glide.  It’s entirely possible to go from one end of the game map to the other without once touching the ground.

Combat System

The combat itself is fast, fluid, and brutal. Bones are snapped constantly and punches hit like a freight train. The game utilizes the freeflow combat system.  Once you start building up a combo of hits, Batman builds up power and speed and moves from one enemy to the next, knocking them down and leaping to the next enemy to do the same, all without breaking the combo.  This time around, Batman’s gadgets (of which there are many) are all incorporated into the combat, giving you even more moves to perform. It’s a joy to see and an even greater joy to actually play, as it truly makes you feel like the Dark Knight.

Stealth Element

Combat is only half the gameplay experience, however.  There is also a predator (stealth) element in the game. There will be times when you may enter a room filled with armed guards, rendering combat ineffective.  You must take to the rafters and gargoyles in the building and plan out a strategy to silently take down all the enemies in the room one-by-one. You have to be quick once you put your plan in motion, for as soon as the guards realizes that one of their partners is missing, they will actively search for you using night-vision and start systematically destroying the gargoyles based on where your attacks are coming from.

Even after you beat the game, there’s a huge amount of replay value. The Riddler has hidden 440 trophies all throughout Arkham City that take a fair bit of clever thinking to obtain. There are also challenge maps that are designed to truly test your skill with the game. After the main campaign is beaten, you also unlock New Game+. When you start New Game+, you keep all of the upgrades that you obtained throughout your first playthrough. The enemies themselves are also much tougher, with endgame enemies appearing as soon as the game starts.

“Batman: Arkham City” is a huge game with much to do.  This is definitely one of the best games to have come out in recent times and the highest-rated video game of 2011 for a reason. If you can only get one game and you haven’t yet gotten this one, your choice is simple.