Batman doesn't kill....but he WILL maim...

I finished the main story in Batman Arkham City a few nights ago and came away very impressed. While it didn't blow me away like the original Arkham Asylum (which really came out of nowhere and was undoubtedly one of the best games of 2010) I think Rocksteady did a great job building upon the solid foundations of the original. 

If you've read much of my blog you'll know I'm an absolute sucker for open-world games and I think the open-world format of Arkham City was a solid addition. The central story conceit behind Arkham City is that it's supposed to be a 'prison city' and I think the developers did a good job making the city feel claustrophobic and oppressive. Countering that feeling is the great gliding/flying mechanic that not only allows you traverse the city rapidly but also engenders a sense of freedom.

Of course, the city merely acts as a framework for the indoor levels which is where the majority of the gameplay takes place and Rocksteady maintains the excellent gameplay triumvirate of puzzle solving/exploration, stealth and combat that made the first game so good. 

Speaking of combat, I love the fighting in this series. Along with the simple-to-learn-but-hard-to-master mechanics I love the way the developers use a finely crafted combination of camera work and sound effects to give an incredible sense of heft behind each punch/kick/headbutt/knee/elbow. The sense of brutality is (pardon the pun) striking - you really feel like you are beating the the shit out of Gotham's goons. Batman may not kill but Rocksteady's Batman routinely puts people in wheelchairs!

Like its predecessor, Arkham City's voice acting and writing are top notch. The narrative does falter a bit near the end (I would say more but I don't want to spoil it) but overall I really enjoyed the game. I still think the number of Riddler trophies is ridiculous, and unfortunately you have to find all 400 of them to finish the Riddler story thread, but the other side stories and the Catwoman content are all really well done.

I'm not sure Arkham City would make my Top 10 Games of last year (see previous posts) but that doesn't mean it's not a great game nonetheless. 

Lavan