I purchased this on a whim, and it quickly became one of my favorite games in years. If the timing had been a little better, this might have been the Wii U's killer app.
The game is set almost entirely in "Arkham City," which is basically No Man's Land with fewer civilians, under the dictatorial control of Hugo Strange. Most major Gotham landmarks are, coincidentally, within the bounds of Arkham City--so you can visit Crime Alley, the GCPD headquarters, and Ace Chemicals (though you cannot accidentally knock hooded criminals into chemical vats). Like in No Man's Land, parts of the city have been ruined, and you have to be clever to get from point to point.
The plot starts off very in media res. I suppose one could play the first entry in the series (but not on a Wii U) or read the comic books, but I did not, and I found the introduction to the story very abrupt. A more substantial prologue would have been appreciated. You receive the backstory through little textual vignettes, frequently out of sequence, as you complete various Riddler challenges. It ties various parts of the mythos together in an interesting way, but the presentation leaves something to be desired. The main story--the part you actually play through, as opposed to read about--is rather simple and feels like grimdark B:TAS fanfic, but it drives the action along.
The characters are mostly 1990s-vintage and earlier. Some have been made edgier than their traditional counterparts. Mostly it works, but sometimes it gets silly. Batman, unfortunately, lacks a lot of the humor and compassion that makes him compelling. This is the brooding, snapping, cranky Batman. He's not going to stand around listening to the Joker's story of the two guys at the lunatic asylum. I suppose that could be explained by circumstances explained in the game, but it's still missed. His relationship with his allies is a little uncertain, too. Alfred seems to fill the role of Oracle at the beginning, until Oracle shows up, and Robin (evidently Tim) shows up to do the "we're worried about you don't push us away okay bye" routine.
This being a game, I should say something about gameplay. It's split between exploration and two kinds of fighting, big brawls and "predator" sequences where you sneak around and take people out. There are a few boss fights, but most of those are some combination of the other two. The predator sequences are the best. You really feel like Batman, or the monster in a horror movie (which must be how Batman feels). It's great sadistic fun to silently take someone out, watch his comrades find his unconscious body, then savor their increasing terror as you isolate and disable them one by one--often while their supercriminal leader berates them over the radio.
Batman has a "detective mode," influenced by the cell phone echolocation trick from The Dark Knight (or maybe it was first seen in Batman Forever?). It helps you distinguish armed from unarmed enemies, which walls or floors can be broken through, etc. It's a bit of a cheat--it allows you to see through solid objects--but this kind of omniscience or expanded perception has always existed in video games. (The player knows there is a Goomba behind Super Mario, even if there is no way Mario could know it's there.) Detective mode is also used to do actual detective work in a few cases. This isn't a puzzle-solving adventure game, but it does give the impression Batman can solve puzzles when he needs to.
The game's save system is a blessing and a curse. It's autosave only. Usually it saves exactly where you want it to. Sometimes it does not. You may find yourself respawning at the beginning of a massive fight you would rather not have; or the beginning of a lengthy cinematic you would rather not watch again. You can continue playing the game indefinitely after finishing the main story, to complete the remaining side quests and Riddler challenges. The game also includes an epilogue called Harley's Revenge, which you can launch from the main menu at any time. You get to play as Robin. I played through it once, then when I started it again to get a few things I missed the first time through, I hit a bug that dumps me back to the main menu every time. Oh, well.
The WiiU gamepad is integrated perfectly. I can't imagine playing this game without it. It normally displays a moving map, but you also use it for almost all menu functions, and as a hacking tool in sequences that I am assured represent the way crackers actually break into secure networks. The speaker even plays radio and microphone intercepts from the local environment. If you are listening to an intercept as you approach the speaker, the sound seamlessly transitions to the television, providing an audible cue that you are approaching a bad guy. It's really neat.
That sums up my feeling about pretty much every element of this game. It's all really neat. There's always something to zoom in on and look closer at, or a secret backstory, or a new technique to batter someone into unconsciousness. It's a nigh-perfect Batman game.
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4.5 out of 5
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492 global ratings
Reviews with images
A fun game but hard! Good graphics!
I bought this game for my 11 year old Son for Christmas. He posted it on his Amazon wish list. Here are his thoughts on the game:In the game you are allowed to be Batman, Robin, or Catwoman. The game is hard because you have to try not to die or be shot by other characters in the game while following the story line. It is a single player game. Although you can have multiple profiles so other people can play the same game. My Son still has not beaten the game and it's February.I paid full price for this Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition Wii U game. All opinions are my Son's and my own. All photo's are my own. I am providing this review for informational purposes only. Thank you!
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Karina Skjoldborg
One star is for easy to order
Reviewed in Germany on January 5, 2019