An extremely well done game though I'll admit to being a bit annoyed by it at times.
The word "superb" comes to mind when considering many aspects of this game. The level of graphical detail, the rich combat mechanics, the brilliantly told story, and the addition of an open world environment simply were all done in ways that should be an example to how video games should be made these days. At every turn, this game shows exceptional planning and execution. A simple example is when your game is loading how it even shows three slides to show you where the story is at that point. Though nothing too big, it shows a commitment to doing more than just "going through the motions." Quite simply, so many things in this game are excellent.
The game picks up where AA left off which includes your being equipped from the beginning with a range of gadgets. I'll admit, this was a logical step but it wound up frustrating me a bit. Simply, I hadn't played AA in well over a year or so and I felt like I was sort of forced to just pick up where I left off remembering how everything worked, how combat was to play out, etc. As a result, I found myself getting frustrated both in some simple things that should not have happened. Indeed, some of this is my own fault but I felt that they sort of expected too much from the start of the game.
Along with starting off with lots of gadgets, it is also as though the villains matured since AA. Admittedly, AA was a fairly easy game but you will not always find that to be the case here. Oddly enough, the most challenging parts of this game had nothing to do with boss fights which, in general, were very straight forward and rarely resulted in death. On the contrary, certain stealth segments where you have to take down a room full of baddies carrying guns could get annoying simply because it seemed almost impossible to do things in a way where you didn't get seen and a few shots plugged into your side. Towards the end of the game, you were forced to slowly take down a militia of snipers placed around different rooftops. Again, even though you might do a silent take down, the other snipers were right on you and could fairly easily take you down in one shot if you weren't quick. In the end, you MUST practice your combat in this game as it is not a typical button masher and your tactics and move combinations are essential to find success.
Ultimately, this game is a fantastic piece of work and one that demonstrates how video games too have a genuine artistic bent. After playing a game like this one realizes how simplistic other popular games like COD or Halo are in comparison. The depth and effort put into this game simply demands one to give a "hat's off" nod to the developers who really show how to make a great game.
While I tend to prefer AA of this title, I still believe it is an exceptional game and one entirely worth playing to its fullest. Don't just play the story but get in there and do the side missions, go after the Riddler trophies, and get some of the DLC. Support these devs as they absolutely know what in the world they're doing.