Deep, Immersive and Sophisticated
User Rating: 10 | Batman: Arkham City X360
I enjoy games with a good story line, interesting/innovative game play and some level of problem solving. Wanted to try something different as well as make use of my 3DTV setup. This game came with rave reviews and though at first I was doubtful, after inserting the disc, I found myself immersed in a captivating and fluid environment. The experience is truly unique particularly in full stereoscopic 3D (LG55W5600 w/passive Real 3D glasses) and Dolby 5.1 surround sound. I found myself pulled into a story line with many colorful characters and a wide variety of main and side missions. This game is a lot like watching an excellent rendition of a Batman movie but you make everything happen and decide which direction to steer the plot. The open environment and the ability to swoop over the rooftops is just spectacular. That coupled with the ability squeeze into the tightest of crawlspaces and make surprise attacks on your foes is truly gratifying. It is a pleasant change from the standard FPS because Batman never really kills anyone. Even when demanded that he kill, Batman refuses to do so. He goes about TKOing everyone. So its an excellent example where the job still gets done without any fatalities. Given all the gore and violence with contemporary FPS, this notion of do no harm is very refreshing. As the game progresses, the player is rewarded with a myriad of power-ups, capabilities and interesting gadgets. The new gadgets allow for previously unsolvable puzzles to be unlocked. It is exciting to be able to retrieve a previously unreachable item after gaining XP. Game play is an amalgamation of many predecessors. The best way to describe it all is:
- fight scenes are like a snippet from a Bruce Lee movie. Punching, kicking, flipping, deking around and about a swarm of enemies. Batman just mows them down like a one man army with his martial arts.
- get around repelling and gliding through the city like Spiderman.
- scan through walls to study enemy positions with X-ray vision like Superman.
- a myriad of high tech gadgets give a sense of sophistication like James Bond 007.
- the hide and seek type of tactics is reminisce of the covert strategies of a Ninja.
- the puzzles and riddles feel much like a Tomb Raider game.
The sound, lighting, graphics, story line and game play meld together into something I've never experienced before. Batman Arkham City really raises the bar to a new heights and has gotten me excited about the possibilities of future of gaming.
