A true experience to 'A night in the life of Batman'
The criminal mastermind Prof. Hugo Strange has proposed to lock down all of Gotham's elite criminals into one section of the city (hence the name Arkham city) where they are allowed to do whatever they want as long as they don't try to escape.
Quincy sharp (previous game's warden) is now the Mayor of Gotham but is more of a puppet under Strange's hands and approves of this project to rid Gotham of it's scum..
Arkham, a city that is now run by major criminals like Joker, The Penguin and Two Face has become a cesspool of crime. Any one sent into this prison must join one of these gangs to even survive.
The game starts off here with Bruce Wayne (Batman's alter ego) thrown into this city for taking a political stand against Strange. Chaos and panic soon spreads where law and order are amiss.
The city is already divided among the three major crime bosses who want complete dominion over the entire city and want to prove their might by capturing and killing the dark knight. There is also a fourth arm. A trained spec op unit that follows orders from Hugo Strange. These 'Tiger' guards make sure that no one escapes Arkham city and are always on a passive lookout for the Dark Knight.
Beating these odds, you must fight your way to bring back order and unmask Hugo Strange as the wolf in a professor's clothing.
The attempt by Rocksteady to bring sandbox gaming with the right mix of action and adventure kicks off beautifully. The gameplay hasn't changed much from Asylum. You still have the ever usefull detective mode although the blue tinge was still better.
The movement is greatly improved specially with the gliding feature. Now Batman can boost his glide that gives a graceful flow to his movements. The light and heavy attacks are greatly done as before. The combo moves when timed perfectly, are soo awesome to look at.
What's Batman without his gadgets ? Well, he's still the best super hero ever. But there's no fun playing as him without all the neat Waynetech gizmos. This game has all of the previous weapons that pop out of his utility belt. There is an addition of cool gadgets that you end up unlocking and upgrading even after you're done playing the main campaign. You use most of these gadgets in close combat when fighting thugs or bosses that makes close encountered fights more so bad ass.
Just like before, you get to fight the baddies directly head on, or use the predator mode to sneak in on them. Planning your every move and strategizing your approach is rewarded as much as a brutal combo of blows and kicks that break more than your opponent's bones.
There is a special appearance by Robin, Catwoman and Talia who gel into the story smoothly. If you get the right DLC, you get to play as Catwoman and as Robin who have their own story line into Arkham.
We have Alfred talking to you right from the beginning with Batgirl joining in later.
Although different than Batgirl/Oracle that we talk to in the previous game, Alfred's witty comments light up a smile in a serious situation like this.
Speaking of smiles on faces, the villains are a great improvement too. Although the plot revolves around Hugo Strange and his obsession with the Dark Knight, it's the joker that remains the center of attraction. But then again, what's a good Batman tale without Joker. The joker accompanied by Harley Quinn put Batman to a run as the nightmarish night unfolds.
The penguin is neatly shown as as a criminal collector that wants to make it large in this city. Rocksteady has taken time to carefully design penguin and his surroundings that match his persona.
Two face is shown with a rather creative touch with his obsession to duality reflected in not only his plot, but also his surroundings.
Riddler is more than just a clue master here. The clues and riddles are more challenging than before. There are multiple hostage situations where you need to act fast in order to save a life.
There are other major criminals like Mr. Freeze, Hush and Deadshot to begin with. Some being part of the plot, some as form of side missions.
With brilliant soundtrack, stunning visuals and a storyline worth baring the Batman's crest, this is one game you cannot miss out on. Buy it, rent it, borrow it, steal it.. Do whatever but playing this is a must.