An excellent, immersive experience of the Dark Knight's most exciting, amazing night in gaming history.
Story: 9/10
As expected from acclaimed DC Animated Universe writer Paul Dini, the story is simply amazing. Picking off from a hidden secret in the last game, the game starts off with billionaire playboy cum social activist Bruce Wayne giving an impassioned speech on the new expansion of Arkham Asylum into the entirety of North Gotham, dubbed 'Arkham City', a contained maximum-security community of social scum ranging from petty criminals to the likes of supervillains such as the Joker. Our favourite billionaire playboy is brutally arrested by the security forces in the employ of Dr Hugo Strange, warden of the titular Arkham City, and this is where the real fun begins. After a short scuffle with the Penguin's goons and a Batwing airdrop, we discover this was all part of the plan to infiltrate Arkham City. A suit change sequence later, and you're ready to delve deep into the secrets behind Dr. Strange and Arkham City itself, while dropping head-first into a three-way gang war between the Joker, Penguin and Two-Face. Along the way, you meet other characters caught in the cross-fire: on-off romantic interest Catwoman, on her own mission to settle a score with Two-Face; ex-lover Talia Al-Ghul, along with her League of Assassins and her father Ra's, as part of a critical plot point that reveals a secret buried deep under Gotham City; even sympathetic antagonist Mr Freeze, whose undying love and devotion for his wife makes him a character that you truly feel bad for. Of course, what would Batman be without the help of faithful butler Alfred and paralysed ex-Batgirl Oracle, their calm analyses and observations from the Batcave offering useful mission hints. Even Robin (Tim Drake) joins the fray, giving Batman additional background support in Gotham City. An ample amount of side quests serve to flesh out the story further, adding subplots of murder, mystery and mayhem, along with a mind-boggling prophecy that hints strongly at a third game. Tying all these together is a story that is simply a blast to play through, every twist and turn adding to the excitement of another night as the Caped Crusader. Along the way, you notice little details that signal the presence of other unseen characters, easter eggs for Batman veterans who know their stuff (A giant poster advertising the cancelled Flying Graysons circus act, a little flower shop owned by a certain Ms. Pamela Isley, even the mind-blowing discovery of a positive pregnancy test kit). As a fan of DC comics, the story provides fanservice in spades, while reinventing and reimagining familiar characters, which in the process offers a refreshing view of Batman's Rogue's Gallery. Unfortunately, this results in, at times, touch-and-go interactions with characters you wish you had more interactions with. Catwoman, for example, is really only seen when you save her from Two-Face and when she helps you against the Joker. I really would have liked to see her face down Talia for Batman's affections, as she did in the comics. Otherwise, Paul Dini has done an excellent job in crafting an elaborate yet epic story for Batman.
Gameplay: 10/10
It's hard to improve on perfection, but the guys at Rocksteady have done it. Arkham Asylum offered gameplay that made players truly feel as if they were the Dark Knight himself, with access to his complete range of gadgets, detective skills and martial arts moves. Arkham City does that just as well, while adding new attacks, batsuit upgrades and gadgets (bar Shark repellent, which would really have been useful in a particular sequence in the game). Combat follows the same Freeflow system used in the last game, allowing for smooth transition between beating down goons to countering the idiot attempting to take you down from behind with a baseball bat. Rack up the combos smoothly and you are rewarded with an opportunity to use one of a variety special attacks that may either instantly take out down a single enemy, stun the whole group of them, or even destroy the weapons they are using (especially useful when you're facing down a gun-toting gangster). Of course, as the Batman, you don't need to take them head on. When going up against a whole group of armed thugs, the game offers you a wide variety of options to use stealth to your advantage: hang from the ledge below and grab his leg, sneak up behind and suffocate him, hang from above and string him up, even use a smoke bomb to conceal yourself as you calmly walk up to him to knock him senseless. Combat isn't everything, though. Batman's detective skills also come into great use, as you scan 'crime scenes' to track down assassins, using bullet trajectories and blood splatter to assist you. A quick tap of the left trigger sets you into a modified X-ray vision mode, that offers a quick yet complete analysis of situations and allows you to plan strategies.
This is not to mention the new, expansive environment that Arkham City offers. North Gotham is a fully accessible area at least three times the size of Arkham Island. Every building is climbable, every alley explorable and every thug beatable. Secrets and easter eggs are abundant, and every turn is bound to reveal something new for the Batman fan. An especially nice touch is the accurate inclusion of Crime Alley, better known as the place that started it all, where young Bruce's parents were gunned down. The chalk outlines are still there, a boquet of roses by its side as a lone sign of respect in the scum-infested region. Even better is the inclusion of the option for Bruce to offer respect (press the interact button) - this really shows the thought that Rocksteady put into the game, and even though I didn't see it, I'd really like to think Bruce was really tearing up inside that mask as he knelt there.
Graphical Presentation: 9.5/10
Technically, not the best - the issues with the Unreal engine are still here, with textures popping in and out and character models clipping into each other. However, aesthetic design is simply amazing. The dark, brooding feel of Gotham City is there, made even more sinister with the addition of gang signs and crime victims all over. In this aspect, it stays true to the source material. That is not to say that the reinventions and changes were unwelcome. In fact, those are the true star of aesthetic design here. Character designs are refreshing and innovative, without straying too far from the source material. The basic design elements are still there, while adding new elements that make the villains much more sinister (replacing Penguin's monocle with the base of a beer bottle stabbed straight into his skull? Genius!), and the heroes (primarily Catwoman and Robin) much more bad-ass. Special mention, I feel, goes to Mr Freeze. Without his cryo-suit, he seems like a frail man suffering from a really bad bout of frostbite; but once he puts that suit on, he becomes a walking hulk of liquid-nitrogen-powered bad-assery that's way too cool (pun intended), tempered by the warmth of love for his wife. A nice touch, in my opinion.
Sound: 9/10
The soudntrack is great, but not excellent. It does the job, adding atmosphere to the sinister design of Arkham City, and adding excitement to combat and stealth situations as enemies become terrified from your unseen presence. However, it lacks the same memorable quality of works in other Batman media like Danny Elfman's compositions in the 1989 movie, Hans Zimmer's work on Nolan's films, or even the tracks from the DCAU Animated Series.
Where the soundtrack doesn't shine, the voice acting does. Reprising their roles from Arkham Asylum and the animated series, Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker are as epic as ever. But they aren't the be-all-and-end-all. Corey Burton as Hugo Strange is suitably creepy, and Maurice LaMarche as Mr Freeze is both cold and emotional at the same time. Grey DeLisle as Catwoman adds a level of feline playfulness to Selina Kyle's sexy demeanour. I want to applaud Tara Strong for being able to match up to Arleen Sorkin as the replacement voice actor for Harley Quinn - Strong still manages to convey the insanity of the character, while retaining much of the distinctive Brooklyn accent. (Though I can't help but see My Little Pony character Twilight Sparkle, whom Strong also voices, whenever Harley speaks.)
Overall: 9.5/10
Batman: Arkham City is, like its predecessor, an epitome of what superhero games should be. Allowing the player complete access to the hero's abilities as set by the source material, while adding elements of immersion that allows for the experiencing of the world created by the source material that other media may not be able to convey. At the same time, re-imaginings and innovations are integrated smoothly without straying or compromising the source material. Tying everying together is a solid, exciting story with twists and turns that truly give an exciting new look into the city of Gotham. Easter eggs and hidden secrets in the game have hinted very strongly towards a third game in this series. I truly look forward to it.