Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 Hours or Less

The Bottom Line:

"Too short"

It's rare for any game to receive unanimous praise, but when Arkham Asylum came out in 2009, players and critics alike were wowed by a superlative Batman experience that transcended the thoroughly stale superhero genre. Unsurprisingly, then, expectations for the sequel are high.Where Asylum was all tight rooms and claustrophobic psychological battles, Arkham City unleashes Batman to roam the streets of Gotham – still trapped, but in a sprawling urban prison, within which the mysterious Hugo Strange has confined all of the metropolis's evildoers. Naturally, this includes most of our hero's nemeses – all of whom interweave with the main story while providing a plethora of tasks to occupy your time. The sheer amount there is to do can be overwhelming, as you tune into hoodlums' conversations and decide whether to follow up new leads on the primary plot or focus on your enemies' latest nefarious scheme – but it soon becomes invigoratingly immersive. Even if you choose to stay focused on the core action, the city lives on to be explored, the side missions fulfilled once the game is completed. And trust me, you'll want to.

After the bravura opening, you steer Batman through the dark night sky, zipping between buildings using the Batclaw, gliding from rooftop to rooftop, the flight mechanic a pleasure. The same can be said for the impeccable combat system. It's smoothly brutal as you counter, punch and kick, switching between combatants. Of course, this comic-book hero is but a mere mortal, so stealth and intelligence are required, hiding in shadows to take out armed henchmen one at a time – firing off a smoke grenade in an emergency.

All of this would be enough, but when encapsulated in a riveting story with countless secondary missions, from hunting down a rogue sniper to hundreds of puzzles from the enigmatic Riddler, it's simply breathtaking. And that's without mentioning segments where you play as Catwoman, providing a refreshing change of pace with her more Spider-Man-like movement, and the challenge maps – tasking you with stylishly taking down waves of enemies. If there's a better game this year we'll be very lucky indeed.