Batman: Arkham City Official Thread -- Harley Quinn DLC/GOTY Edition Out Now!

Developed by Rocksteady Studios, Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring into Arkham City, the new maximum security "home" for all of Gotham City's thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, this highly anticipated sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new all-star cast of ****c characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight.

Critical feedback has been exceptional for Arkham City, and although Portal 2 holds an equal average on Metacritic this year, reading between the lines in the scope of current reviews, it's easy to see Batman: Arkham City is considered one of the best games of this generation, if not all time.

Here's a sampler of a few of the reviews.

Game Informer - 10

"The best use of a license in the industry's history."

OPM Australia - 10

"One of the best games ever made."

GameMaster UK - 9.7

"Brave, brutal, brilliant - the gold standard by which all future videogames should be judged."

Play Generation - 9.5

"Improves brilliantly on an already great game. A masterpiece not to be missed."

Play3 - 9.2

"The best superhero game ever made."

Web Reviews:

Giant Bomb - 5/5 Stars

G4TV - 5/5 Stars

Digital Spy - 5/5 Stars

Telegraph - 5/5 Stars

1UP - A

VideoGamer - 10

IGN - 9.5

CVG - 9.5

Gamepro Germany - 9.5

Now Gamer - 9.4

Gametrailers - 9.3

Gamespot - 9

Eurogamer - 9

Wired - 9

OXM - 9

Most reviews can be found on Metacritic in full.

Let's use this space to discuss our thoughts about the game! All opinions are welcome, but please avoid spoilers of any kind, or you'll make me angry :P. I've intentionally avoided posting pictures about possible spoilers, so let's let everyone enjoy this game as they'd like.

Future DLC dated and Priced --

NightWing Bundle ($7) -- Out Now.

The DLC pack will allow players to fight as Nightwing, a.k.a Dick Grayson, with his own unique gameplay and amazing new gadgets. Nightwing is playable in all challenge maps in the game, as well as two additional challenge maps that are included with the pack: Wayne Manor and Main Hall. The pack also contains a bonus Animated Series Nightwing character skin which is can be seen in the trailer.

Robin Pack Bundle ($7) -- Out November 22nd.

If you missed out on the Robin pre-order special, then you are in luck. Fans will be able to purchase the Robin bundle which features the Boy Wonderand is playable in the game's challenge modes including new skins. The Robin skins are: Red Robin, 1960s Robin, and Robin from Batman: The Animated Series. Two additional challenge maps will also be available; Runaway Train and the Slaughterhouse.

Batman Skins Pack ($5) -- Out December 6th

The Skins Pack includes seven skins for Batman and include: 70?s Batsuit, Batman: Year One, The Dark Night Returns, Batman: Earth One, Batman Beyond, Sinestro Corps., and The Animated Series. If you missed out on the pre-order specials, then you will get them all in this bundle pack.

RUMOR CONTROL -- Upcoming Story DLC?

Kevin Conroy hinted earlier in the year about possible story DLC for Batman : Arkham City, claiming that "episodes" were going to be added onto the story well after the final product was released, and rumours have once again resurfaced after one NeoGAF thread pointed to a recent interview in the guardian with Sefton Hill, creative director over at Rocksteady. When prompted about future DLC, Sefton spoke of the expected challenge maps for Robin, but when pressured about if there would be any story DLC, Sefton smiled and said " I don't think I'm allowed to talk about that at this stage."

This corresponds with a quote Conroy was heard giving:

The gaming now is a big, new thing.The thing about Arkham City is that it's going to be an ongoing game. You're going to be able to download future episodes of it, so it's going to be going on for quite a while.I've been recording it for a while. So that will continue.

(Credit: Robot Geek)

I played for 4 hours straight (unheard of for me), and Arkham City is beyond special. It's a game you play then think about constantly for hours afterward. It barely even feels like Arham Asylum, it's just so big, and there's so many new ideas -- all of them work very well.Every corner you turn there's a new moment that leaves you with your jaw on the floor.

Like I said, this is a rare, once-in-a-generation experience that you'd be foolish to miss. Definitely exceeded my expectations so far.

I feel completely overwhelmed and frustrated at this point.It's great!Overwhelmed with so many riddles to find and sidequests to complete.Frustrated that I see some riddles, but can't get them at this point.It's like Batman GTA, with some Metroid -like gameplay.God, it's perfect!

If you like Batman, at all, this is your game. If you like superheroes, at all, this is your game!

I feel completely overwhelmed and frustrated at this point.It's great!Overwhelmed with so many riddles to find and sidequests to complete.Frustrated that I see some riddles, but can't get them at this point.It's like Batman GTA, with some Metroid -like gameplay.God, it's perfect!

If you like Batman, at all, this is your game. If you like superheroes, at all, this is your game!

Travo_basic

That sounds awesome. Ive been on a complete blackout so i didnt realize it was that open.

I feel completely overwhelmed and frustrated at this point.It's great!Overwhelmed with so many riddles to find and sidequests to complete.Frustrated that I see some riddles, but can't get them at this point.It's like Batman GTA, with some Metroid -like gameplay.God, it's perfect!

If you like Batman, at all, this is your game. If you like superheroes, at all, this is your game!

Travo_basic

I felt the same way at first. I spent about an hour exploring, listening in on conversations, and sight-seeing. Oh, and beating people up, and watching criminals crawl into fetal positions from fear (nice touch). Try going to a main-story mission... they are excellent because the early ones are like tutorials to the new game mechanics.Just wait...

I think the nerd-part of me has been dormant for a long time, cause I just woke up after 4-hours of sleep to play this game -- couldn't stop thinking about it :P The moment I pressed the "counter" button and Batman smashed a guy's head through a car-window, I knew I was in for something special.

[QUOTE="Travo_basic"]

I feel completely overwhelmed and frustrated at this point.It's great!Overwhelmed with so many riddles to find and sidequests to complete.Frustrated that I see some riddles, but can't get them at this point.It's like Batman GTA, with some Metroid -like gameplay.God, it's perfect!

If you like Batman, at all, this is your game. If you like superheroes, at all, this is your game!

S0lidSnake

That sounds awesome. Ive been on a complete blackout so i didnt realize it was that open.

Oh, S0lid. I've been on blackout too, and I've been quite suprised at alot. Remember how you said you missed those "holy s***" moments this gen? Well, here they are. I admire your intestinal fortitude to wait for the PC version, I really do, but dude... this is the best game I've played since MGS4 (which is in my top 5 of all time, obviously). :P

Its obviously fantastic---> an easy 9.0, but the PS3 version at least has problems the reviews don't mention like screen tearing, framerate issues and texture blurring. It does hurt my eyes some when i'm cavorting around so I find myself going slow as to not cause too much eye strain. Otherwise seems like a good time Batman GTA pretty much, production values are high, insane atmosphere.GodModeEnabled

Playing the 360 Version myself and noticed absolutely zero issues like those. But I did Install the game, and it was almost 9GB. I'm sure that helped the draw distances and such.

EVERYONE: This is a game that could've benefited from a manual. :P I found out about 4 hours in that you START with all your gadgets from the first game (this isn't obvious at first). Press the "D" pad to choose them. I encountered alot of weakened walls in my exploration of the city and didn't realize I had the explosive gel to explore more.

Also, RB + Y is "smoke bomb" (or just Y if you're being shot at), another thing they dont' teach you until later.

I only played it for roughly an hour before it froze on me, but it seems pretty cool. I'm not in love with the combat system but it gets the job done and the city has a lot of personality, so exploring it should be fun. CarnageHeart

Really?

I absolutely adore the combat and I love the refinements they've made to it since the first. It's actually pretty deep once you start busting out the different gadgets and combos.

Agreed about the combat. So much deeper and better than AA. Again, this is a "figure it out" game in some regards, although I suspect there's more in-depth tutorials as you advance. I just realized you can use every single gadget, including explosive gel, in combos, effortlessly. Left Trigger plus A, B, X, Y are all different gadgets that activiate instantly.

I also realized that "Double Counter" is accomplished by pressing "Y" TWICE in rapid succession when there are two enemies close together attacking. Pressing it once only counters the nearest (meaning you'll get hit if there's two people attacking), while pressing it twice counters two enemies simultaneously.

[QUOTE="Jbul"]

Agreed about the combat. So much deeper and better than AA. Again, this is a "figure it out" game in some regards, although I suspect there's more in-depth tutorials as you advance. I just realized you can use every single gadget, including explosive gel, in combos, effortlessly. Left Trigger plus A, B, X, Y are all different gadgets that activiate instantly.

I also realized that "Double Counter" is accomplished by pressing "Y" TWICE in rapid succession when there are two enemies close together attacking. Pressing it once only counters the nearest (meaning you'll get hit if there's two people attacking), while pressing it twice counters two enemies simultaneously.

dvader654

Gotcha. I've been too busy being in awe to check out the menus for the most part, but you're right. :P I also like how you can turn off or on Tutorials for almost any move, that pop up WHEN you should use that tactic. Have you gotten the Grappel Upgrade yet? OMG!!

Oh, S0lid. I've been on blackout too, and I've been quite suprised at alot. Remember how you said you missed those "holy s***" moments this gen? Well, here they are. I admire your intestinal fortitude to wait for the PC version, I really do, but dude... this is the best game I've played since MGS4 (which is in my top 5 of all time, obviously). :P

Jbul

my god you arent making this any easier on me. ;p

Normally i would just get the PS3 version and enjoy the game for what it is, but lately ive noticed that Ive become a little b**** about framerates and other performance issues, so much so that i cant even enjoy my games anymore. (Nod towards Crysis 2) So it's better that I play AC without these distractions. Ive been championing this game as GOTY the whole year, it's nice to know Rocksteady has knocked it out of the park. :D

I only got to sample the game for half an hour yesterday, but it makes a damn good impression. I'm not sure what's going on between the transition from the first game to second, but it really feels like you hit the ground running. Really digging the fact that you start with most of your gadgets from the last game, instead of slowly obtaining them again via Metroid style. Kudos Rocksteady. Now I just need to remember how to play again and keep those combos high!

Also, one thing that I really appreciate when it comes to attention detail is that most of the voicework actually has lip synching. Noticed this when I was learning to crouch under vents while Bruce is talking. To me that's very impressive. It just shows the level of detail these guys put into the game, and it hasn't even started yet.

I'm about 5 hours in or so, its a lot of fun with some great characters and atmosphere. Exploring is fun. I gotta disagree about combat though its the games biggest fault. Mash square until you win isn't a good combat system, it was passable in AA and its passable here but only because everything else about the game is so good. I have never been in any real danger, its pretty easy... That and some minor tech snafus are the only complaints I can find though. It's a real treat for any Batman fan overall.GodModeEnabled

You can certainly mash your way to success but that's hardly the way it was meant to be played. Between the counters, the combos, and the seamless integration of gadgets, the possibilities are practically infinite.

Like Assassin's Creed, the combat is designed around a simplistic set of controls that, when fully exploited, allow for a massive amount of variety and differentiation in the combat. There are also environmental moves along with the ability to flip over enemies, evade and even counter projectiles.

AC may not rival Bayonetta or DMC but as brawlers go it's the best melee engine I've seen outside of dedicated actions games like the aforementioned.

Agreed about the combat. So much deeper and better than AA. Again, this is a "figure it out" game in some regards, although I suspect there's more in-depth tutorials as you advance. I just realized you can use every single gadget, including explosive gel, in combos, effortlessly. Left Trigger plus A, B, X, Y are all different gadgets that activiate instantly.

I also realized that "Double Counter" is accomplished by pressing "Y" TWICE in rapid succession when there are two enemies close together attacking. Pressing it once only counters the nearest (meaning you'll get hit if there's two people attacking), while pressing it twice counters two enemies simultaneously.

Jbul

You can actually triple counter. I've done it several times in the challenge rooms.

It takes a dump all over Arkham Asylyum.

dvader654

This quote should appear on the GOTY Edition.

[QUOTE="Jbul"]

Oh, S0lid. I've been on blackout too, and I've been quite suprised at alot. Remember how you said you missed those "holy s***" moments this gen? Well, here they are. I admire your intestinal fortitude to wait for the PC version, I really do, but dude... this is the best game I've played since MGS4 (which is in my top 5 of all time, obviously). :P

S0lidSnake

my god you arent making this any easier on me. ;p

Normally i would just get the PS3 version and enjoy the game for what it is, but lately ive noticed that Ive become a little b**** about framerates and other performance issues, so much so that i cant even enjoy my games anymore. (Nod towards Crysis 2) So it's better that I play AC without these distractions. Ive been championing this game as GOTY the whole year, it's nice to know Rocksteady has knocked it out of the park. :D

I can see where you're coming from -- you have a PC, and if that version is supeior technically, may as well wait for it. I will say however, that I have noticed none of those technical issues GME mentioned with the 360 version after an Install. It could be because I'm a mostly console gamer and I'm used to it, but I'm willing to bet it runs better on 360 with the Install, since I noticed a boatload of technical issues with Crysis consoles (pop-in, shorter draw distance, etc). It's pretty common for 360 versions of games to run a bit smoother, from my experience.

I weird thing happened, I quit the game after making sure it saved. Then later when I went back to play it it said corrupted file, delete to play. The file looked fine on the menu, so I copied it to PSN cloud, deleted the one on the system, recopied the cloud one to the system and now it worked. If that happens to anyone try that before starting over.dvader654

I had the entire game freeze when I tried to load it this morning. Not sure why, so I just hit the power button and rebooted my 360 and everything was fine after that, and subsequent loadings have been perfectly fine. I was just thinking to myself "This had better not be RROD... not now" :P

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"]I'm about 5 hours in or so, its a lot of fun with some great characters and atmosphere. Exploring is fun. I gotta disagree about combat though its the games biggest fault. Mash square until you win isn't a good combat system, it was passable in AA and its passable here but only because everything else about the game is so good. I have never been in any real danger, its pretty easy... That and some minor tech snafus are the only complaints I can find though. It's a real treat for any Batman fan overall.Grammaton-Cleric

You can certainly mash your way to success but that's hardly the way it was meant to be played. Between the counters, the combos, and the seamless integration of gadgets, the possibilities are practically infinite.

Like Assassin's Creed, the combat is designed around a simplistic set of controls that, when fully exploited, allow for a massive amount of variety and differentiation in the combat. There are also environmental moves along with the ability to flip over enemies, evade and even counter projectiles.

AC may not rival Bayonetta or DMC but as brawlers go it's the best melee engine I've seen outside of dedicated actions games like the aforementioned.

This is true. The combat engine in this game is in many ways the embodiment of the phrase "Simple to learn, difficult to master". You can mash all you want, but you're robbing yourself of one of the most rewarding melee combat engines ever created IMO. Try getting to the top of the leaderboards in Challenge rooms by "mashing". Not gonna happen.

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"]I'm about 5 hours in or so, its a lot of fun with some great characters and atmosphere. Exploring is fun. I gotta disagree about combat though its the games biggest fault. Mash square until you win isn't a good combat system, it was passable in AA and its passable here but only because everything else about the game is so good. I have never been in any real danger, its pretty easy... That and some minor tech snafus are the only complaints I can find though. It's a real treat for any Batman fan overall.dvader654

Batman AA's combat is the best new combat engine introduced this gen. GME play the game on Hard if it's too easy. In AA, I also got through the game by mashing square, but on Hard and the combat challenges and made me appreciate how fantastic the combat is.

Mash square until you win isn't a good combat system [...]GodModeEnabled

lol! I don't see it. I don't see the deepness or complexity to it at all, just the opposite but to each their own. I'm still enjoying the game but like Assassins Creed I find combat to be the actual worst part of it. Occasionally pressing triangle or a two button combo here and there throughout the one button combat doesn't qualify as a combat system "with infinite posibilities" "or greatest combat system of a generation" to me anyways. Its passable guys but c'mon...GodModeEnabled

lol. Like i said, you have to play on hard or try to do the combat challenges to see how deep the system is. For instance, you have nine moves at your disposal in AA. Punch, Counter, Stun, Vault, Hook and Pull, takedown, throw and ground takedown. Doing all of them in a single combo earns you a 5000XP bonus which is essential in nailing the combat challenges. I agree that the game doesnt force you to use all of them, but there is an amazing sense of accomplishment when you clear out an area in a single fluid combo. Protip: Try a ground takedown after a 20+ hit combo, you will get a 2000+ XP bonus depending on your combo count. Hell if you have a 50 hit combo going, you can get 5000XP for each kill with a ground takedown. It's very rewarding.

Oh and i said greatest combat system "introduced" this gen. :P

EDIT: Look at how elegant this combat system is... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZafl__TXnQ You have all the time in the world, but you still need to pick your enemies and attacks carefully. It's brilliant.

3. There is almost TOO much to do. Generally, I am all for content, but as I noticed with AC: Brotherhood, getting distracted with side-content is really easy, and can really throw off the pacing of the story. In the first game, it kept introducing new plot developments every little while and pushing you to want to see more (with there being not much else to do). And with these Batman games, their narrative and characterization is where they shine... so being distracted from that irks me. These aren't detrimental problems... just dust on the finely polished surface of the finely crafted table.foxhound_fox

I'm absolutely amazed at the amount of content aside from the main story; I broke down and picked up a strategy guide for this game. However I've been good in NOT reading it yet because I want to see what I can figure out on my own.

I love the amount of content you can find in Arkham City, which is a good and bad thing. I love all the little things I've found like Zsasz's phone chase, forensic examinations of Deadshot kills, and saving political prisoners that when it comes down to the main missions I feel like a child whose mother just told him come inside. It's one of those "awww..." moments. After spending so much time running around the rooftops going into buildings feels confining.

I weird thing happened, I quit the game after making sure it saved. Then later when I went back to play it it said corrupted file, delete to play. The file looked fine on the menu, so I copied it to PSN cloud, deleted the one on the system, recopied the cloud one to the system and now it worked. If that happens to anyone try that before starting over.dvader654

Yeah, I'm run into some nasty bugs as well, though the save file hasn't been corrupted (yet). I'm going to put AC on a back burner and give the developers time to patch it, then restart it (perhaps on hard, which according to most of you will force me to plumb the hidden depths of the combat of system).

I'm getting this game sunday. I can't wait! :cry:

Batman = Awesome.

Man this game is blowing me away, I'm loving every second of it. It's great to finally have a good Batman game.

Damn, damn, DAMN! This game continues to blow my mind.

Two words: BATMAN SUPLEX!

Also, I spent a few hours doing the AR Challenges tonight. The last 4 are extremely technical, and I was under the impression I'd get another Bat-Grapple Upgrade if I completed them. I did not, but it is worth an achievement, and I did feel awesome beating it. But apparently it's completely optional. Now you know and can save yourself some frustration (like I said, they are quite tough) :P

Flight in this game is incredible. It feels natural, powerful, and graceful all at once. This is one of those games, like Assassin's Creed where just moving around is extremely entertaining and satisfying. I'm thinking this was a priority during development, because it's damn near perfect. I'm also constantly discovering new combat animations, even though I've been pretty much doing nothing but beating people up in the overworld. They're so badass. I didn't think they could top AA's motion-captured moves, but they've blown them out of the water tenfold.

Can't stop playing, this game gives me that sense of awe that you used to get playing games as a kid.

Batman punched a shark in the face!dvader654