Arkham City Gameplay Gallery

If you've checked out our review, then you know we think Batman: Arkham City is an exceptional adventure game. To celebrate, we've picked out five things that exemplify what's so good about the game.

Free-flow combat is better

The combat in Arkham Asylum was great and gave players a real sense of kicking butt as Batman. Now, the team at developer Rocksteady has improved it even further. More gadgets have been incorporated into combat, allowing Batman to use the grapple hook to pull enemies towards him, or use it to disarm them. Double takedowns, even more brutal use of the environment, and the ability to jump between distant enemies to continue your combo are just a number of new features that make the combat system superior to that in Asylum.

Go anywhere, anytime

Batman is given the freedom to roam anywhere in Arkham City, and while it's not the largest area you've ever had to play with in video games, it certainly ranks among the most atmospheric. You can choose whether to take down groups of thugs, complete side quests, or try to solve the many Riddler challenges that are scattered throughout the world. While travelling around Arkham City, Batman monitors events on the ground through the new surveillance system, and this often leads to exciting side missions.

The glide system has been altered to fit in with the open-world structure, including a new dive-bomb mechanic, which lets Batman plummet towards the ground before swooping and gaining height again. Batman can also use the grapple hook while gliding--and the hook reaches much farther than it did in Arkham Asylum.

More Riddler trophies…a lot more

There are a whopping 400 Riddler trophies in Arkham City. As in Arkham Asylum, it isn't as simple as finding and picking them up, either. There are obstacles that block your path, inaccessible rooms, and even some quasi-minigames, such as manipulating a metal ball through a cage using Batman’s new remote electric charge device. You can also scan Riddler trophies so that they become marked on your map, meaning that it's much easier to keep track of the ones you've spotted but haven't managed to snaffle yet!

Villains! Lots of 'em

The Batman universe holds some of the greatest supervillains in comic book history, and a ton of them have made their way into Arkham City. The Penguin, Bane, the Joker, Victor Zsasz, Deadshot, and Calendar Man are just some of the characters you meet early on in the game. Arkham City is filled to the brim with brilliant baddies, all voiced by excellent actors. Bat fans, prepare to geek out.

Er…you’re Batman

One of the biggest reasons to play this game is that you get to be the Caped Crusader, and you truly feel like you are Batman. Making an excellent superhero game in Arkham Asylum was an achievement, but Batman is even more of a badass this time around. You can find out more about Arkham City by checking out our full video review, which you can find below.