Batman: Arkham City first impressions

Written by Tommy Curry Wednesday, 19 October 2011 22:02

After two long years of waiting, Batman: Arkham City has finally hit store shelves. The expectations prior to its release were through the roof and I must admit, upon turning it on for the first time, mine were too.

And how could they not be? Arkham Asylum was the greatest Batman game I've ever played (and yes that includes Batman for the NES), and as a fan of the character I couldn't wait to see what was in store.

So I'm a few hours into it and by far, Arkham City has delivered on every level.

It starts off with a hard-hitting introduction, like a punch from the Dark Knight himself. Drawing you in immediately, you almost don’t have time to realize how amazing the graphics are. They're gritty, they're dirty and boy are they awesome. Combat is top-notch. It keeps it simple, but doesn't get boring or repetitive. Pulling off combos, counters and stealth attacks has never been better.

After a short tutorial (where you get to beat up a certain tuxedo-wearing runt), you are given free roam of the map. Flying around with a cape and grappling hook is beyond awesome and definitely keeps exploration exciting and fun. The setting itself is a slummy, high-security city at the heart of Gotham, which houses criminals ranging from purse-snatchers to evil masterminds.

Speaking of which, even just a few hours in, I've already gotten to confront some of the most classic characters from Batman's Rogues' Gallery. These characters don't just feel tacked on and bland, they all have their own unique personalities straight from the comic books.

And that's the most pleasing thing about this game so far. It's just as much for the fan-boys as it is for a general audience, and Rocksteady has blended that together perfectly so far.

Stay tuned for a full review of Batman: Arkham City, which should come out as soon as I'm able to put down the controller.

Same Bat-time!

Same Bat-channel!