Listen up ladies, if you’re a gamer (and I have to assume you are if you’re reading this) and have not yet thought about the additions to your fall gaming line-up, there are two things to say…
First, get going, it’s already the end of October. What are you doing, you’re wasting time?!?
Secondly, please run, don’t walk, to your nearest Best Buy or GameStop and pick up a copy of Batman: Arkham City.
It’s been a little over a week since it was released (October 18) by developer Rocksteady and WB Interactive on Xbox and PS3 gaming consoles. If you’re a PC gamer, no worries, the Windows release is set for November.
The game’s already sold an impressive 2 million copies worldwide and received great reviews across the board. IGN.com rated the game an amazing 9.5 out of 10, and both the Official Xbox Magazine and the Official Playstation Magazine gave it perfect 10s.
So, what makes the game so great you may ask? Well, you can start with the story, add the massive cast of characters, the graphics, the score, the controller set-up and most importantly, Catwoman.
In addition to playing as Batman, you also get the chance to play as Catwoman. She’s fierce, fabulous and very frisky. She has her own secondary storyline weaving throughout the game, her main foe being Two-Face.
But, keep in mind you will not be able to access her 4-part arc of the story until you redeem the Catwoman code, which comes with the game. I highly recommend doing this before you start the game, it just adds to the overall continuity of the story. And if you prefer to buy used copies, you'll need to buy the downloadable content off of Xbox Live or through the PlayStation Store.
Throughout the progression of the game, you will notice that Catwoman isn’t the only female character who is just as important to the plot as she is easy on the eyes. So buried throughout my review, I would like to point out the fantastic femme fatales in Arkham.
The Good
Selena Kyle aka Catwoman
Catwoman makes her living performing heists across the city, the more high profile the better. You are first introduced to her while she is attempting to break into Two-Face's personal safe. Later, she reluctantly enlists the help of Poison Ivy to help break into Hugo Strange's vault. Ivy (Red as Catwoman calls her) and Cat have a number of fun interactions including dialogue when Cat says to Ivy, “What no kiss, I’m disappointed.” And I have to say, I was kinda disappointed as well.
During game play, she pounces instead of jumps and she takes down her enemies by whipping them or by wrapping her legs around them and suffocating them. I don’t make this stuff up, classic.
A trained gymnast, highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and most comfortable in stealth mode, Catwoman has become very good at stealing well-protected items. She becomes an integral part of the storyline when Batman is in some serious trouble.
Talia al Ghul
Talia is the daughter of Gotham villain Ra’s al Ghul, but is also Batman’s love interest. She is a skilled fighter, serving as second in command of her father’s army of assassins and is gifted in the art of hand-to-hand combat and weaponry.
She plays a pivotal role in the course of the game’s storyline, saving Batman in a number of different situations and by extension, possibly undermining all of her father’s hard work.
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Barbara Gordon aka Oracle
Barbara is the daughter of Gotham City's Police Commissioner Gordon. She originally showed up in the comics as Batgirl, after her dad prevented her from joining the ranks of Gotham’s police force. Sadly, she was paralyzed by one of Joker’s bullets and is now confined to a wheelchair.
However, the accident didn’t stop her quest for justice; she went on to adopt the new identity of Oracle, and now serves as Batman’s eyes and ears.
Even though we only hear Oracle through Batman’s communications ear piece (we never see her on screen), she helps Batman fight the bad guys by cracking codes, hacking into computer systems and accessing highly confidential information.
The Bad
Dr. Harleen Quinzel aka Harley Quinn
The Joker's old psychiatrist and current girlfriend, Harley Quinn’s devotion to her man is admirable, but through this bloodthirsty bond, her behavior is now showing signs of being very erratic and outright vicious.
Harley has helped the Joker escape confinement, she constantly strives to meet his approval and throughout the Arkham City storyline, she stops at nothing to aid the Joker now that he’s fallen ill.
Her only positive attribute, she sports a pretty rockin’ outfit.
Pamela Isley aka Poison Ivy
Botanist Pamela Isley was transformed from human to a plant-human hybrid during a science experiment gone wrong. She has a toxic touch, while possessing a pheromone-fueled talent for seduction and control.
However, during the game it seems as though Catwoman wins the battle with Ivy and gets her friend Red to help her cause. Two unlikely allies working together for the common good, or is it a common evil?
The Rest
When the game begins, the mayor of Gotham City is moving the inmates from both Blackgate Prison and Arkham Asylum to a cordoned off area of Gotham. This area, goes by the name of Arkham City, and is currently being run by the diabolical Dr. Hugo Strange. It’s your job as Batman to stop Strange from carrying out his plan (I’m not giving anything away), all while tracking down his numerous allies and returning Arkham to the good people of Gotham.
All of Batman’s enemies from the many comics, movies and TV shows over the years make an appearance. You have to defeat Dr. Strange (and whoever is helping his evil cause), the Joker and the Penguin. During the side missions you are met with over 400 Riddler challenges to solve. And if that isn’t enough, you help police investigate many murders throughout the city, aide political prisoners in distress and perfect your fight and flight responses.
The graphics and the score really set the tone well; you are immediately thrust into the dark underworld of Gotham. The cut scenes feel more like you’re watching (and by extension, living) a movie instead of just playing a videogame.
Arkham City, the successful follow-up to the 2009 release, Batman: Arkham Asylum takes what was great about the first game and adds a whole lot more. It’s a larger map, with a lot more entertaining characters (both good and bad), and is an all around bigger game. Plan to devote a lot of time, between the main story, the side missions and the upcoming downloadable content; you will be entertained for weeks to come.
