It really is hard to believe the wait is finally over. Just two short days ago (yes, I went to the midnight release party) I picked up my copy of Batman: Arkham City and holy crap, this game is amazing. Developed by Rocksteady Games, DC‘s favorite Dark Knight has exploded back into the video game spotlight. The follow up sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, this game takes everything that was great about the first one, which was quite a lot, and expands on it immensely. I’ve lost tack of time repeatedly staying up all night playing this game. The best analogy I can muster is, this is like going from Batman Begins to The Dark Knight. Where to even begin with this amazing game?

I’ll start with the voice cast which is near perfect. Kevin Conroy is back as the man behind the cowl, Bruce Wayne/Batman. He voiced the titular hero in Asylum but seemed to be on cruise control. He was good, but nothing spectacular, but in this game he is fearsome. He embodies the voice perfectly, matching his work from the show. Mark Hamill is back as the villainous Joker and again he steals the show every chance he gets. His voice truly is perfect for Joker.  Nolan North voices Penguin and I swear I thought he was Bob Hoskins at first. Wally Wingert brings the Riddler to life, Grey DeLisle adds a sultry style to Catwoman, Troy Baker is Two-Face, Corey Burton is Hugo Strange, and Maurice LeMarche is Mr. Freeze. Each one does an amazing job in the role, with North really trying to one up Hamill as the most badass in the game. One notable omission is Arleen Sorkin who did not return to voice the twisted Harley Quinn, instead she was replaced by the talented Tara Strong.

The graphics are stunning, just beautiful. The city is alive and flourishing. Several characters can be present in the game, and I mean so far I’ve seen 50 on-screen characters at once, with no clipping or lagging taking place. The costumes look more crisp and the background constantly has things going on. From subtle cues as to who is talking, helicopters flying overhead, and thugs just roaming around. The biggest improvement is the facial expressions. One thing that was a little off putting with Asylum was that the close ups on the characters were always met with dead eyes. Well no more mannequin characters here! These people are alive and breathing in this city.

The sound is amazing. The music is on par with that from a great motion picture, reminiscent of Hans Zimmer. I’ve already stated how great the voice acting is, but another great sound quality is the subtlety. You hear the smallest details, from thugs talking down the block to alarms sounding several buildings away.

The game play is epic. The plot starts six months after Asylum, continuing the storyline with a new prison being opened in the middle of Gotham. Of course many citizens are not pleased with this decision, including Bruce Wayne. Well things don’t go well for him and he ends up being arrested and sent to the new City. After a quick escape and wardrobe change, Batman is now on the scene and he learns that Dr. Hugo Strange has a plan for the new prison primed to go down in 10 hours. But that is not the only plot, oh no not in the least. Each villain seems to have their own goal going on, from Two-Face to the Joker, they all have some property staked out in the city, and plans to end Batman in their own way. The fighting mechanics have been enhanced greatly, with new combos introduced, new gadgets, and new special take downs introduced. I’ve had to fight about 30 opponents at one time and let me say that was one of the greatest moments so far. Seeing Batman go from one thug to another, delivering a punch to the face, kick to the stomach, grapple hook to the face – epic take downs. Speaking of, one of my favorite take downs involve a thug’s head and a slab of concrete.

The puzzles have been revamped greatly, with some that I still haven’t figured out how to solve. The Riddler really wants to drive you insane in this game.

The characters are astounding. Batman is pissed off and angry. He storms the city looking for answers and takes no prisoners. The Joker is as diabolical as ever but he is being rivaled by the Penguin. Seriously, they seemed to have totally revamped his character and make him just a ruthless, blood thirsty tyrant. Catwoman is as sexy and fiendish as ever. She is a playable character in the game during the story mode and is really fun to use. The Riddler is pretty cutthroat in this game as well. I don’t want to reveal too many characters and spoil the surprise of playing. I had a friend ruin a twist in the game and now I dread reaching that moment, although I hope he was lying.

It’s been a great two days playing this game and I’ll probably lose more sleep as my PS3 just turned on and is calling to me. This is easily one of the best games of the year, in a year that is filled with great games. Definite must buy, so far with only 9 percent complete, I can already say this game is a solid “10.” Sound off in the comments and let us know how you like it!

Tags: Arkham Asylum, Batman, Batman: Arkham City, Batman;Arkham Asylum, books, Comic, comic booked, Comic Books, Comics, DC, gaming, Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, tara strong, Video Games

About the Author

Written by James Victor Von Halstead

When not battling the forces of the undead you can find James at the local cinema watching whatever comic book inspired film that was just released, for the third time.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/ive-moved-to-a-city-of-madness-arkham-city/