Batman is back in ‘Arkham City’

With appearances of well-known and obscure characters, Arkham City, released Oct. 2011 by Rocksteady Studios, holds gameplay treasures for anyone, from the casual comic fan to the hardcore comic nerd.

I’ve long been a fan of computer games. I would count down the days to a new “Tomb Raider” or “Half Life” game with the same fever I’d get for a new “Harry Potter” book. Comics, too, were an addiction. When I found out that Rocksteady had produced a game that combined my love of computer games with my love of comic books, I had to play it. I wasn’t disappointed.

Batman returns to the video game console in "Arkham City" the sequel to the 2009 game "Arkham Asylum." (CU Independent/Robert R. Denton)

The game takes place in Arkham City, a prison made from Gotham City itself to house all the miscreants that the city turns out. Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, finds himself trapped in the city after the mysterious and mayhem-oriented Hugo Strange arrests Wayne and throws him into the middle of the prison. It isn’t long before the billionaire frees himself and dons the cowl that strikes fear into the villains of Gotham.

Arkham City has stunning depth. Where its predecessor, Arkham Asylum (2009), had significant cameos of famous enemies like Bane and Poison Ivy, Arkham City packs in more villains than can be counted. Hugo Strange lords over all the evil while Two-Face, the Penguin and the Joker fight out their own battles for space and territory. Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze have appearances as well, though Mr. Freeze’s robotic voice is somewhat comical in an otherwise good boss fight.

Though many of the characters are familiar to fans of the comic books and movies, characters like Solomon Grundy—a zombie character originally introduced in 1944—and Deadshot are not easily recognizable to the casual Batman fan only familiar with the movies. The characters added new, and sometimes frustrating challenges for players. Game developers seem to have foreseen this: as each new character comes into play, a notification appears alerting players to a full character bio including first comic book appearance, history, and any special attributes they may have. It’s like having the DC wiki in-game.

Each character performance is well-voiced and animated, making Arkham City feel more like a movie than a computer game. I particularly enjoyed cut scenes featuring Mark Hamill, famous for “Star Wars” and the Batman cartoons. His acting made it seem as if the Joker were a real, evil individual, rather than a stiff, over-cartoony farce. “Lost” fans should look out for the Joker’s casually dropped reference during the game.

Fights can become difficult without a standard mouse until controls are retooled. Laptop owners beware, some key-bound actions will have to be redone. Even with these minor criticisms, the bat’s main fights still play out like movie scenes and are the most dynamic fights I’ve ever played. Who wouldn’t like swooping down from a gargoyle to take out a clown-faced thug?

The established plot line that follows Batman’s main encounters with the Joker and Hugo Strange is a relatively minor part of gameplay. The significant bulk of play comes from challenges orchestrated by the Riddler, side missions involving minor, yet, iconic Batman characters like Bane, and exploration of the city itself.

If the extended gameplay isn’t enough for you, be sure to check out Nightwing and Robin playable content, which is available to download.

Rocksteady’s story was significantly darker than I expected. While Arkham Asylum maintained the comic-book feel inherent to Batman’s story while still bringing a real-world tint to game play, Arkham City launches players full on into the grit and gore that a real city might have. Particularly unsettling was one portion where players must rescue a doctor that the Joker’s goons have taken hostage. The doctor’s screams spurred me forward and left me rattled. It seems the Dark Knight really lives in a dark and depressing world.

Despite the darkness, Rocksteady Studios has done it again. After producing Arkham Asylum, a game built around the classic rivalry between Batman and the Joker, the studio goes far beyond the mark again with the sequel.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ana Faria at [email protected].