Batman: Arkham City

Players: 1 Offline Player
Publisher: Warner Brothers Interactive
Genres: Action, Adventure
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms:
Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring into Arkham City, the new maximum security “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds.

Batman: Arkham City Angry Review, 9.0 out of 10 based on 7 ratings

Angry Joe Reviews Batman: Arhkam City!

Batman encounters a mysterious new villain as Angry Joe reviews Arkham City. Can Rocksteady and the Dark Knight live up to all the hype in this highly anticipated sequel? And just who is this new villain’s true identity? Find out!


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Rating: 9.0/10 (7 votes cast)

Batman: Arkham City Video Review - ZGR

ZGR Daniel gives you the scoop on Batman: Arkham City! ZGR - Video Review

Batman: Arkham City Angry Review

Batman encounters a mysterious new villain as Angry Joe reviews Arkham City. Can Rocksteady and the Dark Knight live up to all the hype in this highly anticipated sequel? And just who is this new villain's true identity? Find out!

Batman: Arkham City Review

With expectations now sky high, Arkham City doesn't have the luxury of flying under the radar. This only makes what Rocksteady has created that much more impressive.

Batman Arkham City: Harley's Revenge Review

With the fate of Harley Quinn left up in the air at the end of Arkham City, this DLC has got fans excited to find out more. If you haven't found the Easter Egg in the Joker's office and don't wish for spoilers from the original campaign, do not read this review and get away from the internet!
  1. November 17, 2011 at 04:31pm
    In response to Article
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    I don’t get why people are claiming the catwoman DLC thing is an “attack” on the used games market. If anything it’s the other way around: they’re not “attacking” people who buy used, they’re /rewarding/ people who buy new! It’s a way of saying thanks for being such an awesome customer, here have a little something extra for free. It’s like at the local movie theatre, I get a free soda for buying a large popcorn. That’s all the Catwoman DLC is, a free soda to go with the popcorn.

    And sides, I think the game is better off without it installed. Her little ending chapter completely ruins the fantastic ending, and her little interludes break the flow of the story a bit too much.

  2. October 29, 2011 at 04:14pm
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    I pre-ordered the game on PC but it got delayed and I guess now they’re saying the game dropped Games For Windows LIVE. Now I’m wondering what kind of DRM the game will use– I’m hoping Steamworks.

    However, they just announced a bunch of partnerships for other publishers to have their games released on EA’s Origin, including Batman. I’m now wondering is the PC version will require Origin like Battlefield 3. :(

    I really wish they’d just tell us what’s up with the DRM, because I’d prefer Steam but since I already use Originit’s not AS bad. The reason I’m interested it because I got a good deal on GMG and I’d prefer to use Steam over their “Capsule” download manager to get the game. If I can just put my key into Origin or better yet Steam and activate the game that way, that’s what I’d prefer.

    This is the type of game I would have normally bought on either Xbox or PS3, but I was able to get the PC version for a lot less. In fact I’ve been buying a lot more games on PC because of the savings to the point that all my Q4 purchases have been for PC.

    I kinda wish Joe could “rattle their cages” (lol that was so terribad) and get them to spill the beans on the DRM though since they won’t issue an official statement/press release about the DRM solution.

    • October 29, 2011 at 06:48pm
      In response to Tyr4nt
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      took a bit to figure out but I guess it WILL be using GFWL after all? sonuvabitch >:(

  3. October 28, 2011 at 07:26am
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    I think the angry joe-batman-villain thing really works. Good job! =D
    Seems like a great game!

  4. October 27, 2011 at 11:39pm
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    I finished the game just so i could watch this review, great review joe, this game is awesome and i really like how they use the kind of overused gimmick with CF at the end, but for villains not appearing i was thinking more of Man-bat it would make this game more exciting, although the ventriloquist is good too

  5. October 27, 2011 at 07:39pm
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    Geez Joe, how many evil variations do you have?

  6. October 27, 2011 at 07:22pm
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    you know, Batman could just pay you. If your mad about not getting tipped, you can just get him to give you a good amount of money

  7. October 27, 2011 at 04:50pm
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    That whole batarang thing seems like a direct rip off from Dark Sector right down to the charging it with an element and hitting a fuse box

  8. October 27, 2011 at 11:56am
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    I like the review a lot. But please in the future, try not to spoil the game’s “surprises” too much. :)
    Thank you.

  9. October 27, 2011 at 10:09am
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    Kevin Conroy made an incredible performance with this game. Ps. Thank you Joe for pushing me to buy this title! I’ve not looked back since ;-)

  10. October 27, 2011 at 09:32am
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    You showed a little too much of the game then I liked. The Mad Hatter segment was a total surprise to me and it’s been spoiled now. Other than that, solid review.

  11. October 27, 2011 at 05:52am
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    Batman didn’t create the Reddler, your Greenscreen did, Joe! :P

  12. October 27, 2011 at 05:26am
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    I really liked the game but I’m with Joe, it’s not a 10 but the biggest reason for this is different than the ones that Joe listed for me at least. The game crashed a couple of times and had some really bad texture pop-in (worse than Rage for one) but even with those I could have forgiven but then I had a game breaking glitch in one of the Riddler Challenge Rooms that prevents me from ever doing that sidemission. I had close to 300 Riddler Trophies picked so I’m not going to start a new game and go through all that again and while I’m on the subject of those Trophies, in this game there is so many that it’s more of a tedious task than a pleasant challenge it was in Asylum. I didn’t however have any technical difficulties with the DLC like many have.

    And as Joe categorized players more into the open world or into a more involving straight narrative I belong in the latter of the two groups. I love the combat in these games but I felt they made it overcomplicated with a bunch of throw-away gadgets and they nerfed the batclaw into a crappier gadget, I would have preferred less useless stuff and the powerful batclaw from Asylum. In the end though I really liked the game and while it may not make its way to my Top3 of the year I expect it to be in the Top5 at least.

    • October 27, 2011 at 05:58pm
      In response to anoyster
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      Funny, I never had a single technical problem, and I’m playing it on an older junker xbox. As for the gadgets, I ended up finding a good use for all of them during stealth fights, usually mixing things up with the disarmer, freeze grenade, and emp gun to make distractions and give me an advantage. And the batclaw didn’t get nerfed so much as get it’s wall-busting feature transferred to the line launcher.

  13. October 27, 2011 at 05:10am
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    Great vid Joe.

    Though, I’m a mite dubious about the Red-dler. Seems like more of a Morrisonian/DickBats kind of character.

  14. October 27, 2011 at 04:02am
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    Catwoman in this game makes me meow. She is so puuurfect. And its awesome that you can play as her.

  15. October 27, 2011 at 01:36am
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    Very nice review. But I am holding still waiting very impatiently for the BF3 review.

  16. October 26, 2011 at 10:27pm
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    I also got tired of some of the thug banter as you’re roaming the city. Yeah yeah, Poison Ivy and Catwoman are hot but dangerous, I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TEN TIMES! What they should’ve done is had the thugs comment on your playstyle. Like if you use the electric gun a lot they would say Thug A:Hey did you hear? Batman has this gun that shoots electricity Thug B: Aw man, now that just ain’t fair

  17. October 26, 2011 at 09:37pm
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    Actually, Joe, that is not the worst Batman costume ever. You should see the ones the Video Games Awesome crew were wearing in their recent Arkham videos. Although Becky did have one awesome (and very sexy, I might add) Harley Quinn outfit.

  18. October 26, 2011 at 08:58pm
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    Theres no need to get so upset I didn’t issue a 10. Why wasn’t it a 10?

    #1. The second act dragged, so many villains then thrown away the next minute.
    #2. The combat can be shallow.
    #3. Akrham Aslyum seem to flow at a faster pace and was a more focused story overall.
    #4. 10/10 are reserved for those games that go far above and beyond. I felt that had they included co-op or some multiplayer of some kinda this would have made it the ultimate game. Or if #1-3 was addressed instead.

    @Puty You make a good point about failing to mention the annoying attack on used games market, ill have to find a way to mention that in all my reviews in a quick way so they dont dominate the videos – the fact is that this is a growing problem, and is likely one thats here to stay. Maybe a badge of some kind.

    In fairness I have less than 20 minutes to make all the points id like to about the game, by the end you should have a good idea on how the game plays, what it offers and my own personal opinion on it. If you find that i didnt mention how the graphics didnt improve and thats a huge problem for you, thats fine. For me, it wasnt. So I left it out. The graphics are Effin amazing btw.

    As for losing credibility, that’s your own opinion. This review was completely my honest thoughts on the game, if you think i’m lying to you for some reason, that’s your thing. I liked this game enough for a high 9, i’m sorry that’s so hard to believe for you. If you think you are going to agree with every reviewer 100% of the time on every game the grade your missing the point and youre wrong.

    • October 27, 2011 at 05:30am
      In response to AngryJoe
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      First of all, thank you for replying, Joe. It really means a lot for me, because it shows you care.
      You know, I follow you since your SW:TOR interview. You’ve often voiced concerns of the players(like in that interview, Mass Effect 2, MvC3).
      So since we entering crucial moment I was counting on you( i remember the drawing of you giving note to the exec in suit). RAGE and Batman: AC are the first ones to charge extra for something from the SINGLE PLAYER campaign. I think it is inexcusable, thus when it was announced i thought to myself – Oh, Joe will show them. When you omitted that I was really disappointed – I hadn’t expected you to mention it in all upcoming reviews since online pass is something common nowadays – just this one time because it is a precedent.

      Now that you made your point I see it. I just gave my opinion that to me there is no mentions of the problems so I thought that we’re going to see a perfect score.
      After your post I don’t think of anything shady anymore. Now I see that you just(to me) didn’t explain it properly. For example – you defended the combat system overall(which btw I think is ok) and if I recall correctly you gave a little to why 2nd act drags. If that were the points that lowered the score, I would like yu to elaborate on them a bit. Yes, I agree that multiplayer would be amazing in this game.
      “If you think you are going to agree with every reviewer 100% of the time on every game the grade your missing the point and youre wrong.”
      No, no. I disagree with you time to time. I come to your videos because of
      1)The facts
      2)Your opinion
      3)Your simple, non technical form of giving your thoughts
      4)Your sense of humour
      And I felt that for some reason you went easy on B:AC – you didn’t mention the flaws such as corrupting saves or issues with the downloading the DLC skins or not signifficant improvements of the graphics and in this way I suppose it is a “carbon copy”(you use this term often) of AA.
      So there, please understand doubts that I had.
      PS. You said recently that you should listen to your fans more often. I see that you have the list of the upcoming reviews – how about maybe -I don’t know- special email addres where we could send you our concerns? For example in Central Europe we were screwed with the ME2 DLC’s.
      You know, like you mentioned it with Mortal Kombat about Australia.
      Anyway, thanks for claryfying and I am sorry for maybe too emotional tone of my previous posts.

    • October 27, 2011 at 04:18pm
      In response to AngryJoe
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      “Maybe a badge of some kind.”
      Introducing a ‘Consumer unfriendly’ medal seems like a fair call.

    • October 28, 2011 at 05:20am
      In response to AngryJoe
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      Plus no game that calls that odd looking N64 character Harley can get a 10/10. amirite?

  19. October 26, 2011 at 08:49pm
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    Couldn’t find a worse Batman outfit?!? Have you not seen the Video Games AWESOME thumbnails?!?

    • October 27, 2011 at 12:26am
      In response to Hotcakes
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      I mean, Frasier’s costume has to be pinned on because it doesn’t fit. Even if you like the ’60s Batman look, you can’t deny that it’s worse than yours.

      And I say that with all love for VGA.

  20. October 26, 2011 at 07:13pm
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    Good review but i have a few things to say :
    1. I find the combat to be very satisfying , not shallow as you describe it to be.
    2. As the user maajin said , you should be careful what you show in the video , but i think you shouldnt even mentionsome of the characters that didnt get mentioned in the media prior to the game’s release as Ra’s , Zhasz , Azrael etc. When i was playin and i saw Ra’s was in the game i got rly hyped to see what will happen.
    And for the people that complain about the used copy, i heard that if u get it at Gamestop used u still get a copy of the Catwoman code. As for me , i bought my collectors edition day1 and dont regret it. Glad to support someone like Rocksteady and they should get their money for such an awesome title!

    • October 26, 2011 at 07:49pm
      In response to fmkain19
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      Yes, I am sure that B:AC is a great game but I don’t want to pay an extra fee to Ford when I buy used Mustang – even if “they deserve it because it is awesome car.”
      But I’m also pointing out something else. Joe didn’t mention any cons of this game whatsoever(like if there wasn’t any), which to me is a little dishonest.

      • October 26, 2011 at 09:41pm
        In response to Puty
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        Did you fall asleep during the video or something? Because I distinctly remember him mentioning two cons: (1) the story drags a bit in a few places, and (2) combat could have been improved.

  21. October 26, 2011 at 05:56pm
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    Like always incredible review Joe..All of you’re hard work really paid off …Now watching this review has made it official that this game needs to be bought…But damn I already bought Dues Ex Human Revolution and the disappointing Dead rising 2 Off the record…Egh I hate Broketober

  22. October 26, 2011 at 04:16pm
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    Yes, Arkham City is EXCELLENT! After the brilliance that was Arkham Asylum, it only makes sense for the sequel to be more of a sandbox game, and Rocksteady did not disappoint.

    Some useless trivia since I’m too much of a geek not to mention it: Hugo Strange is NOT the only villain to know Batman’s secret identity. Ra’s and Talia al Ghul also know who he is.

    Try going into the room where you meet the Joker and Harley and search the floor. You might make a startling discovery!

  23. October 26, 2011 at 03:12pm
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    Forgot to mention new game plus!

  24. October 26, 2011 at 03:11pm
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    Excellent review Joe though Hugo is not the only Batman villain to know Bat’s secret,Ra’s Al Ghoul and Bane know it(Bane knew it in a week when he fought and broke Batman’s Spine in the Batcave mind you) but besides that minor nitpick with the review well done and I had a feeling you were going to reference the Adam West Batman when that Shark popped up out of the blue like that.

  25. October 26, 2011 at 02:00pm
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    I just created an account to ask you, angry joe two questions

    1. No 10/10? Seriously?! Please explain that because i dont get it !

    2. 8/10 for Deus Ex Human Revolution is fair but… no Bad Ass Seal? Why?

  26. October 26, 2011 at 12:49pm
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    Why not a 10/10?
    Come on Joe…

  27. October 26, 2011 at 11:14am
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    I still say this game is awesome, but the combat shallow? Sure it’s only one buttons hits all, but is it that bad when you have to fight over a dozen baddies armed with knives, shields, heavy armor, and guns? I’d say it’s a godsend otherwise you don’t feel like you’re fighting as Batman.

    Regardless, this is the game that defines what Batman is, and how well made this game really is.

    BTW, loved your intro. I saw your V-Log about not able to rent a very expensive car and the actual cool Batman costume. Man, you’re right though, that bodysuit Batman costume really does look terrible. XD

  28. October 26, 2011 at 10:55am
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    Wow Joe, you just lost quite a few points in terms of credibility, in my opinion of you. It was clear that you wanted to like this game… too much. To the point I was surprised that you didn’t give it 10/10 since you hadn’t mentioned any of the drawbacks of the game(well, little dragging of the second act isn’t rather something to drop the score). You forgot to mention no progress in looks of the models of the characters like Sage did.
    And what dissappointed me the most – no word of the another attack aimed at the customers of the second hand bought games. You were not pleased with it with Mass Effect 2, but they blocked the DLC. Here we are getting blocked Catwoman sections from THE STORY MODE if one pick the game used. Thats a very daring move, and unfortunately it went unpunished by you.
    Just please, don’t act like you care for the second hand market gamers anymore, when with the great opportunity to voice ours (and supposedly yours) concerns you say nothing about it occupied with kissing up creators of the B:AC.
    I like(liked?) your stuff, but after this…. I don’t know I’m really confused. For this reason the whole “guy from the neighbourhood” image is lost.
    PS. Please go easy on me in the terms of language. English is not my native one.

    • October 26, 2011 at 11:58am
      In response to Puty
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      why would you buy this game used? if you’re that stubborn, just wait for the game of the year edition to come out ;)

    • October 26, 2011 at 01:54pm
      In response to Puty
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      If you buy the game used the developers dont get a single damn penny of the money they deserve for making such a hella awesome game. If you’re gonna be that cheap that you’d buy a brand new game at a used price of only five dollars off, since the prices for used versions of games only really drops considerably a couple months after the game is released so the difference is negligible, you don’t deserve Catwoman. In case you didn’t notice, he gave it the bad ass seal, which means (while being a slightly goofy concept) he wants you to buy it new because it is worth the money, and the devs deserve it for the hard work they put into the game. If you’re gonna pinch pennys, you have no right to complain. On any other game I would back you, but when it comes to this one, only a week after it was released, you really have no excuse.

      • October 26, 2011 at 02:43pm
        In response to randomfox
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        “If you buy the game used the developers dont get a single damn penny of the money they deserve”
        Well I figured that out x). I would feel bad, except that THIS IS HOW IT WORKS WITH EVEYTHING. Cars still work after you buy them from someone else, and used CD’s play in the other adapters. I don’t want the future when I can’t switch to last gear in my car because it is second hand.
        I can understand online passes for multi – creators of the given title have to pay for the servers etc. And please… that line with not “deserving” catwoman x)…. Up to these days I was sure that I deserve everything what was written on the box, even when resold. Yes I have a legitimate right to complain.

        But back to Joe. It would be nice if he’d adressed that even if he is fine with it. Or other things like problems with downloading DLC which people are reporting. Someone even in these comments here mentioned corrupting save datas..
        Hell, I still don’t even know why he gave it 9/10. I was genuinely surprised, because he didn’t mention anything particulary wrong.

        • October 26, 2011 at 09:34pm
          In response to Puty
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          The review was about the game itself, not about the so-called “War Against Used Games”. The thing is, at this stage of its development, we already know that the “War Against Used Games” is going to cause complications in more and more games. We may not like it, but we are already aware of it and have to learn to deal with it. We can either buy the games new like they want, deal with the issues, or stop buying games entirely. As for me, I’d just as soon wait until the price drops, although for something like this, it’ll be at least two years before it’s a reasonable drop.

          I don’t like the whole “War Against Used Games” either, but my point is, this review is not a forum for dealing with that issue. It’s to give us an impression of the game, so that we can determine whether we want to buy it or not. Me, if I had an extra $60 I could spare right now (that wasn’t already relegated to bills), I know I would fork it over proudly.

    • October 26, 2011 at 10:55pm
      In response to Puty
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      Puty, I think you make a good point about the second hand games market. Although I usually buy my games new, I do not believe in the longevity of a business model shaping itself towards a self-destructing product, and I feel that these sorts of restrictions will ultimately be harmful to the games industry.

      That said, I think your mode of addressing the issue was flawed. Talking about how you feel Joe has disappointed you personally because he didn’t discuss a matter that was important to you, talking about him losing credibility in your eyes, in general taking what you perceive to be his failure as an insult to yourself have caused your message to become lost. People are less interested in the actual matter of your post than in the _manner_ in which you posted it.

      This may be worth considering if you truly wish to advocate sensible DRM application in the future.

  29. October 26, 2011 at 10:17am
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    I’m saying this is better then sex rating :D Absolutely my favorite game this year^^

  30. October 26, 2011 at 08:26am
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    I think part of the success of Batman Arkham series is not tying itself down and rushing for release of a new movie.

    Another part is that Rocksteady are darn good at making these games.

  31. October 26, 2011 at 06:40am
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    I hope publishers will learn from BAC so next time they will make a proper open world Spider-Man, Superman, X-Men or other super hero comic game.

  32. October 26, 2011 at 05:15am
    In response to Article
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    Great review Joe! I just couldn’t believe you found the combat in both games to be shallow. It’s the greatest and one of the most strategic melee combat systems in modern games for me, one of the few in which button mashing won’t get you far. Also, it looks amazing.

    By the way, be careful of what you show in the video. I would be pissed to know about some of the boss fights you showed if I hadn’t beaten the game already.

    Keep up the great work, and may the Reddler return when Batman: Arkham Nation releases!

  33. October 26, 2011 at 05:02am
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    The ventriloquist dummy is in the museum

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In the dark night, the dark knight got light effects to run tight in spite of slight setbacks to OSes of lower bytes. Will this affect you? It might. How trite.

Batman: Arkham City DX11 Issues Being Addressed

Posted by [ 1 year, 5 months ]

Excited PC players cranked their DX11 settings up this week to look at Arkham City in all its dark knight glory, only to discover the in-game camera to suffer from a condition that induced small seizures every few seconds. Rocksteady has acknowledged the problem, and is on the case! *theme song*

Arkham City: Robin DLC Details And Video

Posted by [ 1 year, 5 months ]

The Robin DLC is finally out for those who didn’t pre-order the game through Best Buy or didn’t buy a code from someone who hocked it on Ebay.

Arkham City PC Delayed

Posted by [ 1 year, 6 months ]

In surely the best year for games we’ve seen in a long time, the increasingly common trend of PC version delays rears its unpleasantly ubiquitous head. Arkham City now also delayed, but not for much longer.

Arkham City Conclusion is AWESOME!

Posted by [ 1 year, 6 months ]

I can’t believe that Robin was actually Harley Quinn the WHOLE TIME! All this and the ACTUAL plot twists in our Arkham City Long Haul conclusion!

Arkham City: Nightwing DLC Details and Gameplay

Posted by [ 1 year, 6 months ]

Once he was an acrobat, then a sidekick, and then he became his own man. Now, you can play as him in Batman: Arkham City.

New Trailer for Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC Highlights the Dynamic Duo

Posted By about 1 year ago

The final piece of DLC for Batman: Arkham City is only a few weeks away from release and now a new trailer has been released for players to enjoy.

Harley Quinn's Revenge Announced as New Story Driven Batman: Arkham City DLC

Posted By about 1 year ago

One final mission awaits the Dynamic Duo in Arkham City and BT has all the details you need to know.

Arkham City DX11 Patched, Kind Of

Posted By about 1 year, 5 months ago

In the dark night, the dark knight got light effects to run tight in spite of slight setbacks to OSes of lower bytes. Will this affect you? It might. How trite.

Batman: Arkham City DX11 Issues Being Addressed

Posted By about 1 year, 5 months ago

Excited PC players cranked their DX11 settings up this week to look at Arkham City in all its dark knight glory, only to discover the in-game camera to suffer from a condition that induced small seizures every few seconds. Rocksteady has acknowledged the problem, and is on the case! *theme song*

Arkham City: Robin DLC Details And Video

Posted By about 1 year, 5 months ago

The Robin DLC is finally out for those who didn’t pre-order the game through Best Buy or didn’t buy a code from someone who hocked it on Ebay.

Arkham City PC Delayed

Posted By about 1 year, 6 months ago

In surely the best year for games we’ve seen in a long time, the increasingly common trend of PC version delays rears its unpleasantly ubiquitous head. Arkham City now also delayed, but not for much longer.

Arkham City Conclusion is AWESOME!

Posted By about 1 year, 6 months ago

I can’t believe that Robin was actually Harley Quinn the WHOLE TIME! All this and the ACTUAL plot twists in our Arkham City Long Haul conclusion!

Arkham City: Nightwing DLC Details and Gameplay

Posted By about 1 year, 6 months ago

Once he was an acrobat, then a sidekick, and then he became his own man. Now, you can play as him in Batman: Arkham City.

Batman: Arkham City Angry Review

Posted By about 1 year, 6 months ago

Batman encounters a mysterious new villain as Angry Joe reviews Arkham City. Can Rocksteady and the Dark Knight live up to all the hype in this highly anticipated sequel? And just who is this new villain’s true identity? Find out!

Batman: Arkham City Review

Posted By about 1 year, 6 months ago

With expectations now sky high, Arkham City doesn’t have the luxury of flying under the radar. This only makes what Rocksteady has created that much more impressive.

Better With Wii U? – Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition

Better With Wii U? – Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition

Batman: Arkham City Angry Review, 9.0 out of 10 based on 7 ratings

Better with Wii U?

The Wii U is launching with roughly half a billion games. You don’t have the time to read that many full reviews (and we can’t write that many), so instead we’ll be bringing you a series of mini-reviews entitled “Better With Wii U?” We’ll still be publishing full write-ups for brand new titles, but these pieces will let you know the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of every port/re-release for Nintendo’s newest console.

HOW WAS THE ORIGINAL?

“I can confidently say that if you can only afford a few games this season, Batman: Arkham City absolutely has to be one of them. The fantastic story, robust amount of content, and fun factor all mesh together to make, without question, one of the finest games of the year.”- Taylor H.

We loved Arkham City here at Blistered Thumbs. Our official write-up and all three video reviews were highly positive, and the game made the “Best of 2011″ list for many a site writer. The only complaints any of our producers had with the experience were some niggling control issues and some texture pop-in. Even in a year that saw the release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Portal 2, Batman held his own.

We scored the game 9 out of 10 with a “Buy it Now!” recommendation. Read the full review right here.

WHAT’S NEW WITH WII U?

The titular armor refers to the new suit worn by Bruce Wayne as he stalks about the open world assaulting thugs and villains alike. As you could probably guess from the header image, the suit’s main feature is adding electricity to punch attacks. This manifests within the game as a meter that charges up while you fight. Once you’ve filled the meter, tapping the associated icon on the GamePad allows you to begin your electro beatdown.

In addition, every gadget and mini-game has been altered in order to utilize the Wii U’s fancy new controller. This means that you’ll be tapping the screen to navigate menus, maneuvering the GamePad to scan for clues, and tilting it in order to aim Batarangs. The controller screen can also be used as your map while you play the game on the television, or you can just play the whole game on the GamePad while someone else watches regular programming on the big screen.

Armored Edition also includes all previously released downloadable game content for Arkham City, including the somewhat controversial Catwoman Pack.

WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US?

GamePad integration is a mixed bag. The overall effect on the game is minor, as the Battle Armored Tech gimmick is all but standard in third-person action titles. I don’t see DmC: Devil May Cry getting a Wii U port entitled Devil Trigger Edition. However, the addition doesn’t interfere with the quality of the original release.

The same cannot be said for some of the other new features. On one hand, using the GamePad to plant explosive gel is fine, but when it asks you to swipe, poke, and tilt every few minutes the experience stops being novel and starts becoming annoying. It is natural for launch titles to feel like tech demos, but when such features are shoe-horned into a game that was awesome to begin with, it becomes all the more egregious. With that said, you can disable some of the motion controls from the options menu if you are so inclined, although much of the functionality is irrevocably intertwined with the game in this version.

On the bright side, there are inspired instances in which new features pull their own weight. For example, the ability to search environments while in Detective Mode with the GamePad is probably the most smoothly integrated augment reality yet seen in a mainstream title. It probably helps that the conceit of the controller as part of Batman’s suit interface is relatively believable. Also, Alfred’s voice comes from the controller! That’s pretty awesome.

WHO SHOULD BUY IT? WHY?

If you’ve already beaten Batman: Arkham City then you can safely skip Armored Edition. Some of the GamePad features are cool the first time, but the experience is not improved enough to justify the purchase. In addition, the PC version appears to be superior in just about every technical metric, including textures, load times, and frame rate. Also, the B.A.T. for which the game is named is laughably irrelevant.

However, if you’re a Nintendo fan who missed Rocksteady’s magnum opus the first time, then you should definitely buy a copy. The included DLC is more than enough to make up for the occasional gimmicky misstep, and the rest of the experience holds up remarkably well. Even if this isn’t the definitive version of the game, it is still a port of arguably the best superhero video game of all time.

A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes and played for about 8 hours. The title was previously completed by the reviewer on the PC.

Batman: Arkham City Video Review - ZGR

ZGR Daniel gives you the scoop on Batman: Arkham City! ZGR - Video Review

Batman: Arkham City Angry Review

Batman encounters a mysterious new villain as Angry Joe reviews Arkham City. Can Rocksteady and the Dark Knight live up to all the hype in this highly anticipated sequel? And just who is this new villain's true identity? Find out!

Batman: Arkham City Review

With expectations now sky high, Arkham City doesn't have the luxury of flying under the radar. This only makes what Rocksteady has created that much more impressive.

Batman Arkham City: Harley's Revenge Review

With the fate of Harley Quinn left up in the air at the end of Arkham City, this DLC has got fans excited to find out more. If you haven't found the Easter Egg in the Joker's office and don't wish for spoilers from the original campaign, do not read this review and get away from the internet!
  1. November 20, 2012 at 06:20pm
    In response to Article
    VN:F [1.9.21_1169]
    Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

    I told you, Skitch!

    While a lot of developers had learned long ago that the touch screen is used best when used minimally, those were all portable developers. Most American companies don’t work on portables at all, except for phones (and most of them still try to make the touchscreen be used like a regular controller, much to everyone’s chagrin). They were bound to do this stupid crap since they never dealt with it in the first place.

  2. November 19, 2012 at 08:54pm
    In response to Article
    VN:F [1.9.21_1169]
    Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

    I sorta expected that this game would be the example to point to for how to use the Pad well and horribly wrong at the same time. I just hope that the gimmick of making you swipe and slap at the controller screen for tedious stuff is used infrequently in future games.

    Also guiding that Baterang gave me horrible flashbacks of Heavenly Sword’s sniper sections. Admittedly, I’m sure Rocksteady is a far, far more competent developer than Ninja Theory. Hell 5 chimps taped to an Apple II would be a better developer than Ninja Theory.

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Arkham City Conclusion is AWESOME!

Posted in Video Games Awesome! [ 1 year, 6 months ]

I can’t believe that Robin was actually Harley Quinn the WHOLE TIME! All this and the ACTUAL plot twists in our Arkham City Long Haul conclusion!

Batman: Arkham City Angry Review

Posted in Angry Joe Show [ 1 year, 6 months ]

Batman encounters a mysterious new villain as Angry Joe reviews Arkham City. Can Rocksteady and the Dark Knight live up to all the hype in this highly anticipated sequel? And just who is this new villain’s true identity? Find out!

Batman: Arkham City Video Review - ZGR

Posted in Zeitgeist Review [ 1 year, 6 months ]

ZGR Daniel gives you the scoop on Batman: Arkham City! ZGR – Video Review

Sage Reviews - Batman: Arkham City

Posted in Bennett The Sage [ 1 year, 6 months ]

Wow…just wow.

Batman: Arkham City Long Haul!

Posted in Video Games Awesome! [ 1 year, 6 months ]

What is longer than this cosplay-through? The ICE AGE! Why not CHILL with these COOL bats with some Arkham City… FREEZE PUN!

Batman: Arkham City is AWESOME!

Posted in Video Games Awesome! [ 1 year, 7 months ]

A 12:00 AM first look at Arkham City makes for one DARK mid-KNIGHT!

Better With Wii U? - Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition

Posted by [ 5 months, 4 weeks ]

This isn’t the game Nintendo deserves, but it’s the one it needs.

Check Out Arkham City's Boy Wonder

Posted by [ 1 year, 11 months ]

Dick Grayson’s out and Tim Drake’s in. Looks like Robin won’t be laying any eggs today.