Better With Wii U? - Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition
This isn’t the game Nintendo deserves, but it’s the one it needs.
Batman: Arkham City
Players: 1 Offline Player
Publisher: Warner Brothers Interactive
Genres: Action, Adventure
Publisher: Warner Brothers Interactive
Genres: Action, Adventure
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
MSRP: $59.99
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
MSRP: $59.99
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: Harley’s Revenge Review
Posted By Yousif A. about 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Like most people who have played Batman: Arkham City, I would have paid any price for more content for this brilliant title. Rocksteady obviously realized this and have deemed us worthy of a brand new single player experience in the form of Harley’s Revenge. Priced at $9.99/£6.49, this DLC continues 3 days after the events of the main campaign. Batman is missing and it’s up to Tim Drake to find the caped crusader.
| PROS | Still wonderful gameplay, playing as robin is a nice change of pace |
| CONS | Shorter than Bruce Willis hair, holds no purpose in story development, little replayability |
| WTF?! | The baby thing never comes up in the story! |
Those expecting the Easter Egg from Arkham City to be covered in this DLC are going to be disappointed. Despite the subject matter being the mother to be, not once does Harley bring up her current state. The only development you get on this subject is found in the Jokers office during the DLC and rather than explaining things it suggests the developers are planning on confusing the topic (which is pointless considering the song at the end of New Game+) or backing out of the story arc all together! I’m not sure which is worse.
Instead, the story we get is of a grumpy Batman. The whole DLC is aimed towards showing Bruce Wayne’s attitude following the events of the main campaign. While it is interesting to see Bruce slip into a silent depression, this exposition could have easily been done at the start of the next game. Unfortunately with very little narrative movement, the story feels self contained and more like a cartoon episode, in both content and length.
Harley’s Revenge is, to be incredibly understated, very short. I had the adventure wrapped up in little more than an hour. Having played Arkham City to death (like most people) enemies posed little challenge in combat or stealth sections. Both Batman and Robin are armed to the teeth, equipped with all their gadgets making Dr. Quinzel’s henchmen look woefully underprepared. Even if you go out looking for all 30 ‘Harley Balloons’ to completely wrap up the DLC, it should only take 2 hours maximum. I found 20 in my hour play through simply by stumbling upon them.
So, is Harley’s Revenge worth a purchase? Due to its monetary value, I have to say no. If I had paid for this DLC I would have been incredibly pissed off. If the price had been around $5/£3.50, I would have reluctantly have suggested giving it a go if you really wanted more Arkham City. Despite the gameplay being the same as possibly the best game of last year, with its throw away story and short lifespan, Harley’s Revenge is a huge disappointment.
This DLC content was provided by the publisher on PS3 for review purposes. The content was completed in just over an hour. The Reviewer would have scored the original Arkham City content as a 9.
3/10
Sage Reviews - Batman: Arkham City
Wow...just wow.
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! 
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!
New Trailer for Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC Highlights the Dynamic Duo
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
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
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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.
Better With Wii U? – Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition
Posted By Austin Yorski about 6 months ago
Better With Wii U? – Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition
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.
Sage Reviews - Batman: Arkham City
Wow...just wow. 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!-
November 20, 2012 at 06:20pm
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.
-
November 19, 2012 at 08:54pm
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.
Arkham City Conclusion is AWESOME!
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
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
ZGR Daniel gives you the scoop on Batman: Arkham City! ZGR – Video Review
Batman: Arkham City Long Haul!
What is longer than this cosplay-through? The ICE AGE! Why not CHILL with these COOL bats with some Arkham City… FREEZE PUN!
Better With Wii U? - Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition
This isn’t the game Nintendo deserves, but it’s the one it needs.
Check Out Arkham City's Boy Wonder
Dick Grayson’s out and Tim Drake’s in. Looks like Robin won’t be laying any eggs today.
Agreed. As fun as it was playing as Robin in a main plot, not worth $10. Oh well, I’ve made worse purchases, like FFX-2. I wasn’t fulfilled by HQR, but at least it wasn’t as painful.
Glad this review was kept spoiler free of the main campaign, I haven’t gotten the chance to play the main game but am hoping to pick it up eventually.
I’m sure the picture of Joker with R.I.P over it is just there for the lulz, I doubt it will ruin anything.
I really enjoyed Harley Quinn’s Revenge. But it’s way too short and way too expensive. It should have been a 3-5 hour campaign for the price, maybe put Killer Croc Etc. in there as he had such a fleeting cameo in City.
So I agree with you giving it such a low score.
This DLC was pretty disappointing all the way around. It was way too short and offered too little satisfactory narrative.
Well, luckily for me, I still haven’t bought Arkham City at all. I don’t have to worry about DLC prices; just plan on getting the GOTY edition with everything already included.
Can’t wait till all the Pro-Publisher, Anti-consumer fanboys get their way so all games can be sold at the rate of $10 per hour of gameplay. I know I can’t wait to be paying $80 for an 8hr bro-shooter.
I’m definitely thinking that they are backing out on the pregnancy story arc because along with those pregnancy tests, on the box in the crib, it says, “Warning: tests may give false positives.” It would be such a shame if Rocksteady is doing so. That would’ve been such an interesting direction for the 3rd Arkham game.
Yeah, I’m going to avoid this. How depressing.
The DLC was very short, but very enjoyable. Definitely not worth the $9.99 investment, especially when you consider that the events leading up to this (and whatever comes after) is only found (right now) in the Batman – Arkham City: End Game digital comics.
The baby thing? It does get mentioned, somehow. Blink and you’ll miss it.
In the refinery, in the room where you find Harley’s old costume, there’s a baby crib in a spotlight. Looking inside, you see a joker doll, and a maternity test… Showing negative.
And yeah, because of the price tag, it wasn’t really worth the buy. It was way, way too short. Enjoyable, yes, but you won’t get a full value out of it.
Woops… And you did mention it. Small detail. My appologies. Probably still half asleep. @_@
Woops. You did mention it. Sorry. Small details, and I must have been half-asleep. @_@
“Original Harley voice actor is back”
What do you mean by that? That’s still Tara Strong voicing Harley.
Arleen Sorkin did her voice for Arkham Asylum, but not City.
Other than that, I have to agree with your review. 4/10 from me.
I really hoped it would be a cruel and yet awesome tease for a sequel game. Instead it was just…really underwhelming.
Certainly no Bioshock 2′s Minerva’s Den.
Huh. You sir, are right. You know she did such a good job in the DLC that I honestly thought it was Arleen Sorkin, and I never thought that during Arkham City!
I’ll change it immediately