I bought this game on Day 1, but due to a bunch of different factors(namely, schoolwork), I haven't been able to actually finish it until about two minutes ago.

This may be the most depressing(and possibly fitting) end to a game I've ever seen. Everybody with any importance in the story is now dead, except for Batman.

How did all of you receive the ending?

I felt...to be honest...kinda confused. It really was a seriously abrupt ending to the game, you don't get any reaction from Batman, Gordon just yells like a fucking idiot, and they literally put in so much sequel bait it was actually kind of annoying. Still really bittersweet, but annoying as all hell. The body count: Strange, Ra's, Talia, Joker...four pretty heavy hitters to the main story, and then boom, game over. I also have an issue about how the story plays out. They play on Strange being the real mastermind, until Ra's comes in, during the mother of all anti-climactic reveals, and then the plot goes back to this being all about the Joker...again. I mean, could they not have picked a storyline to go with. Either it was the Joker, or Strange...pick one and stick to it for God's sake. In the end, it felt really disjointed, like there should have been much more to the overall plotline, but they didn't bother putting it in. I'm aware that Hamill officially retired after this game, but even then...did anyone else feel that this would have played out differently if they simply didn't care about him? Or if he stuck around for one last game? I dunno, something about this game didn't work right storyline wise.

Now I've heard that view that since this game has it's own continuity, they can do whatever they like...and I'd accept that...only for the fact that in Asylum they were working off of regular Batman lore: ie.: don't read unless you've beaten the Watcher in the Wings side-mission Bane broke Batman's back, as he did in the comics, prior to Asylum, and by that point, Batman should have known about Azreal and the order he serves.

Along with that little point, Talia and Bruce had already met, and presumably had sex. Thus, Batman knows about Ra's, and by extension, the Lazerus pit. See, this is what I dislike about the actual storyline details of Arkham Asylum to Arkham City. I'd have no issue if they wanted to create their own continuity, but the fact of the matter is that most of the storyline stuff, and even some side-mission details, are buggered with an iron rod, because the writers wanted to stick with canon, then break off from it. The fact that Time Drake is Robin in City means Jason Todd (The Red Hood) should be in existence, and therefore Batman should know about the Lazerus pits. It isn't that fucking hard, there were fucking feature length animated movies made about it. And this isn't me being anal about comic book continuity, I don't read comics, I just enjoyed the Batman animated shows and movies, and learn bits and pieces from random sites. If I can do that on my downtime, shouldn't someone have stepped in and said: "Alright people, let's kill Joker off, make it a really epic ending...but let's not call into question us making our own universe by referencing shit that has been established, but ignoring it because we don't like it, we're writers after all! We get paid to do this!".

My main gripe is that the Joker's death was a huge shock, my jaw literally dropped, but I felt that it was severely underplayed, and while I have no problem with a game creating its own continuity, ignoring plot points you've written into other titles, and ignoring a pretty large chunk of history while attempting to brush it off as nothing, is pure bullshit. The dynamic between Joker and Batman has always been the main draw to the series, the two are soul-mates in a way, but this wasn't played on in a way that fully delves into that specific emotional bond that they shared. Killing off the Joker is a huge deal, and the subtlety, how underplayed it all was, didn't work for me. I like some resolution. The song the Joker sings at the end was haunting and it pulled at your heart-strings...but without an extension of the game afterwards, the whole plot falls flat, we get some mention of his death from goons, but nothing huge. I don't know what I wanted in place of the ending I got, but I know I wanted something more than and emotional walking-towards-camera scene, and a voice-mail from the Joker. Implying things is fine, engaging the minds of the player is also a great technique, but when you know that theres going to be a sequel based on confused continuity, and now half the dynamic duo (I'm aware of the pun) is dead and gone...all you're doing is encouraging people to want another game in the series...another game they won't see for another two years. And with not a hint of anything new DLC-wise added to the campaign, but a lot of sequel bait, there are going to be problems with how such an ending is recieved. This is why proper resolution is important...something that Arkham City, in my opinion anyway, didn't deliver, despite how utterly awesome and shocking it was.

@Dookysharpgun: I dont understand what you mean about batman not knowing about the lazarous pits. He and Talia very clearly have a history, and Batman is very familiar with the Lazarous pits as well. This is especially clear after you finish the vision quest, when Bats is talking to Oracle, remarking that Ra's is addicted and that he would have to check in on him after the current crisis was resolved.

@Junkerman: It seemed to me, after that mission, that Batman's reaction was one of confusion as to what the Lazerus pit was. The fact that Ra's explained it, and Batman didn't, lets say, take Ra's body away so he couldn't be ressurected, tells me that he didn't fully understand what the pit does, even when Ra's is going berserk, he seemed surprised. Just my two cents from what I gleaned during that scene.

@Dookysharpgun: He says, of the impaled Ra's "Let's just say he'll need a visit to his Lazarus Pits" or something to that effect. I'm pretty sure he knows how they work.

I had no problem with the story except I was surprised we didn't actually fight Strange dressed as Batman. If I recall that was a thing that happened in the comics, Strange dressing up as Batman and soiling his good name.

As for continuity, I found it to be balanced enough for me with an above average understanding of Bat-Lore while also not excluding dudes just looking for a great game to play.

Joker being dead is a HUGE sadness in my gamer heart! I know Hamill wanted out and that's fine but I do wish they wouldn't have killed him. This is a game changer! Whatever happens next will be totally different. I mean, where were they going to go next? Arkham Planet? Arkham State? Arkham Seaboard (oh, actually I kinda like that if we can drive the Batmobile or Batwing!)

Next game: I want me some Red Hood, League of Assassins with Damien as a boss, Man-Bat, and more Clayface! Might be cool to have some other cameos set up missions with other foes such as Superman being captured and Batman having to save him from Luthor maybe?

All in all a great game! At least as good as the original!

Did no one find the pregnancy test in the Steel Mill? It hints at Harley might be pregnant. Or... it was just a red herring.

The Lazarus PIt stuff did bug me when I played through it again on New Game Plus. Bruce knew about Ra's being really old and coming back to life (if he's dead again, I need to wake him up), but he seemed completely surprised by Lazarus and what it's capable of when he talks to Oracle about it afterward.

All in all, the Strange stuff and the Joker stuff were pretty much completely separate and only related by the fact that both take place in Arkham City, so them not being connected didn't bug me as much. It would've been cool if the Joker stuff tied into the Strange stuff (the Joker was maybe playing him or something) but I was satisfied with it overall.

The timeline in these games is a little confusing as someone who is a big fan of Batman comics, as they make lots of references to the comic book timeline, but they try to have their cake and eat it too by having this be the first time a lot of the characters meet. I don't know, it's weird, but comic book continuity is just as convoluted and weird, so if you just kind of roll with it, the story is good.