Batting a Home Run
I shouldn’t like comic book games. I don’t even read comic books. I’m pretty sure I haven’t even touched one. My only experiences with super hero characters are watching the big-budget Hollywood adaptations of the last decade and loyally following Batman: The Animated Series as a child. I was Batman crazy as a kid, despite never reading a single comic book. I had the figurines. I had the clothes. I had the video tapes. I had everything but the comic books. And now, here I am, enjoying the sequel to what I thought was one of the best games to come out in 2009, and reliving my first ever fanboy years. Batman: Arkham City, simply put, is wonderful, stupendous stuff. Rocksteady should be proud of every aspect of the game: everything is just so well organized and crafted, and completely worthy of every single ounce of praise.
I have to admit, I had my initial doubts before release. The number of villains—which I originally thought would become a major flaw because I believed it would cause the game to lose its focus, much like many Batman films beforehand—actually helps the narrative rather than becoming detrimental to it. I always found it interesting how people were interwoven with one another, in and out of the main story, and how Batman reacts and uses each relationship to his advantage. Another interesting thing—and I find this is true in most Batman media, but Rocksteady manages to do it better in their own way—is that we’re reminded of Batman’s unmovable morality throughout the entirety of the game, whether it’s during the main story or one of the many side missions. He stands only for his idea of justice; a kind of anti-utilitarian guardian trying to maximize happiness for everyone, including his enemies, all while being incredibly stoic and unflinching, devoid of any humanity save for a brief moment of remembrance in a dark alley.
We see Bats almost lose his qualities later in the game, and it makes playing the last few story missions much more exciting. To see Batman argue with Alfred and the Oracle on what he should accomplish next was an absolutely pivotal moment in the game for me. I’m also extremely glad that Rocksteady didn’t succumb to making a lame morality system for Arkham City: it just wouldn’t work with Batman’s character. Granted, there is a small use of it during one of Catwoman’s missions, but the choice is so utterly obvious that it’s simply a non-issue.
The thrill of playing as Batman is the best part about the game. He doesn’t kill any of the many rapists, murderers, or any other misfits, instead opting to knock them unconscious with heavy-handed finishing moves in slow-motion, cadenced by a satisfying crunch of bone. Gliding around the city is also fantastic. You become enamored with the power you have looking down at the criminals in the alleyways, listening in on their fruitful conversations… it’s a nice touch by the developers in adding to the sense that you really are the Dark Knight. The feeling hasn’t exactly been perfected before in video games: replicating the power of a licensed character so accurately and realistically, even though said character is something so out-of-this-world in terms of stature and ideology. It’s simply amazing stuff.
That said, the story could’ve been tied together a bit better. It felt kind of strange having Batman carry out Joker’s corpse, though it makes perfect sense thematically, keeping in tune with the opening shot of the Catwoman content. Emotionally, the ending didn’t really click: it would have been a far more satisfying ending if Batman carried out Talia’s body. But then the story would become closed completely: carrying out Joker’s body allows for a continuation past the main story component, since Batman isn’t—and shouldn’t—be all that traumatized by Joker’s death to just go home and sulk. This allows for Talia’s possible resurrection, since her death isn’t really explored after the climatic final boss. Speaking of which, Clayface’s appearance during the last boss battle was a great little surprise, and didn’t feel completely shoe-horned in like the Titan-infected Joker in the last game.
Following Arkham Asylum was an enormous task to begin with, but Rocksteady succeeds, quite plainly and quite efficiently. While the main campaign is short, it’s poignant right to the end, bristling with goodies, cameos, and satisfying mechanics that will make any fan of Batman salivate. If that’s not enough, the side missions and challenges are always there, niggling at you to complete them. It would be absolutely astounding if you could completely finish the game in 20 hours. But length isn’t an issue here. After all, it’s the God damn Batman.
