Arkham Knight is a masterpiece and I recommend it as a must buy
Arkham Knight Review (X1)
I want to preface this review by saying that I love the Batman comics and movies, but played very little of the first two games in Rocksteady’s epic trilogy (yep they are pretending that origins never happened!). Even though I don’t think it's critical to play the other games, I feel there were probably a lot of story points and nuances I was missing. They kinda just throw you into the game. It took me a little while through trial and error to get going, but when I did- Arkham Knight turns into a fast paced, well scripted and executed action adventure with just the right RPG elements to make you want to keep moving forward.
The game does an awesome job of making you feel like Batman, while also reminding you just how vulnerable Batman is in a head on battle. As I progressed through the game and upgraded Batman’s skills and gadgets, I approached every encounter with a group of thugs as almost a chess game. I scoped out the area first for any environmental takedowns, who was carrying a gun or stun baton, how many bigger guys there were, who I was going to attack first. I planned out my attacks and relished the flow of those actions unfolding. There is a reason this combat system has been copied again and again and Rocksteady has really polished what they have developed over 2 other games. I love how simplistic the system is, while also having this huge deep side to it if you choose to go that route. I didn't pay much attention to the combat system as I was distracted by another system that I feel is almost a whole other half of this game.
The batmobile. The batmobile is a huge part of this game, and I never expected to like the combat for the batmobile segments as much as I do. A lot of people have told me that they felt the batmobile segments to be too many and too tough. I think these people need to take a long hard look at their lives and realize that maybe they just didn't bother upgrading the batmobile and that's why those segments were just a slog. I think what really makes the batmobile work is just the fact that you can strafe like in a FPS which gives you perfect controls for taking on multiple tanks. Also as you progress through the upgrades you get awesome secondary weapons like multiple missiles, the ability to hack tanks and even an EMP blast. The enemy tanks also take their time firing at you and their sight lines are painted so you can see the trajectory of the shots. Once the enemy tanks have committed to a shot they can't move or take another shot until the first one pops, giving you time to get out of the way. Sounds simple, right? It is at first until you're attacked by 20 tanks and they are all different types including aerial drones. Then you start to think about strategy the same way you do when you are using Batman for combat. In this sense the batmobile almost becomes another character in the game, one that grows with you through upgrades through the game and its many twists and turns.
Speaking of story, I was worried when people told me that Paul Dini helped with the writing in the first two games but wouldn't be returning for Arkham Knight. If you are any kind of Batman fan you know that Paul Dini had a big hand in the amazing Batman the Animated Series from the 90s. But Dini gave the game his approval and even during the development of the game asked all the fans to trust Rocksteady. Well he placed his trust in the right people because from what I have played from the first two games I would say the writing and story are almost on the same level. I would say Arkham Knight’s story is less dense, but It still felt strong and I honestly feel like maybe they were holding back stuff for DLC.
I have always loved how unapologetically the other arkham games embrace the comics and the original source material. The movies took it to a super realistic, gritty place and I can appreciate that too, but I love how there is just a hint of camp to it all. The games have also established their own style and have influenced DC characters outside of the games (Harley’s costume in Suicide Squad is an update introduced by the games). The graphics have been refined over the course of 3 games. I remember how in the first game Batman and Gordon had the same body type and you could see the limitations of the unreal engine. Things have come a long way. The models look very realistic this time around and the city itself is gorgeously modeled with just the right touch of destructibility. It also helps that although the game wasn't written by dini, both Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their iconic roles as Batman and Joker respectively. The rain slicked streets with a mix of cobble stones and asphalt depicting different parts of Gotham. The atmosphere coupled with just how fast Batman could get around made it a pleasure to traverse the city.
The Riddler is just as big of a dick as ever which again absolutely begs for a Riddler centric game with more complex puzzles and a equally cerebral storyline. I don't remember how many trophies there were to pick up in the first two games, but there are over 230+ in this one, and many of those are attached to intricate puzzles. I'm slowly working my way through the puzzles now and trying the get 100% of the game done as it really has its hooks in me right now. I think the puzzles are just hard enough that i didn't look at any FAQs and i felt a little accomplished when i solved the puzzles.
You can really feel the polish and love that went into this game. It is a worthy final entry into the series and I hope that Rocksteady continues to make games in the DC Universe. The only thing that i would complain about is the lack of multiplayer or some kind of coop component. You see the potential there in the team up co op combos. I would recommend people play at least Arkham City before they play Knight which I am now going back and playing on my PC, and you know what? Arkham City holds up. Arkham Knight is a masterpiece and I recommend it as a must buy in everyone’s Xbox One or PS4 library if you are looking for an action brawler with puzzles. I give this game 9 tiny orphan Bruce Waynes out of 10 on the Potbelly Gamers Scoring Scale.
