Hey so I know i'm a little late to the party here, but i'm just getting around to playing Arkham City, and have just completed the Trial of the Dragon. I've actually been really enjoying the game so far, despite feeling a bit overwhelmed in the beginning. That said... is it just me or is the Trial of the Dragon incredibly lame?

Considering the hype of it being this incredible intense challenge that has only been completed once before and grants you the chance to lead the league of shadows, it sure does feel like a series of mundane flight puzzles. Seriously, the thing was like 10 minutes long and was just flying around in a crazy vista and then fighting like two ninjas. I understand if maybe the significance of the challenge was that Batman had to remain mentally strong and that was the impressive part, but as a player I did not at all feel like I was being challenged by some incredibly spirit journey. There were even hints that it would force Batman to make difficult decisions and realise things about himself, but beyond choosing to drink that cup that you had to drink anyway, there was no inkling of narrative choice at all in the Trials.

I think story-wise too much was going on at the time of the Trials already, and the introduction of it felt so rushed. If it were my decision, i'd have probably saved it for a much more late-game challenge, so the player can be given something truly arduous to make it feel like this intense Trial that has only been overcome once. Maybe you could even have it be introduced at the same time as it was, but have Bruce fail the challenge after drinking the chalice. He manages to survive but it introduces and gives a feeling of dread to the challenges, knowing it has already bested you. What do you guys think of this sequence?