Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Summer Game Fest
  • New games for 2025
  • Upcoming Switch 2 games
  • Switch 2 stock

Recommended reading

The village green in Atomfall
Action Games My first 3 hours in Atomfall feel playing Fallout 3 for the first time, and if you don't check it out I'm legally obliged to bash you with a cricket bat
A cat crew member springs free in Skin Deep
Stealth Games Skin Deep review: "A genuinely stellar immersive sim, replete with chaos"
Phantom Squad
Third Person Shooters The chaos of Hotline Miami meets the intricate planning of Payday in this hostage-saving Steam Next Fest demo that's absolutely riffing on Die Hard
Shooting through a portal in Splitgate 2
FPS Games Splitgate 2 review: "A slick and enjoyable free-to-play FPS, but a disappointing sequel"
Key art for Atomfall showing a character in the English countryside looking at a nuclear plant some distance away
Survival Games Atomfall review: "This isn't British Fallout – it's something much better than that"
Cropped key art for Revenge of the Savage Planet showing two player characters running away from lots of green goo, flanked by various googly-eyed wildlife
Action Games Revenge of the Savage Planet review: "An underrated sci-fi platformer gets a beautiful third-person sequel, but I'm left cold by shallow busywork and an over-reliance on toilet humor"
Mikey spins nunchucks to move through enemies in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown
Strategy Games Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown review: "Radically slick brawls barely feel turn-based, but I'm left wanting more depth"
  1. Games
  2. Adventure

Gotham City Impostors review

You might not be the real Batman in Gotham City Impostors, but the fun is authentic

Reviews
By Luke Brown published February 10, 2012

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Complete customization

  • +

    New ways to traverse a level

  • +

    Fast and furious gameplay

Cons

  • -

    Poor matchmaking

  • -

    Grinding for costume coins

  • -

    Repetitive character quotes

When Monolith and Warner Bros. Interactive announced Gotham City Impostors, many gamers were left with quizzical looks on their faces. Even die-hard Batman fans couldn’t believe a video game was being adapted from such an obscure comic book storyline. Funnily enough, this little turf war between regular citizens taking up the cowl and clown make-up actually makes for a pretty fun game. Gotham City Impostors may not do much we haven’t seen before, but the few new wrinkles, cartoony sensibilities, and loads of customization options make this game a vigilante’s dream come true.

Gotham City Impostors is mostly a multiplayer affair, and save for the tutorial and a decent helping of challenges, you’ll find yourself teamed with like-minded individuals on a quest for justice or anarchy. Whether you find yourself on the Batz or the Jokerz, your goal will always be the same: beat the other team. All three of Gotham City Impostors’ game modes are team-based. Team Deathmatch makes a contractually obligated appearance, and is joined by Fumigation (a spin on Call of Duty’s Domination) and Psych Warfare (a take-off of Sabotage).

Fumigation finds you vying for control of three gas canisters on a given map, and once your team manages to fill the imaginary quota, the opposing team will all die of either a bat swarm attack or Joker nerve toxin. Psych Warfare will have you hunting down a battery to charge a speaker system. Once charged, the opposition loses all their weapons for a short time, allowing for some easy kills. Three modes may not sound like a lot, especially considering how similar they are to other competitive shooter offerings. However, Impostors more than makes up for the lack of innovation with a slew of new weapons and gadgets, which can be customized to your liking.

Latest Videos From GamesRadar+GamesRadar+
You may like
  • My first 3 hours in Atomfall feel playing Fallout 3 for the first time, and if you don't check it out I'm legally obliged to bash you with a cricket bat
  • Skin Deep review: "A genuinely stellar immersive sim, replete with chaos"
  • The chaos of Hotline Miami meets the intricate planning of Payday in this hostage-saving Steam Next Fest demo that's absolutely riffing on Die Hard

There are a decent amount of weapon offerings in the game. Every loadout allows you to have one main weapon (with a modification), a secondary armament (with a modification), a gadget, and a support item. The standard machine guns, rifles, sniper rifles, etc. all show up, but these weapons are far from fancy. Everything in the game has an air of homemade to it, which is even more obvious once you get a look at the gadgets and support items. While you could just slap on a hubcap for body armor, or arm yourself with a hatchet from the hardware store, there are some much more unique and interesting support items to play around with, like the “Airspace Denier” (a garden gnome with an upward firing Taser) or the “Trap-in-a-Box” (a Jack-in-the-box with a dynamite surprise).

You’ll also get a kick out of the weekend warrior gadgets. Built with all the stability of that swingset your dad built in one night to surprise you on your birthday, items like the glider rig, grapple gun, and spring boots make traversing any of the game’s five maps a vastly different experience. They also expand the standard foot soldier mentality in the first-person shooter by allowing you to skate, glide around, and scale buildings for new vantage points. In fact, there are no ladders, but there are trampolines and ramps.

Like many modern shooters, Gotham City Impostors has an experience system in which players level up to earn new items and perks. Perks are called Fun Facts here, but run the standard gamut of giving a player more health, or the ability to deal more damage. You can also earn Rampages, which are short-term bonuses akin to kill streaks. Almost every time you level, you’ll unlock at least one new item, perk, or character loadout slot. What’s great is that you can unlock any weapon or mod whenever you have the chance. Players aren’t limited to “low level” weapons or gadgets as they advance - you really can tailor your character to suit your play style almost immediately. You will have to level up a bit before you’re allowed to break free from the stock classes presented, but by then you’ll have a good idea about how to spend your unlocks.

Performing better in matches will also earn you costume coins, which can then be used to further customize your Batz or Jokerz gang member. Costume coins are dolled out a little slowly, and this is compounded by the hefty price tag on many of the completely superfluous accoutrements. You can buy these items with actual money, but players with patience will be better off.

Unfortunately, not everything is working at the optimal level just yet for Gotham City Impostors. Matchmaking is frequently lopsided, and will pit whole scores of highly rated players against newcomers. What’s more, the matchmaking will often change the teams a second time just before the match starts. Whether that’s an issue with the players available to choose from when creating a match or just a glitch is moot. It’s an issue that may turn away people from playing long enough at the onset to really see what the game has to offer once you settle in. Additionally, the game will occasionally make every game mode into Deathmatch, even if you have selected the other options. The voiceover will still use cues from the other types of modes, but you won’t be able to get any batteries, or even see any gas canisters. It doesn’t happen often, but it will happen.

That Gotham City Impostors turned out as good as it did shouldn’t surprise you. Monolith has a proven track record, even if this game’s subject matter was a bit off the beaten track. It’s not without its flaws, but the good definitely outweighs the bad. The action is fast-paced, the combat is smooth, and the new twists on familiar FPS tropes really do make Gotham City Impostors a game worth playing. Even if it is just to pretend to be a backyard Batman for a few nights.

More info

DescriptionDoes running around with a towel around your neck make you a hero? No, but that doesn't mean these Gotham City imposters shouldn't try. Gotham City Imposters may not do much we haven't seen before, but the few new wrinkles, cartoony sensibilities, and loads of customization options make this game a vigilante's dream come true.
Platform"PS3","Xbox 360","PC"
US censor rating"Teen","Teen","Teen"
UK censor rating"","",""
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
More
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming PlayStation Xbox Platforms
PRODUCTS
Gotham City Impostors Batman Gotham City Impostors
Luke Brown
Read more
The village green in Atomfall
My first 3 hours in Atomfall feel playing Fallout 3 for the first time, and if you don't check it out I'm legally obliged to bash you with a cricket bat
A cat crew member springs free in Skin Deep
Skin Deep review: "A genuinely stellar immersive sim, replete with chaos"
Phantom Squad
The chaos of Hotline Miami meets the intricate planning of Payday in this hostage-saving Steam Next Fest demo that's absolutely riffing on Die Hard
Shooting through a portal in Splitgate 2
Splitgate 2 review: "A slick and enjoyable free-to-play FPS, but a disappointing sequel"
Key art for Atomfall showing a character in the English countryside looking at a nuclear plant some distance away
Atomfall review: "This isn't British Fallout – it's something much better than that"
Cropped key art for Revenge of the Savage Planet showing two player characters running away from lots of green goo, flanked by various googly-eyed wildlife
Revenge of the Savage Planet review: "An underrated sci-fi platformer gets a beautiful third-person sequel, but I'm left cold by shallow busywork and an over-reliance on toilet humor"
Latest in Adventure
Minecraft
After almost 15 years, Minecraft's massive visual overhaul comes this month with over 3,000 lush new textures: "We didn't want to take away from what makes Minecraft Minecraft"
Hercule Poirot speaks to the bartender of Chez ma Tante in the Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile game
Poirot is inexplicably set in the disco-lit '70s in this new Steam Next Fest demo – and seeing the moustachioed detective strut his stuff might low-key slap
A screenshot of Incineroar in the Pokemon anime.
Pokemon makes its funniest in-game event even better with a meme reference hidden in its distribution code: "This is quite possibly the best special event code in the history of ever"
Moichiro points in Kumitantei: Old-School Slaughter
These devs basically made their own Danganronpa, and I already feel at home in its mysterious Steam Next Fest demo
A screenshot of the upcoming PC game, There Are No Ghosts at the Grand.
Fresh from the Xbox Showcase, There Are No Ghosts At The Grand is the supernatural powerwashing musical I didn't know I needed
A shiny, red Gyarados seen in the Pokemon anime.
Shiny Pokemon are absolutely raining in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet after Nintendo Switch 2 upgrades: "I legit couldn't believe this many spawned"
Latest in Reviews
Key art for Dune Awakening showing the major characters in front of sand dunes, military bases, and a sand worm
Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter"
Nintendo Switch 2: Welcome Tour screenshot
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour review: "Mostly a fancy toy and not much more"
Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley / Number One and Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
A crop of the MindsEye key art for a review header
MindsEye review: "An uninspired and forgettable sci-fi action adventure that feels like a Netflix movie you watch while on your phone"
The Razer Kishi V3 Pro in front of blue lighting
Razer Kishi V3 Pro review: “Razer’s stubborn pricing throws a big green spanner in the works”
SpyraThree hanging on a metal wall bracket
SpyraThree review: "Makes all other water guns look ridiculous"
  1. Key art for Dune Awakening showing the major characters in front of sand dunes, military bases, and a sand worm
    1
    Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter"
  2. 2
    Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour review: "Mostly a fancy toy and not much more"
  3. 3
    MindsEye review: "An uninspired and forgettable sci-fi action adventure that feels like a Netflix movie you watch while on your phone"
  4. 4
    The Alters review: "More tactile and story-heavy than the Frostpunk dev's earlier games, but the fight for survival is just as fierce"
  5. 5
    Splitgate 2 review: "A slick and enjoyable free-to-play FPS, but a disappointing sequel"
  1. The Yautja in Dan Trachtenberg's animated movie Predator: Killer of Killers
    1
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  2. 2
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  3. 3
    Karate Kid: Legends review: "Better than Karate Kid (2010), nothing on Karate Kid (1984)"
  4. 4
    Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning review: "Wraps up this spy franchise in spectacular style with Tom Cruise in peak condition, even if its villain lacks terror"
  5. 5
    Final Destination Bloodlines Review: "Meticulous murderous mayhem"
  1. Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley / Number One and Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
    1
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  2. 2
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  3. 3
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision
  4. 4
    Rick and Morty season 8 review: "Largely plays it too safe after years of crossing boundaries"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 6 spoiler review: 'The Interstellar Song Contest' is "a blast and sets the stage for a thrilling season finale"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers
  • Do not sell or share my personal information

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...