Batman: Arkham City

The Origin Story

In many ways 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum was the videogame equivalent of Batman Begins: it featured a muscular Bats fond of breaking arms, and in contrast to its predecessors it wasn’t at all rubbish.

Madness Set Loose

The set-up is stiff with world-shifting comic book logic. With ex-Arkham Warden Quincy Sharp now Mayor of Gotham, a huge chunk of the city has been fenced off to become an expanded loony bin, with Arkham’s regular line-up of supervillains thrown inside.

More Than Just A Man

Superbly devised gameplay was the secret behind Arkham Asylum’s ability to provide an authentic, inner-nerd thrilling Batman experience. And a key part of that was the hand-to-hand combat.

Something Out There In The Darkness

Perhaps even more surprisingly, the game also does stealth exceptionally well. Being anti-gun and also deeply anti-getting shot (he’s refreshingly useless in the face of armed guards) Batman’s a natural fit for videogame sneaking.

Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Toys?

Alongside the brutal, satisfying combat, a giant chest of tech toys are crucial to nailing the Batman feel, laying a pleasingly traditional emphasis on our hero’s detective skills.

A Watchful Eye Over Gotham

The most important function of the gadgets this time, though, is giving Batman full freedom of movement. In the confines of Arkham Asylum we were teased by gliding – now in the wide open spaces of the City it comes into its own.

Dancing With Devils In The Pale Moonlight

It helps that the city – even this grim, partitioned slice of it – is hugely impressive to look at. Perch on a gargoyle hitched to one of the many looming gothic towers and the skyline is a dark tumble of tenements, arcades and high rises light with an eerie glow.

Rogues Gallery

The ‘tip ‘em in’ plotting means the game is stacked with villains, and those who don’t make a physical appearance are often present in deed (the Riddler’s puzzles return, more intricate than before) or in the shape of fan-service clues.

Sweet Selina, Theres No Meaner

It’s not just the bad guys who’ve been reinforced. As well as regular radio help from Alfred, Batman also has scratchy, love-hatey, pseudo-sexual help from Catwoman. Which, as long as it’s coming from a woman in impossibly tight trousers, is probably the best kind.

Im Batman

Perhaps the ultimate sign of Arkham City’s quality is that while it’s huge and expansive (it’ll take around twice as long to complete as Asylum) it’s also full of wonderful details. Like how Bats thunders a fist into the temple of successfully interrogated goons, or the fact that manual waypoints show up as bat-symbols in the night sky.