POSTED 30/10/11


BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY

WB Games
PS3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

Superheroes: There’s shitloads of them, but not many household names. Those that are usually gained their superness from radiation botches or being alien/god/Amazonian. Meanwhile, Batman’s just this guy, you know. A regular bloke with a seething resentment of injustice. Oh, and billions of bucks and brains to boot...

That’s why he’s our fave. Given motivation, megabucks and a hot MENSA injection, that could be us in the rubber suit!

This follow-up to the stunning Batman: Arkham Asylum – stunning because it was a non-shitful comic character game - had heaps to live up to. The Rocksteady crew’s dug deep to surpass it with a masterpiece. Not just of superhero gaming, but gaming generally.

Yeah, some is on-railsy, but mostly you can thumb your nose at missions and just blat around Gotham with your Bat-grapply thingy, picking off side pursuits or just sucking in skyscrapery sights. Mind you, adhere vaguely to the scintillating story (no spoilers here) and you’re treated to a Batman baddie smorgasbord, queuing up thinking they’re hard enough to have a go at the scowl in the cowl. Suckers!

The stealth’s all here, whilst combat’s been tweaked. It’s joyous plopping down amidst hordes of hired goons and going Bat-attacky with numerous offensive and defensive moves, combined with wonderful Bat-toys if you’re feeling Bat-saucy. It can be quite balletic, as the Caped Crusader does the Batusi from one ne’er-do-well to the next, accumulating Bat-combo heaven. The cinematic delivered upon snuffing out the last of a batch is slick payoff.

Too much, too little space! There’s superb graphics, orchestration and especially voice acting, plus Catwoman playability (we’d kill for her hips!), upgrades aplenty, collectibles courtesy one Edward Nashton and a core objective that’ll give a day’s play (eschewing sleep) without nibbling side-dishes. Pow!

There ain’t a better bat, and that’s that.

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