Review Batman Arkham City will be interesting not only to fans of this franchise, but also to those people who are looking for high-quality games about superheroes. This project is the second part, from which much was expected. Whether the expectations of the users were met, you can learn from this article.
High expectations
The first part of the entire line was a project called Batman Arkham Asylum, from which initially no one expected anything. The game shot so powerfully that some specialized publications recognized it as a masterpiece of the year. It had perfect mechanics, interesting ideas, and most importantly - a plot that keeps you in suspense until the last minutes. That is what she bribed the audience. When the developers of Rocksteady announced the sequel, many began to closely monitor the project. The creators promised a lot of new things that the sequel will be several times better than the first part, but few people believed in it. That's because the first part was considered ideal, and rarely anyone succeeds in jumping in the gaming industry to jump above their heads.
Game world
In the review of Batman Arkham City, you can safely declare from the first lines that the game is amazing. The developers managed not only to jump above their heads, but also to enter the history of the industry, because this is the second project for a 10/10 rating. In every aspect, quality, scrupulous work is seen. The game world is no exception. Against the backdrop of the current sequel of the Batman Arkham Knight type, a separate reservation in Gotham may not look so impressive.
This opinion will immediately change when you first travel around the world, which the developers have prepared for the fans. The map is huge and random events always appear on it. The world is alive, which is felt at every step. Either gangs scour the streets, or police officers were captured, or antagonists make themselves felt. Designed locations design is almost perfect. It is nice to plan from one building to another using the hook. At the same time, the atmosphere of the reservation of the same name is felt, and for many players this plays a big role.
Wider in every sense
After the release of any first game in the series, the fans demand only one thing from developers - do not break old good mechanics with new ideas. In a review of Batman Arkham City, it should be noted that this is one of the few examples where the work is performed at the highest level in this regard. This applies not only to the world map, which according to the standard in the continuation of any sandbox becomes wider. This refers to the gameplay that has become really richer, the number of characters and puzzles.
The player will solve various secrets with the help of his lotions. This will help the interception of radio frequencies, special vision, the ability to simulate a situation and more. The user in the role of Batman will meet with a huge number of antagonists from comics. Joker, Two-Faced, Penguin, Harley Quinn - all this is only the top of the list. The Riddler also offers more diverse ways to get to his collectibles with a question mark. This width in every sense makes the abyss in the world of Arkham City for many tens of hours.
Combat mechanics
In the review of Batman Arkham City, it is simply impossible not to mention the mechanics of battles, which are made here perfectly, but in their own unique style. In fact, battles consist only in choosing the enemy and striking with a simple click of the left mouse button. Only at this time, the real show unfolds on the screen, which the protagonist demonstrates. Attacks are carried out as varied as possible, especially when the counterattack is taking place. Bruce Wayne graceful intercepts inflicts powerful attacks in different parts of the body of the bandits. Close attention was paid to the final blows, where the ridge breaks or the knee flies to the villain's chin, plus all this in slow motion. For some people, the combat system may seem like a frank minus, because fighting here is easy, but gaining large combinations is not so simple. The game encourages experience only those who show diversity in battle.
Other gameplay elements
If you compare Batman Arkham City and the future sequel to Batman Arkham Origins, you will notice a big difference. The second part brought a lot of innovations, and the continuation was done by another studio, which in many respects failed. The sequel gave an unforgettable arsenal of lotions that open with the leveling of the main character. She is also present here, and experience points are awarded for the elegant conduct of fights with a maximum number of multipliers. Most often, the player will use a travel hook and a special boomerang.
Other gadgets include a stun gun, checkers with smoke to leave the battlefield, Velcro bombs and more. Thanks to this arsenal, the player can experiment in any battle. In large buildings, you can complete missions in quiet mode, destroying enemies without attracting attention. The gameplay is so diverse that even after the second and third walkthrough, the user will find something new.
Plot component
In the review of the game Batman Arkham City it is impossible to pass the plot, which here explains the reason for the main character getting into the reservation. It all started with the fact that Hugo Strange managed to convince the authorities of the need to launch the Protocol 10 program. Its essence was to separate the entire Gotham area with a large wall with security along the perimeter. Lawlessness will reign inside this territory, since all of Batman’s main opponents will gather there. Hugo Strange also made sure that the billionaire Bruce Wayne, who was supposed to die already at the entrance, was sent to this zone. Only now he did not take into account the fact that he is physically prepared and is hiding under the guise of a superhero. When Batman managed to get past the first troubles, he contacts Alfred, who sends the necessary uniforms. After that, a grand investigation of the events begins. The hero has to find out all the secrets of the reservation and the reasons for its foundation.
Second character
The sequel to Batman Arkham City is very different from the background of Batman Arkham Origins, at least in that there is a second character available for the game. According to the plot, users will be given the opportunity to try on the role of Catwoman several times. The whole gameplay for it is greatly transformed, which can be seen even in one combat system. She moves faster, and strikes more gracefully, although she loses to Batman in strength. In the arsenal of Catwoman there are their gadgets, like a whip. To use it in battle is a pleasure. Introducing such a character is an interesting solution. This heroine has her own view of things, motivation to act and character traits. With this, the developers have no problems. Each antagonist is also distinguished by its originality. Their goals and aspirations are very different from each other. At the end of the entertainment, the player will be able to build a whole hierarchy of villains and find out who sits on top of the underworld. Such a user will never meet in Batman Arkham Origins.
Graphics and background tasks
Perhaps in Batman Arkham City the graphics will seem a little outdated to demanding players, but at the time of 2011 the design looked pretty decent. Even now, at maximum settings, the picture continues to delight the eye because of the perfect open-world design, as mentioned above. Gloomy tones underscore the situation on the reservation, from where they did not even have time to evacuate ordinary citizens and police. The developers were able to make the huge area unique in its own way, divided into several zones. If you do not look closely at every detail with the search for flaws, then the graphics should not disappoint. With additional tasks, a similar situation. There are several varieties of them, from solving the riddles' puzzles to saving prisoners from Victor Zsasz. If you want to go through them in front of the central storyline, after a few hours it can become too boring. If you alternate them with the main missions, then such a cocktail will bring a lot of pleasure.
Additions
At Batman Arkham City, reviewing all the DLCs is not so easy. Many of them were devoted to adding another portion of suits that affect only the appearance and cards in the "Tests" mode. The additions of Nightwing Bundle and Robin Bundle are dedicated to two heroes of the same name. They can be used in the aforementioned game mode. Separately, it should be noted in the list of DLC Batman Arkham City an additional story campaign for Catwoman. The supplement was named after this heroine, although it also added alternative looks. The latest interesting content in this category is the new adventure, Harley Quinn's Revenge. This crazy Joker helper decides to enter into direct confrontation with Batman. The add-on is launched separately from the main campaign, so it can be considered a mini-game. In it, users will become more familiar with the former nurse of the Arkham hospital, as well as understand her feelings for the Joker. Content received praise, and therefore fans of the series should definitely join the addition.
System requirements and results
At Batman Arkham City, the minimum system requirements are fairly low, and even six-year-old computers can handle the launch. It is enough to have the Windows XP operating system with the latest updates, 2 gigabytes of RAM and an NVIDIA 8800 graphics card or other equivalent. The processor is suitable for any dual-core processor with a clock frequency of 2.4 gigahertz. For the most comfortable game, you must have Windows 7. We recommend twice as much RAM, and a GeForce GTX 460 graphics card. The processor clock speed has remained unchanged.
To summarize the review, we can confidently say that users got the perfect sequel. Even people far from comics, here they can feel the whole atmosphere of the gloomy world in which Batman fights crime. The developers worked out every element of the gameplay, brought the design to a new level, and also added a bunch of interesting characters. The result was a masterpiece, which is remembered even after almost seven years by many people.