By: Robert Murphy
What would Gotham be like
if it didn’t have its Joker? Well, Batman:
Arkham Knight would prove to be the game where players find out just what
it would be like with my favorite clown gone and off the streets. Gotham seems to have thrived in his absence, there was no
new war for power and crime even dropped off a bit but you just know that it
won’t last in a city like this and Batman is in for another very long night.
Sprawled across three islands Gotham
City
The world has been significantly expanded since the days of Arkham City
and now players can see the whole picture that is Gotham City new city that is just begging to be explored
and that is quite easy to do with the games new main attraction, the Batmobile.
This monstrous machine roles onto the screen and growls at you every time you
summon in to you and leap into the drivers seat where you then can destroy just
about everything in your path. Columns, beams, cars, street signs, all can be
knocked over like they were nothing in the Batmobile as it tears across the
streets of Gotham taking the dark knight
wherever he needs to go. But, this is only half of what this machine can do as
it can transform at the press of a button into a heavily armed tank with a 360
degree turn radius. A bit flashy for the Batman who doesn’t care much for
violence but it certainly does make for some fun as you take down enemy tanks
in-game or in a new AR challenge mode for the tank feature. Don’t worry, the
tanks are unmanned and don’t mind if you blow them to pieces as they launch
their own barrage of attacks at you which are highlighted on screen to the
direction they will be firing at you.
Sadly, not everything about our hero’s new toy is all that
it’s cracked up to be especially when it comes to some of the games new
challenges. The Riddler is back in town to show you that he is your
intellectual superior, even though you have soundly defeated him in each game,
but this has not stopped him from planning a whole new batch of challenges.
Unfortunately, many of these new challenges make use of the Batmobile and not
for its handy winch device that you will use for numerous events and challenges
throughout the night. No these challenges involve going through intricate
tracks that must be completed in a certain amount of time and they are frankly
a huge snore. None of them will ever be that challenging for players and really
feel like an unneeded aspect for the game. Not all of Riddlers challenges
involve the Batmobile though in fact Riddlers main story challenges rely on the
classic puzzle solving and make use of the new team combos as you attempt to
rescue Catwoman. There are also the hidden Riddler trophies and challenges
across Gotham for you to complete and solve at
your convenience as well.
Speaking of combat, the wonderful strike and counter
mechanics from all the other Batman games makes its welcomed return to Arkham Knight and it’s never looked
better. Batman receives a new suit upgrade almost immediately and it allows for
faster maneuverability and a new takedown feature which allows players to
incapacitate three enemies that are close to one another. This works great for
those sticky situations with enemies that have guns and need to have quick work
made out of them. However, your enemies have received new upgrades and
abilities as well that make stringing together combos a bit more of a
challenge. The Arkham Knight has a deep insight into the Batman and he knows
how you fight and all of your little tricks and so his men have been trained to
combat your usual tactics. I was stunned when an enemy finally looked up and
saw me standing on a gargoyle statue and quickly panicked as men began to shoot
at me. There are also new enemies such as the medic class which can revive
knocked out foes and can also electrify their teammate’s armor so you can hit
them until you use the Bat Claw to pull it off them or wait till it dies down.
Your enemies truly feel like worthy bad guys for the first time as they throw
firebombs into vents they suspect you’re in, enemies who can detect when you
use your detective mode, drone wielding enemies and many more for you to try
and combat.
Luckily, you are not entirely alone in your efforts to save
the city. The ever faithful Jim Gordon and his men stayed to defend the city
and take custody of your most infamous enemies throughout the night. You also
have his daughter Barbara aka Oracle who helps with any new leads and
information but then you have the heavy hitters. Fresh in from Blood Haven
Nightwing joins the fight and has leads on some of the Penguins evil plans
along with Robin who has a brief showing as well to your fight. The two are
A.I. controlled during fights but at certain points that can be called upon for
a teammate takedown just like the Batmobile assisted ones you can receive. This
then switches you to that character and allows you to fight as them until the
enemies are dealt with or you get another combo prompt. It is a small but very
enjoyable touch to the action since most times you could only play as the
Batman during the game and could only access other players in the AR challenge
rooms.
What Arkham Knight doesn’t
follow through on though is with its main story. Plenty of the Batman’s
greatest enemies and even lesser known ones are included in side missions
throughout the story. Penguin is supplying weapons to the Arkham Knight,
Two-Face is robbing banks, Firefly is running around torching buildings and its
great fun going around and capturing them. What makes things even better is the
return of Mark Hamill as the Joker but no worries I won’t be spoiling how that
all fits in with the story. However, the Scarecrow never appears to be that
sinister of a bad guy, his new look and monotone voice over work are to be
admired but countless times throughout the night I feel I could have stopped
him with a simple blow to the face. His back up isn’t too stellar either as the
mystery as to who the Arkham Knight really is and how he knows so much about
the Batman doesn’t ever drive the story. His character constantly whines and
babbles on about revenge against the Batman but more than anything he proves to
be a nothing but a minor nuisance whose story never gets you wrapped up into
it. If it weren’t for all of the secondary characters and the future DLC
villains that are promised to come then my opinions on the story would be much
more different.
Every Batman game that has come out over the past few years
has further deepened my enjoyment and liking for the superhero. Batman: Arkham Knight continues that
tradition by jamming absolutely everything that anyone could possibly hope for
from a series like this and then some. You can now do everything the Batman
does now that you have the Batmobile at your disposal and all of your
supporting characters and enemies along with it. The city of Gotham is large,
dark and full of scum that are waiting to be taken down and new challenges for
you to handle, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed doing.
Good:
- The massive world that is Gotham City
- The returning combat system which is better than it’s ever
been
- Batman’s countless enemies and allies that are spread
throughout the story
- Ripping around town in the Batmobile is so much fun
Bad:
- The Riddler obstacle tracks and races that involve the
Batmobile
- The Scarecrow and Arkham Knight were not compelling enough
for a main story
Scully Rating: 8.7 out of 10
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