Batman: Arkham Knight
July 31, 2015The Batman series has been a whirlwind for anyone that has ever played it. I have yet to hear a bad review on any of the games, even though some people refused to play Origins because of the change in developers from Rocksteady to Warner Bros. Arkham Asylum is in the Guinness Book of World Records for Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever. In the Arkham Knight, the game was brought back to Rocksteady – and it shows. This is the first M-rated Batman game!
The game starts off with you cremating the Joker, but don’t worry, just because you incinerate him doesn’t mean that you won’t see him. Remember, you did inject yourself with the Joker’s blood at one point. In this story, you get to see all of your favorite people – Harley, Robin, Oracle, Nightwing, Catwoman, the Riddler, Penguin, and Two-Face. Rocksteady added some new faces and packed the story full of references to the comics. The cut scenes revolved around references to the actual Batman comic series, rather than just making up a new Batman story (I’m looking at you Batman & Robin.) You even get to see a reference to the famous The Killing Joke.
If you were afraid that this game would be like Origins, fear no more. It brings back what you loved about Asylum and City. There are 243 riddles to solve, both trophies and actual riddles (boy, did I miss those.) To get the final ending, you have to beat all of the side missions and solve all of the riddles. This adds up to be a lengthy game.
In the story, Scarecrow is at the center of all of the trouble that has come in Gotham. He is threatening to spread his fear toxin over the entire city. Batman must stop him in time and encounters some surprising allies. The only thing in his way is the new masked villain – The Arkham Knight. He becomes a real pain in the ass with his Militia taking over the entire city. You have to bring down their command posts and fight off tanks as you try to get to Scarecrow.
The game consists of a lot of driving – in the Batmobile! Although this seems cool, it almost ruined the game for me. I felt like they were making the game like Grand Theft Auto but Batman-style. I mean, what is that? The more you get into the story, the more it doesn’t bother you, but you definitely have to work to get past the hatred.
Overall, I really like the game. It is my favorite of the year… so far.