Batman: Arkham City Review

HOLY BAT SHIT!!! I can not rave about this game enough, all my doubts about it not being able to live up to the pretty much perfect 'Arkham Asylum' have been vanquished by the best game I've played all year!



Ok, yeah, it's pretty obvious I like it. Here's why...


First Impressions

It captures the atmosphere of the original perfectly and picks up pretty much where it left off. It pulls you in at the beginning in a similar way, it's got the same vibe, I felt like I'd never stopped playing it.

One of my worries about the game was the bigger scale, I was worried it would fall into the same open-world territory as games like GTA and become repetitive quickly, losing it's cinematic and driven story. Not to worry though, you can get about the city really well, gliding and grappling from rooftops. Travelling around is smooth sailing, it's actually fun and doesn't become a ball ache like some games of this type!

The presentation is slick and it's got easy to pick-up-and-play gaming mechanics.

10/10

Gameplay

It plays exactly like Arkham Asylum, but it's bigger (which is a good thing)! They've added some new gadgets and fighting moves to your arsenal to freshen things up, but the original was perfect anyway. It feels pretty damn ninja throwing smoke pellets and grappling away too! It's got the right balance of stealth, exploration, puzzle solving and hand to hand combat.

10/10

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in the first game really stood out for me at the time, and they're still impressive, the murky streets of Arkham really come to life and the character models and animation are as solid as always.

9/10 (for graphics)

Now, the sound design is pretty special! The music and sound effects add a brilliant cinematic feel and atmosphere, the sound is possibly the best I've heard this year. The voice acting is good, a little cheesy in places, but that is to be expected with something like this.

10/10 (for sound)

Longevity

I actually went back to Arkham Asylum before playing this game and enjoyed it as much a second time around! I think given a year or two, this is deffo a game I would want to re-play again. Then you've also got the challenges, which were an awesome feature on the first game. Fighting a room of goons and going for high-scores is quite addictive, and the scores are online too!

There's a lot of little side missions to do and the Riddler's 'Riddles' are back again, and this time they're a bit trickier. You've also got the ability to play as Catwoman (with the code). And most importantly, for this kind of game it is actually quite big (much longer than the original, which was relatively short).

8/10

Overall

Rocksteady have built upon what is already (in my opinion) as close to prefect as a game could get. It's as good as a sequel could be really! And they've improved many aspects of the game. A must play! It's very rare that I think a game is worth the full £40 purchase, but this is one of them!

94%

Gears 3 (The End of an Era)

The last game in the current story arc, possibly even the last Gears of War (I doubt it though)! Being a big fan of the series I'm excited and sad all at the same time, it's great to be playing as Marcus and co again, yet it's possibly the last one...

So, I've been playing through the campaign (my job allows me to play games early :P), and I have to say it's pretty slow to start. It doesn't go off with a bang like previous games; there's a lot of story build-up, flashbacks, wondering around and not actually getting to smash the Locust hordes (what Gears does best).



But wait! I play co-op, my partner in crime is the missus. And to its merit the game gets better and better as you progress, on previous games the wifey has grown a little bored (she prefers Army of Two!), but this times she's asking to play it longer!

The game mechanics are more of the same (if it's not broke, why fix it?) altough they've added plenty of new things to make it a worth while purchase. And I love the addition of mechs in the game! Except for the slow start the only other grumble I have so far is an underwater level that felt a little like filler to me and wasn't much fun to play. They've improved online play massively and Horde was one of the best online experiences anyway! Gears 3 will certainly be most fun played online.

Also, I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but there's some gargantuan shocks in store plot wise this time around!


One final note,

"Cole Train Eats Whole Grain Baby!
WOOOOOO!"

Star Wars + Xbox 360 = AWESOME!

This is possibly the coolest thing I've ever seen in my entire life;



The R2D2 console makes beeps and sounds when you open the disc tray and power it up too! It even comes with a C3P0 controller!! DO. WANT. NOW! Does anyone want to buy my legs?

The only thing cooler than this is this;

Sonic 4

Sonic has never really achieved the glory of his Megadrive days, it's been 16 years since Sonic and Knuckles and then we waved goodbye to the 2D sonic of old.

You can download 'Sonic 4: Episode 1' on xbox live arcade, Playstation Network and WiiWare, a direct sequel to the Megadrive sonic games. And it's a nostalgic, shiny tribute to the speedy blue fella, that all Sonic fans have been waiting for!



A fateful 2D presentation that captures the heart of the original games, but now with a shiny HD (3-D looking) coat. Sonics never looked better! Although it does get frustrating at times and some of the level design is a bit dodgy.

And all those extra lives thrown at you on the casino level pretty much force you to replay that same level. Still, worth checking out for nostalgic fans.