The Dark Knight rises in emphatic form<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/em>Occasionally a game will be released that makes you feel epic, blows everything out of the water, changes the genre for good and becomes the pinnacle of a series which very few can beat. Batman Arkham Asylum<\/em> was that game.<\/p>\n Batman Arkham<\/em> City<\/em> is in a completely different league, a league of one; perfection.<\/p>\n Welcome back to the madness that is Bruce Wayne\u2019s world. Thrown into the madhouse of scum and villainy that is Arkham City<\/em>, here Batman will have to fight numerous law breakers his emotional past, previous friends and villains and learn to stretch the limits that he’s is defined to.<\/p>\n One of the new characters for this game is Hugo Strange who makes his welcome return to the big screen, an eccentric doctor he continues to promote his weird and destructive plan for Arkham City<\/em>, Protocol 10. He controls the majority of security around the city and removes everyone who gets in his way. He\u2019s the main reason that Batman is even here and Batman\u2019s main quest is figure out what Protocol 10 is and stop it before the night is out.<\/p>\n A number of new cast members have been included; these include a number of fans favourites, Harvey Two Face, The Penguin, Mr Freeze and Ra’s al Ghul. Along with these, fans can expect see and hear from The Joker, The Riddler, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Rocksteady have seriously spoiled us here and not only that, each character is quietly and effectively entwined with each other. A number of these villains command small armies such as the Joker and Two Face along with Penguin and all too often as Batman is swooping and gliding he\u2019ll come across them fighting for sections in the city. Others continuously cross paths and of course they all want to see the end of Batman.<\/p>\n Arkham Asylum<\/em> was a complete surprise when it was released back in 2009, the combat was truly inspiring and critics loved how real it felt playing as Batman. He felt powerful and wrestler like one minute and the next elegant and graceful. And thankfully Rocksteady<\/em> have continued this but improved it significantly. Yes Batman is still built like a wrestler and glides like an Angel but the focus on gliding is considerably more noticeable in Arkham City<\/em>. In Asylum<\/em> the game led you on narrow story and gliding was sort of second best to the quality that was the combat system. However in Arkham City Batman glides effortlessly, soaring above the villains waiting to pick out his target like an eagle over a river. That feeling you get when waiting on the edge of a building listening to the conversations of the mentally unstable before taking your chance and pouncing is truly magical.<\/p>\n Rocksteady<\/em> have also improved the gliding sections throughout the game by adding a few new weapon upgrades and a new dive-bomb system which allows Batman to gain extreme height if used effectively and also allows new ways of taking out your enemies.<\/p>\n I won\u2019t spoil the incredible number of new weapons at Batman\u2019s disposal in order to collect those Riddler trophies, progress in the game and take out your enemies. However I will say that you\u2019ll have a blast figuring out how to use them and what\u2019s the best weapon for the situation.<\/p>\n<\/a>After a frantic introduction, Batman is left in the unexpectedly beautiful world of Arkham City<\/em>, a new facility designed to keep the scum out of Gotham City. Here Rocksteady<\/em> have created a living and breathing city. Reminiscent of Empire City from Infamous. <\/em>The City breathes life and vitality along with gloom and\u00a0Gothic\u00a0undertones that are forever present. Snow peaked skyscrapers, blown out churches, industrialised steel works, casinos and ancient museums surround a heartbeat of law breakers, lunatics, maniacs and political prisoners who all have one goal to take over and become the new leader of Arkham City. Rocksteady<\/em> have seriously outdone them selves with the visuals in this game. It\u2019s absolutely mind-blowing and would certainly be up there with the best visuals of this generation.<\/p>\n
<\/a>As well as all this, if you have access to Catwoman, you get to occasionally play as her. Allowing you access to riddler trophies otherwise inaccessible and a few of her own story mission which effortlessly blend with the main campaign. She is a totally different kettle of fish. Batman likes to swoop, glide and use his raw strength to take enemies out. Catwoman prefers to crawl in small spaces, climb upside down on ceilings and congregated steel containers to finish off her prey. She feels much more nimble but also weaker and is a great addition to the game and she feels far more than just a simple add on. She also has a way with words; if anything can be made sexual you can guarantee she\u2019ll be there.<\/p>\n