This is the most biased review you could find. Arkham is one of my favorite game series, and I have hundreds of hours in City on Steam and on other platforms (have this game on every store where it is available). Arkham City is by far my favorite game of all time, so knowing that I was very positive coming into the game in 2024, let’s go:

POSITIVES:

+Presentation+
The game is a teen. It came out on the PS3/X360 generation and is still stunning. While some facades in the open world are generic, there are hundreds of different spots that the developers inserted lore into. The Riddler trophies will make you focus on some of the stuff, but I would recommend looking at every poster, newspaper and object you find. There’s an insane amount of environmental storytelling, and this is on top of the conversations that you can overhear. The art direction is just finger-licking good.

+Graphics+
The game holds up, especially if you enable some additional features in the modded launcher or manually within some game files. Textures and lighting, everything is beautiful, and it is amazing to think that this was a PS3 generation game. Didn’t notice a single graphical glitch and I was just consumed by how perfectly the graphics fit the art direction.

+Gameplay+
This is the game where the Arkham Free Flow fighting formula came together, and it plays like the Moonlight Sonata. You are Batman, the best martial artist ever conceived, and it shows. Once you master the combat you enter this flow state where you see the fight 5 moves ahead and enter absolute Zen. I have played the Iceberg Lounge bonus combat map for tens of hours. It’s meditation.
So you get this combat, and you get four characters with different move sets. You have Batman who is fully developed, then you have Catwoman, Robin and Nightcrawler, who are more limited. They have less combos, but each has a unique set of moves, so it really feels like you’re playing as separate martial artists. My favorite is Nightwing because it’s gangsta going Philipino Zeus on a crowd. The gameplay is just 10/10.
There is a little junk with your character locking onto the wrong enemy, but it’s insanely good despite that.

+Story+
The story and characters are in a classic comic book aesthetic like in Asylum, which works great. Mark Hamill is flawless as Joker, and together with the late Kevin Conroy they deliver some of the best voice acting in gaming history. The rest of the cast is also amazing. The story is relatively short, but the quality is just flawless.

NEUTRALS:

=Music=
Like in Asylum, the soundtrack fit the atmosphere perfectly, and there were a couple of standout moments, but there is no singular track or theme that stays with you after the playthrough. It is by no means bad, just not exceedingly remarkable.

CONCLUSION:
This is my favorite game of all time. Replaying Asylum, that game showed some stitching due to age, but this was perfect. Every last minute detail. It is love. It is joy. If you haven’t played it, I can’t recommend it enough.

This is the most biased review you could find. Arkham is one of my favorite game series, and I have hundreds of hours in City on Steam and on other platforms (have this game on every store where it is available). Arkham City is by far my favorite game of all time, so knowing that I was very positive coming into the game in 2024, let’s go: POSITIVES: +Presentation+ The game is a teen. It came out on the PS3/X360 generation and is still stunning. While some facades in the open world are generic, there are hundreds of different spots that the developers inserted lore into. The Riddler trophies will make you focus on some of the stuff, but I would recommend looking at every poster, newspaper and object you find. There’s an insane amount of environmental storytelling, and this is on top of the conversations that you can overhear. The art direction is just finger-licking good. +Graphics+ The game holds up, especially if you enable some additional features in the modded launcher or manually within some game files. Textures and lighting, everything is beautiful, and it is amazing to think that this was a PS3 generation game. Didn’t notice a single graphical glitch and I was just consumed by how perfectly the graphics fit the art direction. +Gameplay+ This is the game where the Arkham Free Flow fighting formula came together, and it plays like the Moonlight Sonata. You are Batman, the best martial artist ever conceived, and it shows. Once you master the combat you enter this flow state where you see the fight 5 moves ahead and enter absolute Zen. I have played the Iceberg Lounge bonus combat map for tens of hours. It’s meditation. So you get this combat, and you get four characters with different move sets. You have Batman who is fully developed, then you have Catwoman, Robin and Nightcrawler, who are more limited. They have less combos, but each has a unique set of moves, so it really feels like you’re playing as separate martial artists. My favorite is Nightwing because it’s gangsta going Philipino Zeus on a crowd. The gameplay is just 10/10. There is a little junk with your character locking onto the wrong enemy, but it’s insanely good despite that. +Story+ The story and characters are in a classic comic book aesthetic like in Asylum, which works great. Mark Hamill is flawless as Joker, and together with the late Kevin Conroy they deliver some of the best voice acting in gaming history. The rest of the cast is also amazing. The story is relatively short, but the quality is just flawless. NEUTRALS: =Music= Like in Asylum, the soundtrack fit the atmosphere perfectly, and there were a couple of standout moments, but there is no singular track or theme that stays with you after the playthrough. It is by no means bad, just not exceedingly remarkable. CONCLUSION: This is my favorite game of all time. Replaying Asylum, that game showed some stitching due to age, but this was perfect. Every last minute detail. It is love. It is joy. If you haven’t played it, I can’t recommend it enough.