Developer/Publisher: Rocksteady Studios/Warner Bros Interactive  Released: October 2011

Played on: PS3 (also available on PC, Mac, 360, Wii U)

Arkham City was widely lauded by fans and critics upon release and there are certainly lots of things to praise; robust combat system, excellent graphics and design, epic set pieces, inventive puzzles, quality voice acting, loads of content. Its certainly an enjoyable game.

But my problem was that I’d played Arkham Asylum before this, and it was a far superior game holistically. Asylum took place in a contained environment which was by no means small, but was tightly designed, each area created for repeat visits that would vary depending on the equipment you accumulated. I pursued side-missions and searched for secrets and bonuses with total enthusiasm, and the main quest was extremely well constructed and focused. The tight level design matched the tight combat system, and the whole game felt like a revelation.

Rocksteady’s ambitions for Arkham City was greater, and they place our hero in a much larger, “open-world” environment populated entirely by criminals. While it is fun at first to fly around the city like a shadow on the sky, the more time I spent in Arkham City the less I wanted to be there. This isn’t San Andreas, Arkham City isn’t a pleasant place to explore, and while that is clearly the game’s intent, it sabotages some of the game’s ambitions. I no longer wanted to pursue side-quests or secrets because they were scattered distantly across this oppressive landscape. The quests feel disjointed and lost under the weight of the city’s scale. I found myself playing through only the main quests, trying to get through it.

There is a great game in here, and many memorable and enjoyable missions. Being Batman is still amazing fun. Maybe I would’ve enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been such a fan of Asylum.

This game came free with PS+ and included some Catwoman levels as well. They don’t add much to the game, very easy to live without.

Verdict: Arkham City is a technically and aesthetically excellent sequel, but lacks the punch of its predecessor.

Should Bradley play this: Yep. He probably already has.