Batman: Arkham Knight

Arkham Knight is a game that stays 100% true to what makes Batman such a timeless character. The final game in the Arkham Trilogy is a great send-off to one of the generation's best gaming trilogies, and easily the best superhero video games series in history.

Batman has become such a staple in our pop-cultural diets that it's easy to make the character seem worn out from all the iterations we've seen of him through the years, but the Arkham series is one of the examples of revising the character and still keeping him fresh to modern audiences.

The plot takes place after Arkham City, and Batman is now the target of a plot by all of Gotham's greatest thugs: to finally kill The Dark Knight. Will they succeed? And will Scarecrow break Batman before the night is over? Rocksteady Studios concludes the Arkham Trilogy in a more open-ended and technically gorgeous entry for Batman video games than we've seen before; and the games themselves are comparable to Batman: The Animated Series and The Dark Knight Trilogy. The Batman: Arkham franchise is an achievement itself, and will surely be recognized as a classic example as to why the character works in so many different mediums.

'Batman: Arkham Knight (2015)' is, as of now, the final main instalment in its series. Although it isn't quite as good as 'Batman: Arkham City (2011)', it ends the story on a solid note and is a fantastic game from the second it begins. Its narrative picks up after the gloomy end of its predecessor, taking things in a somewhat new direction when Scarecrow - one of the highlights of the first game in the series - rolls into Gotham with a plan to bring it to its knees. There are some really interesting characterisations here and the title does quite a bit of exploration when it comes to Batman's innermost fears and anxieties. Of course, it also has a couple of less successful moments. However, the overall thing is compelling and entertaining right the way through. The gameplay is probably the most refined it has ever been, tightening up series-staple mechanics while introducing several new gadgets and abilities. The combat is as deep and fluid as you'd expect, while the predator encounters are as challenging and suspenseful as ever. It's all really exciting and often contextualised within its wider world. That's because this time the entire city is explorable, from its highest rooftops to its shabbiest alleys. Soaring over the rain-soaked city as searchlights blaze their circles into the sky is simply stunning. Beneath its grimy aesthetic, the game really is gorgeous; the jump in generation between this title and the last is evident. The thing's most major new mechanic is the Batmobile, which has proven controversial among fans. Personally, I think it's a great addition. The car mode provokes an intense feeling of speed and the tank mode satisfyingly allows you to deal out some heavy damage. Perhaps it is leaned on a little too heavily in some scripted segments and in some of the Riddler's puzzles, but it's an enjoyable element of the experience that never truly feels cumbersome. Besides, it can launch you into the air, which is indescribably fulfilling. The city itself is peppered with stuff to do, all of which progresses side-plots than can result in you apprehending several well-known villains. This is great because it means that there is no busywork. It really is a treat to see your progress in real time, as Gotham PD fills up with the likes of Two-Face and the Penguin. Of course, there's also the elusive Riddler to contend with. He's put his trophies all over the place yet again and given you another set of lore-based riddles to solve. They're all tied to a series of 'Saw (2004)'-like traps and, this time, the completion of thse bring you one step closer to freeing Catwoman (who has been captured by the rogue and assists you in her own escape). This a great way of making the Riddler stuff seem even more urgent than it has before, as it directly impacts a playable character who is an important part of the series. The game, as a whole, has a strong sense of urgency to it. It supposedly plays out in real time and it pushes the Dark Knight to his limits. It's filled with effective storytelling, engaging characters and exciting gameplay. It's an extremely enjoyable experience. 10/10

It's an unpopular opinion, I know, but Batman: Arkham Knight is the best game in the entire Batman Arkham series. The costume looks awesome (and in case you don't like it, there are plenty to choose from), there's the Batmobile, the story is the most unpredictable one if you go in without any spoilers, the graphics are amazing and there are a ton of quests to do so that you don't get bored with the game any time soon. The main missions take nearly 20 hours to complete. If that doesn't tell you about the game's mammoth size, probably the fact that it's only 1 of the 12 quests that you can do will.

The story begins from about 8 months since the death of Joker. And this within itself gives the developers enough of a reason to fill the game with Joker's ideas. We often see Joker's hallucinations taunting Batman and standing in places where we have to go when we have to perform a task. Joker also has a part up ahead in the game where we get to play as him, and it's really scary in the beginning. Occasionally Joker encourages us because he didn't want anyone to kill Batman and take away his dream, but at the same time he also wants us to die so that Joker can take over Batman's body. This gives a very detailed layer to Joker, and makes him one of the best written characters in spite of being dead.

Now let's talk about the Batmobile. I am well aware of the people who say that they find the Batmobile missions annoying, and I don't mean to challenge anyone's opinion. But personally the Batmobile is one of the things that made me like this game the most in the series. Batmobile allows us to get anywhere faster and it has a pretty good control, unlike many open world games like GTA IV or Watch_Dogs 2 where the car drives like a sailboat. On setting it in Battle Mode we can control it even easily and once upgraded, it's literally an indestructable piece of tank. After having completed the game I often drive around in the Dark Knight's Tumbler while wearing the Christian Bale Batman outfit, or the Batman v Superman Batmobile while wearing Ben Affleck's outfit. It's really fun to do all that. I'm okay with you if you don't like it, but I like it a lot.

And finally let's talk about the game in general. The voice acting is great once again. Though my PC would lag sometimes when the cutscenes would play, and I don't blame it because it is happening even though the video memory of the game is well below my graphic card's. So for now I have only played the main mission and uninstalled the game, so that I continue it from my cloud save once I get a gaming PC. Then I also really like Batman's suit over here. At first I thought I'd try out the other suits as well, but I always came back to the game one. Personally I'd have prefered if the suit had white eyes too, but that's probably just a choice, and I'm disappointed over here because literally every suit shows our eyes.

Overall Batman: Arkham Knight is one of the most beautiful games I have played this year. I have played it for 19 hours by now and hopefully, like I said, I will play it when I get a better PC. People often talk about the Arkham series being the one where we get to be Batman. In my opinion this game is the one that shows it the most.

Pros: 1. Amazing graphics, music score & sound effects.

2. Outstanding voice acting performances by Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, John Noble, Jonathan Banks, Ashley Greene, Tara Strong, Wally Wingert, Troy Baker, Nolan North, Tasia Valenza, Grey Delisle etc as Batman, Joker, Scarecrow, Commissioner Gordon, Oracle, Harley Quinn, Riddler, Arkham Knight, Two Face, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Catwoman etc.

3. Great plot about Scarecrow reunites all the supervillains to destroy Batman.

4. Joker appears as a hallucination.

5. Love the Batsuit in this game.

6. You get to drive the Batmobile, as well as battling tanks.

7. Love the Fear Takedown move.

8. You get to switch back & forth in between the Main Story objectives to the Side Missions.

9. Love the improvement of both the combat & stealth encounters.

10. It's a bigger open world than it's predecessors.

Cons: 1. Half of the writing's not the same without Paul Dini.

2. I didn't like the Deathstroke tank battle.

Batman : Arkham Knight Review

The Arkham series by rocksteady has finally come to an end . The game revolves around Scarecrow and his woeful wish to see Batman banished and terrorize the one thing he has sworn to protect : Gotham.

The story continues 9 months after the events of Arkham City (Which I will not spoil if you haven't experienced it) . Scarecrow uses his fear toxin to evacuate the city and makes Gotham his playground to put batman to a final test . He is joined by a new villain 'Arkham knight' to help him take the Bat down as he hold a sort of personal grudge against batman.

I had a constant fear that the story would end up to be a little too simplistic with a reveal of who the Arkham Knight is and a series of events leading to take down scare crow . However , I was surprised to see a rather more sophisticated and more complex story with a surprising return of a beloved character who you probably already guessed but don't worry , this won't spoil your experience with the game as he makes his appearance pretty early on. The character however is used very cleverly by rocksteady and I have to give them credit for it. The story can be a little confusing at times but you'll realize that it was meant to be and the events that take place throughout the story can be explained due to the fact that batman has been infected with a small amount of fear toxin. Not to worry , this also takes place very early on in the game. The plot begins with a very basic opening , where batman's objective seems straightforward and nothing to pull your interest other than the gameplay . Almost an hour and a half in and you'll find yourself confused with many of the events taking place and it's just a blast of interesting plot lines that come into play , which made the inner me very happy, and found myself questioning every moment of the game : 'How and when does this take place?' . It picks up its pace from there till the end of the game. It consists of many sequences that'll probably freak you out (Trust me, I had a heart attack). And That is exactly the kind of story that was required and Rocksteady have done a phenomenal job at it . Poison Ivy makes a return , Harley Quinn , Oracle(Barbra Gordon) etc. Gordon himself plays a heavier role than previous titles and also having a small but effective narrative control over the story. The disappointment comes when rocksteady seemed to make it very obvious who would be the Arkham knight . Although fans of the game will be happy that they pulled his backstory from a beloved segment in the comics . However the reveal seemed too obvious , but luckily rocksteady did not keep the reveal as a climax however reveal who he truly is at least a good bit before the ending . It also came to my attention that it seemed as though rocksteady wanted us to know who the Arkham knight is before batman could. The end however, was satisfying enough and had clever aspects to it that you'll have to play and find out for yourself.

The game play present in the game is instantly familiar to anyone whose played the series' previous titles but manages to add effective new enemy types , a new takedown mechanic and environmental takedowns that help further improve the already fantastic combat system . Predator sections of the game are as satisfying as it was before and the the investigative segments of the game were handled brilliantly . The game has challenging segments where you'll have figure your way out using your gadgets and the bat mobile and they have been the most well done puzzle segments in the series . You'd often wonder how they even came up with it . The gadgets are back with a few new ones and nifty new tricks with the old.

The biggest addition to the game has been the bat mobile . Rocksteady's developed have put incredible time into its details and how it's works . However the bat mobile may sometimes feel like it over stays it's welcome because of its large segments of tank battles using its battle mode . Although I could enjoy it , other friends of mine said they had grown tired of numerous segments of tank battles. This has been the case for many , however this isn't a game breaker. Initially people do have trouble handling the vehicle , but a few hours in and they'll be getting along well. But it isn't easy , give it time. It has been blended with the world really well and used very cleverly , it's remote control feature is also one that's thought provokingly well used. There was always a feeling of life in the vehicle and that's what rocksteady was definitely planning to make you feel.

Coming to the open world of Gotham , you'll be more than impressed with the work they've done on the world, incredibly well detailed and atmospheric like it should be, filled with tall building and intensely lit skyscrapers that adds great verticality to the game. This along with ambient soundtracks playing in the background all provoked to make this game truly immersive .

The soundtrack by Nick Arundel and David Buckley deserves recognition as they add to the overall immersive feel of the game composing tracks for almost every segment of the game from predator segments to emotional and thrilling sequences.

A complete closure for the game can be seen when the game is 100% complete.