Batman Arkham Asylum set some pretty high standards for Arkham City, but Arkham City glided over that standard and now sets a even larger standard for the new title coming out, "Batman Origins." The game was released by Rocksteady in 2011 and has been called one of the most anticipated games of 2011. The game has won many awards, and has received DLC. However the DLC to many wasn't as good seeing as all you got were extra maps, extra skins, 1 extra small bit of story, and that's all. However, it is debatable what makes good DLC and not.
GRAPHICS (9): Batman: Arkham City's graphics are a large improvement of Arkham Asylum's. In Arkham Asylum, many of the prisoners looked alike and didn't have many distinguishing features and made the game feel bland. Arkham City has improved the enemy designs drastically and has made the game, if anything, nowhere near bland. Depending on which part of the city you are in, for say, the Joker's territory, the enemies there have tattoos and Clown masks. If you go to Penguins territory, you'll see armed enemies with ski masks and jackets. And if you go to Two-Face's territory you see men with masks split to look like they have two faces and wear gray prisoner clothes. However, like Arkham Asylum, when you defeat enemies their bodies tend to ragdoll and glitch through eachother. But due to many other things about this game it is easy to overlook.  
SOUND (10): Arkham City's music was composed by Nick Arundel and Ron Fish. From my personal opinion, the music reminded me of how Batman: Begins sounded. For those of you who are like, "What? I have seen Batman:Begins and don't see a similarity!" Well I recommend you go watch it on YouTube or go look for you CD. I can almost guarantee you'll agree after hearing the music. Or, you can just YouTube the two soundtracks. In my opinion, the music is good, and is fitting to the scenes. It is not sloppy (I say this as I have performed in Orchestra band many times as a Violist.) and in my opinion-- catchy.
ADDICTIVENESS (8): Arkham City has aspects very similar to Arkham Asylum. However, it also implements a freeflow system to keep your streaks up. It has more gadgets, better puzzles, and better plot. One thing that kept me addicted was the fact that the Riddler trophies returned and are now harder and more rewarding to find. Aside from the story is a mode where you may play maps you unlock (Or get from DLC) from getting Riddler trophies. There are two modes you may chose, the first is where you have to beat 3 waves of enemies and get medals depending on how many points you get from defeating those enemies, making you have to think of creative ways to beat enemies and get more points from it. And the second mode is one where you have things to do with the map. Some require stealth (My favorite thing about Arkham City, even though at heart it is a Adventure/Action game), like using your freezing gadget to freeze and enemy in place and do a silent takedown from behind, or require you to cause a chain reaction or trap an enemy. During those modes you may also, if you purchased DLC, be able to play as not just Batman... But also Robin (Tim Drake), Nightwing, and Catwoman. If you chose to play as Batman though you may also chose to play as him in a different skin. I personally favored the 70's Skin as it has a shade of blue I like. But you also may chose to play as the DLC characters other Skins. Robin has 3 skins, Nightwing has 2, and Catwoman has 3 skins. Many of these maps are very difficult and has this aspect that makes you want to try it again.
STORY (10):  WARNING: THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS. JUST FOR THOSE WHO IGNORE THIS I AM PUTTING IT IN BLUE SO IT IS HARD TO READ. IF YOU CHOSE TO READ IT PLEASE HIGHLIGHT THE TEXT.  The story begins with Bruce Wayne giving a speech about shutting down a prison, ran by Hugo Strange-- a man who knows Bruce Wayne's Identity. Bruce Wayne wants to shut down the prison due to the fact they are rounding up prisoners to be sent to the walled off part of Gotham where gang wars between inmates are going down, and people who know too much about what is really going on are put too. During Bruce Wayne's press conference/Speech he is arrested by Tyger guards (Arkham City's "cops") and is taken. When Bruce regains consciousness he sees Hugo Strange before him saying he knows Bruce's identity and is going to a "Hero" like Batman. Bruce then is taken by a Tyger guard to be released into the city where he meets Jack Ryder, a T.V. Reporter attending Bruce's speech. He sees Bruce and remarks, "This'll teach you to mess with politics..." Bruce replies with, "Stay clam, and stay by me, they are trying to scare us." Ignoring Bruce he claims it is every man for himself and runs off only to be attacked by prisoners. So is Bruce. You get to move around and defend yourself and attack the prisoners and then Jack Ryder yells, "Bruce! Help me!" As he is on the ground being punched. After Bruce beats them he helps up Jack and is hit in the back by a bat and before passing out, sees Penguin, a enemy of Bruce before Bruce was even born (His father's business put Penguins out of business) and stomps on Bruce's face, knocking him out. When Bruce awakes, he is surrounded by Penguin goons and Penguin. Penguin proceeds to punch Bruce but Bruce retaliates before the punch lands and twists penguin's right arm, also breaking it. Bruce then proceeds to beating Penguin's goons, one by one, and eventually, breaks him handcuffs put on him by Huge Strange so it'll be harder for Bruce to stop "Protocol 10." After calling in for his gear he suits up as Batman and then hacks into Tyger radio communications and finds out Catwoman is in captivity by Two-Face, who is going to kill her. Batman, hoping to see if Catwoman knows what is going on, proceeds to saving her. After defeating Two-Face and freeing Catwoman she proceeds to start talking is about to be sniped by Joker, Batman, being aware, notices it and shoves her away. After a brief conversation, she leaves. Batman, hoping to find out who was using the sniper, uses his forensics to learn the shot was fired in the Church tower. As he goes there he sees Harley Quin, Batman notices hostages and doesn't attack due to the fact there are hostages. After Harley leaves, Batman uses a smoke grenade and goes up onto a vantage point and slowly picks off the targets and frees the hostages. After getting to the top level of the church Batman scans the gun and Joker appears on a screen. Joker goes on about the final events of Arkham Asylum of Batman leaving Joker to die. After that he mentions the only thing Batman should be worried about is the bombs. Batman, noticing the bombs, jumps out the window and glides to the top of a building. After a quick conversation with Alfred, Batman's guardian, he tracks down the transmitting signal to find Joker, after getting to the tower transmitting the signal, he finds out the only way in is through a chimney (Not some small 50's family chimney. This is a large factory one). He glides to the bottom and eventually makes his way into the base and overhears the prisoners demanding they kill a doctor who failed to "cure" the Joker.  Harley announces a change of plan and says for them to take the doctor to the boiler room where they'll melt her. Batman, deciding to help her before getting to Joker, goes and picks off her captors and then questions her. She says that they wanted her to heal the Joker, however she can't. She also adds he has something in him called TITAN (A steroid Bane uses and Joker used back in Arkham Asylum). Batman gets a new gadget and then goes to Joker to fight a one-armed Russian mercenary with a giant hammer with clown tattoos. After beating him, Batman notices Joker's "body" in a wheel chair and a monitor showing his heart beat rate. When the rate goes to zero, Harley Quinn begins to  cry and yells and Batman, Batman, shoving Harley away, scans Joker and then get's surprised as another "Joker" puts gas in Batman knocking him out. Now is one of the few Catwoman parts of the game. In this part, Catwoman hears about a large safe of money being guarded by Tyger guards. Knowing it is simply suicide to go without help she gets her gear from her apartment and goes to Poison Ivy, who holds a grudge against Catwoman for not taking care of a plant Ivy gave to her. Ivy then attacks her and has her hanging for a vine thing and the screen fades away to Batman again. Batman awakes in a wheel chair with a tube in him. He notices a bag of blood near him. He asks Joker about "Protocol 10" and Joker replies saying he doesn't know. Joker adds that the TITAN in his blood is killing him.... And that he put some of his blood in Batman. After Batman leaves he tells Alfred and Alfred says Freeze has the cure. After going to freeze's hideout and beating the penguin goons except for the one who surrenders, Batman finds out Penguin is holding Freeze in his Museum. Batman goes to the museum only to be stopped by rising blades not allowing him to go by. He tries to override the codes to the Spikes but cannot. As Penguin is jamming his electronics. Batman then goes and destroys all the Jammers and returns. After getting to Penguin after lots of puzzles he then finds Freeze who gives Batman a gadget to override Freeze's gun, which Penguin stole. After beating Penguin, Penguin summons Solomon Grundy, who had been in his Museum. After beating Penguin Batman goes to Freeze. Freeze says that the only person with blood needed is Ras'Algul. Noticing one of Ras'Algul's ninjas escape, Batman follows her to the sewers where he eventually finds Ras' chambers. There he goes through tests to meet Ras. After passing them Ras asks Batman to kill him and take his place as leader of the League of Shadows. Batman, remembering his vow to never kill, refuses. Then, Talia (A longtime lover of Bruce and Ras's daughter) and Ras try to convince Batman, but he refuses, after drama I'd rather not spoil Batman collects blood of Ras and returns to Freeze, who says he cannot give Batman the antidote because he needs the antidote for his wife. After fighting an intense fight with Freeze, Batman learns Joker has it. After going to Joker, for the last time, he then finds out Protocol 10 is getting closer and closer to starting. Thus, making Batman rush. After fighting Joker, Talia comes and distracts Joker by offering him immortality by using the Lazurus Pit, thenBatman gets knocked out. Then, Catwoman gets help from Poison Ivy if she gets a plant for Ivy. After getting in Catwoman takes the money and breaks the plant. She then has the option of leaving to Gotham with the money (This is an alternate ending because if you do Catwoman leaves Batman to die and Joker becomes invincible. After that the credits roll, but time rewinds, forcing you to go and help Batman, meaning give up the money to help him. After helping him Batman wants to go after Talia, but since Protocol 10 has begun (Protocol 10 was Hugo Strange's plan to kill all the prisoners he rounded up, making him "famous and a hero the citizens of Gotham." During Protocol 10 there are many Tyger choppers and if Batman is spotted, they shoot him down.) he has to get the access codes to get to Wonder Tower, where Hugo is hiding, so Batman can stop many lives instead of saving just one. After Hugo Dies and Ras "dies" Batman goes to the movie theater where he last was before his parents died. He meets Joker and Talia breaks free and stabs Joker. Batman begins yelling and tells Talia there is always a choice after she said there wasn't any choice. Then, Joker reveals that the Joker killed was really Clay Face, who batman must fight. Then Batman stops Joker for jumping into the Lazurus pit and takes the antidote. The newly cured Batman then watches Joker die and carries him out and puts him on a cop car a leaves. 
DEPTH (9): Arkham City has many hidden easter eggs, many hidden Riddler trophies, and even more hidden places. There are many crooks and nannys for the players to find. An interview with the game makers stated there still are some things people haven't found, making people search even more, despite the fact the game is "old."
DIFFICULTY: (10): I personally played on Hard mode. So this affected my rating. Arkham City has many new features making it difficult in general if you haven't player Arkham Asylum to understand the concepts and more. Due to the fact it branches off of many things in Arkham Asylum, it is recommended for the player to have some experience with Arkham Asylum. 
OVERALL (10): Batman Arkham City is a shining Jewel and example of Rocksteady's work. It shows detail, good story, graphics, and depth. A game with plot isn't good. A game without nice looking graphics and plot is not good. A game without depth, plot, and graphics is terrible. However, Arkham City is everything but terrible.  It is, if anything, a example for any Action/Adventure/Stealth game. ~ Kyle







 

BluemageKyle : Great job in your post!

Just be sure to put some space in between the sentences so it can be easier to read.

For example, like this:

GRAPHICS (9): . . . .

SOUND (10): . . . .

and so on. Keep up the great work!