Batman:Arkham City

[CeeKay]

Holy sequel Batman! Can't believe how fantastic this game is. Wonder if Rocksteady will just continue with Batman (fine by me) or take on another super hero (I vote for Daredevil)

Isn't Daredevil marvel? Seems like they would probably stick with DC.

Yeah I know, just wishing out loud. There are a lot of DC/Marvel heroes out there that would probably be awesome to play, if made by Rocksteady or some over Dev with equal talent

sadly they probably will stick with DC, and Batman is the only DC character I give a shit about

they could branch out a bit, do a Batgirl game, a Nightwing one, and a Robin one too!

[Harkonis]

Holy sequel Batman! Can't believe how fantastic this game is. Wonder if Rocksteady will just continue with Batman (fine by me) or take on another super hero (I vote for Daredevil)

Isn't Daredevil marvel? Seems like they would probably stick with DC.

Yeah I know, just wishing out loud. There are a lot of DC/Marvel heroes out there that would probably be awesome to play, if made by Rocksteady or some over Dev with equal talent

sadly they probably will stick with DC, and Batman is the only DC character I give a shit about

they could branch out a bit, do a Batgirl game, a Nightwing one, and a Robin one too!

those might be characters from the Batman stories, but they still aren't the goddamn batman

[Purge]

while I don't feel quite as aggressive about my disagreement with whiteboyskim as ibdoomed   , I would like to also add that blaming a game for your own inability to stay focused on one task at a time is rather unfair.  It's not like the side missions are timed (beyond the ones that you have to commit to first before the timed part begins).  You can pick and choose to your hearts content.

Arkham City is like a freakin' amusement park that had a casino vomit all over it.

Even people without ADD will get distracted. It isn't great in that regard. I don't feel like the dark knight so much as it does Crackdown (better, I grant you). The gliding mechanic is exactly the same as the wing suit in Crackdown2.

I'm not saying I don't enjoy the game, but the amount of hype it's had makes me glad for the fact that I only rented it and can satisfy my completionist gene on the PC.

I'm "7%" in and I have a ton of the upgrades already. I'm not sure how much fun there is to be had without more things to work towards.

[Harkonis]

But that's what games are all about these days.  It's all in the unlocks and carrots on a stick, it's not about the trip there anymore!

[naednek]

Pete, the head of Arkham is now the mayor of Gotham and it's three months and change later. Aside from that and multiple references to the overall plot of the original (Titan drug), you're good to go picking this up.

I'm slowly getting back into the cobat routine and increasing my skills. It's absolutely vital to up your melee defense right from the start so you can last longer. Bullets can wait, but melee is important. I've also upped the critical hits skills and now I'm just wailing on the criminals. Overall, I'm enjoying the heck out of it.

But...

The go anywhere aspect is, surprisingly, not well suited to this story. Part of the greatness of Arkham Asylum was the go anywhere aspect because it was confined to a limited space. Blow that up to the size of this game and you lose one of AA's greatest strengths - focus. You always knew where you were going and what you had to do. Beating criminals to a pulp while en route to your goals was icing on the cake. But in AC, if you want to chase down Zasz you can do that. Oh look, Riddler prize! Hey, what's that over there? WHEEEEE!!! It's a case of focus versus a case of ADD. Again, I'm really liking AC but the mass expansion is, ironically, not working in its favor.

Also, a guy online calling himself Film Crit Hulk (great in character film writer) did a scathing critique of the gross sexism in the game. I have to agree with him and I guess the other game journos are so numbed to that aspect of gaming that they just ignored it. But Hulk made several good points, namely that this was nowhere to be found in AA but it's everywhere in AC. What's the point?

Regardless, I'm enjoying the game for the most part but not grabbing me quite the way AA did.

I've played about 2 hours so far and I have to agree.  I liked the confined path's of Arkham's Asylum.  AC just feels like a big world where they just dumped different things in it.  The world is well fleshed out, but there's no real direction.  I'm having fun, but I liked AA much better

[hepcat]

I guess I just like open world, sandbox style games as the complaints folks are presenting about AA and its large world are synonymous with that entire genre.

[wonderpug]

You folks thinking the world is too big--is it just too hard to resist all the side quest blips and focus on the main quest?  I mean, if you just go from main mission to main mission, it's still pretty Arkham Asylum linear, no?

[USMC Kato]

You folks thinking the world is too big--is it just too hard to resist all the side quest blips and focus on the main quest?  I mean, if you just go from main mission to main mission, it's still pretty Arkham Asylum linear, no?

Yes

[CeeKay]

Still not sure why they changed the Penguins voice to have an accent. After years of it being fairly similiar (I still hear Burgess Meredith's take on it when i read the comics) the change is pretty jarring.

[metallicorphan]

Still not sure why they changed the Penguins voice to have an accent. After years of it being fairly similiar (I still hear Burgess Meredith's take on it when i read the comics) the change is pretty jarring.

Having only seen the commercials/trailers i have to fully agree with you,it may be Nolan North but i absolutely hate the new Penguin voice,and same here with the Burgess Meredith voice,even Danny DeVito's voice was better

edit:shit....agreeing with CK,whatever next

[hepcat]

They do go out of their way to mention in his bio in the game that Cobblepot was raised on the streets of London after his family fortune dried up.  I guess they just wanted to emphasize that. 

[ibdoomed]

Still not sure why they changed the Penguins voice to have an accent. After years of it being fairly similiar (I still hear Burgess Meredith's take on it when i read the comics) the change is pretty jarring.

Just play without sound. It's overrated anyway.

[CeeKay]

Still not sure why they changed the Penguins voice to have an accent. After years of it being fairly similiar (I still hear Burgess Meredith's take on it when i read the comics) the change is pretty jarring.

Just play without sound. It's overrated anyway.

Maybe someone can make a voice replacement mod for the PC version; I bet Dick Cheney is free to do voicework....

[JCC]

I'm still fairly early on, but I admit to being a bit disappointed. I still think it's a great game, but I think they did a poor job of introducing some of the new elements gradually. I feel lost at times. While I did complete the first Waynetech glide training thing for the upgrade item, I haven't even come close to being able to do any of the others in the city. So far, I definitely prefer the first game to this one.

[Caine]

I got the rest of the virtual training done last night and have a few tips for the later ones. 

if you have to dive then swoop back up to get the rest, take Dr. Drew's advice and pull out sooner than you think you should.  ol' bats has a tendency to fall a tad further after you spread your wings.  I got the timing down pretty well with the one in the amusement park section and it was valid for all of the tests that use that mechanic.  there's one where you need to dive just enough to clear the ceiling and then pull a 90 degree turn.  that's easier than you think but don't oversteer or you'll hit the wall.

for the tricky one where you have to loop back, noone said you have to do a barrel roll.  as long as you don't land you can always circle back.  biggest trick to that one is knowing how far you have to glide back after the 180 to hit the last waypoint. 

as for some of the riddler trophies where the marks are far apart, batarangs are not the only way you can trigger them.  the first one you will likely run into while going to rescue catwoman is a great example.

regarding the timing related trophies where the cage locks back up after the timer expires, you have another way to retrieve them with one of your gadgets.  also, don't forget that your quick strike with the batarangs are very useful in this situation. 

comparing AA to AC.  I love both for different reasons.  AA was a carefully designed environment with an awesome advancement system and the metroid-vania lure to bring you back through old sections.

AC is an awesome sandbox expansion that trades in the tightly crafted experience for player freedom and choice.  admittedly, open world games are not for everyone, despite the quality.  yes, you can skip the fluff and go from main mission to main mission, but if you are not fond of exploring for the sake of exploration and wholly optional content, AC may not be the game you really want.   

[Soulchilde]

Question about Riddler

Spoiler for Hiden:

How do you access the Enigma machine after you rescue the captive in the electrified floor room?  Having a problem finding the third captive....  Actually, I did interrogate one of his henchmen which lead me to a puzzle at the museum, but I don't see a riddle there

   

[Harkonis]

Question about Riddler

Spoiler for Hiden:

How do you access the Enigma machine after you rescue the captive in the electrified floor room?  Having a problem finding the third captive....  Actually, I did interrogate one of his henchmen which lead me to a puzzle at the museum, but I don't see a riddle there

   

couldn't you have at least posed your question in the form of a riddle? I mean, come on man! It's practically beggin for it!

[wonderpug]

I still think it's a great game, but I think they did a poor job of introducing some of the new elements gradually.

I totally agree with this. I have to self-police myself as far as gradually introducing new fight moves and gadgets into my combat, which isn't the end of the world but it does take a conscious effort.

This would all feel much more natural if I had more recently played Asylum.

[ibdoomed]

I got the rest of the virtual training done last night and have a few tips for the later ones. 

if you have to dive then swoop back up to get the rest, take Dr. Drew's advice and pull out sooner than you think you should.  ol' bats has a tendency to fall a tad further after you spread your wings.  I got the timing down pretty well with the one in the amusement park section and it was valid for all of the tests that use that mechanic.  there's one where you need to dive just enough to clear the ceiling and then pull a 90 degree turn.  that's easier than you think but don't oversteer or you'll hit the wall.

for the tricky one where you have to loop back, noone said you have to do a barrel roll.  as long as you don't land you can always circle back.  biggest trick to that one is knowing how far you have to glide back after the 180 to hit the last waypoint. 

as for some of the riddler trophies where the marks are far apart, batarangs are not the only way you can trigger them.  the first one you will likely run into while going to rescue catwoman is a great example.

regarding the timing related trophies where the cage locks back up after the timer expires, you have another way to retrieve them with one of your gadgets.  also, don't forget that your quick strike with the batarangs are very useful in this situation. 

comparing AA to AC.  I love both for different reasons.  AA was a carefully designed environment with an awesome advancement system and the metroid-vania lure to bring you back through old sections.

AC is an awesome sandbox expansion that trades in the tightly crafted experience for player freedom and choice.  admittedly, open world games are not for everyone, despite the quality.  yes, you can skip the fluff and go from main mission to main mission, but if you are not fond of exploring for the sake of exploration and wholly optional content, AC may not be the game you really want.   

Good flight tips, those are going to come in handy for people when they get to the plot point of...

Spoiler for Hiden:

completing Ra's challenge.

[hepcat]

Even an intro tutorial section a la Dark Souls would have been infinitely better than just dropping you into the city and then giving you spotty info.

[wonderpug]

Even an intro tutorial section a la Dark Souls would have been infinitely better than just dropping you into the city and then giving you spotty info.

They do sort of introduce new concepts as you go in the early missions - 'slide for this obstacle!' 'here you have to be stealthy!' 'use your explosive gel here!' - but they still throw everything at you so fast.  I can't imagine how lost people who skipped Asylum must be with this game.

[Purge]

I'm pretty proficient with the gliding, but I'm at 70% complete with the AR challenges. Is the payoff worth it (which means I have 3 left - most of which involving deep dives and then flying over water under tunnels, or the right hand turn which I had almost completed 12 of 30 times.

[wonderpug]

)

[CeeKay]

Installing!

and then maybe I'll play some more RDR instead

sacrilegious heathen!  go pick flowers later, you're the goddamn batman now.

no point being jealous when CK gets a game, he'll put it down for a different one before anyone else even gets it.

heh, too true: I haven't touched AC for the last 2 nights to play Rage on the PC.

[Purge]

)

Thanks!

[leo8877]

I am enjoying myself, but I do think the AA experience was much tighter due to the close confines.

[skystride]

The penguin level was epic and in close confines.   Just because it's an open world doesn't mean there aren't large set piece areas like Arkham Asylum.

[hepcat]

The penguin level was epic and in close confines.   Just because it's an open world doesn't mean there aren't large set piece areas like Arkham Asylum.

Yeah, it's Batman: Arkham City...not Batman: Mayberry RFD.

[JCC]

AUGMENTED REALITY TRAINING... can go straight to hell....

[leo8877]

AUGMENTED REALITY TRAINING... can go straight to hell....

I was able to do one of the advanced ones, but otherwise I'm having a bit of trouble.

[wonderpug]

I got the upgrade you get from doing the first batch--but what's the reward for doing more?  Is there one?

[metallicorphan]

i can not for the life of me figure out that damn grapple boost that you get from the first batch of those reality training missions


Quite like Catwoman,she is a fast little kitty

[wonderpug]

i can not for the life of me figure out that damn grapple boost that you get from the first batch of those reality training missions

Step 1 - be outdoors
Step 2 - grapple something
Step 3 - Hit A twice
> zooomyzoom!
> you fly into the air at the top instead of perching
Step 4 - If you want to keep on going spidey style, go back to step 2
Step 5 - don't forget you have to do step 3 again

[leo8877]

i can not for the life of me figure out that damn grapple boost that you get from the first batch of those reality training missions

Step 1 - be outdoors
Step 2 - grapple something
Step 3 - Hit A twice
> zooomyzoom!
> you fly into the air at the top instead of perching
Step 4 - If you want to keep on going spidey style, go back to step 2
Step 5 - don't forget you have to do step 3 again

I think in step 2 you have to hold A on the second press (or X on PS3) to get it to reel you up faster.

[ibdoomed]

i can not for the life of me figure out that damn grapple boost that you get from the first batch of those reality training missions


Quite like Catwoman,she is a fast little kitty

Press RB to grapnel, once you leave the ground, press A and release, immediately press A and hold until you are launched in the air. This is all dependent on if your grapnel is long enough.

[CeeKay]

you can also do takedowns with the grapnel boost.

[PR_GMR]

(PR walks into thread.. copy of Batman: Arkham City in hand)

Goddamn!!

Impressions tomorrow.

(PR walks out of thread, mutter: Fuckin' CK!)

[Isgrimnur]

You guys might want to play this on the 31st. Calendar Man seems to think it might be important.

[leo8877]

You guys might want to play this on the 31st. Calendar Man seems to think it might be important.

Spoiler regarding calendar man

Spoiler for Hiden:

Apparently there's an achievement for talking to him on all the holidays.  His audio right now says to come back on Halloween.  I'm guessing that it changes for the holiday each month.

[Isgrimnur]

For something interesting, move your scanner to 679.71, 514.11, standard x,y coordinates.

Spoiler for Hiden:

9 23 9 12 12 18 5 20 21 18 14 2 1 20 13 1 14

Spoiler for Hiden:

I will return Batman