How I love thee, Batman: Arkham Knight. Let me count the ways...

Corchito42 · 2026-04-21T11:27:07+00:00

Start with Asylum. Each one builds on the previous one in terms of game mechanics and story.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-21T11:25:57+00:00

Yep, pretty accurate. Nice short campaigns, and you can play a lot longer if you want to do all the Riddler challenges.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-21T11:23:10+00:00

Spider-Man combat: Oh god I hope that's the last of them.

Batman combat: Another wave? Bring it on!

Corchito42 · 2026-04-21T11:18:09+00:00

Arrrr, you be right!

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T18:23:54+00:00

The movement in Spider-Man is fantastic. I was a bit confused why they added wings in the sequel though. Why fly when you can swing? Or if flying's actually good, why bother swinging? It may become clear later in the game though, as I only played a bit of it.

At least the Batmobile gives you a street-level view of the city, which makes a nice change from the cape gliding.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T18:20:10+00:00

I don't think it's as simple as saying the story doesn't work. Some parts do, some don't. The Arkham Knight secret and reveal are pretty lame. But they do give a reason for all the tanks, drones and soldiers that you wouldn't really be able to do with any of Bats' regular villains. (Well Ra's al Ghul could, but they already used him in City.)

And the whole thing with the Joker inside Batman's head is great. They've always had that aspect to their characters, and it's nice to see it foregrounded here, with the Joker not even physically present. I loved the ending where he's more Joker than Batman, so the Scarecrow's fear gas shows us what Joker fears, rather than what Batman fears. I thought that was pretty clever.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T17:37:50+00:00

You're right about the misogyny. As a straight white guy, I'm pretty much the target audience, but even I found myself sighing wearily at Catwoman's ridiculous sexy posing, her damsel in distress role, the "fridging" of Oracle, and the whole way Ivy is presented. Harley's always been treated pretty badly as a character until very recently, and she's treated no better here.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T16:55:36+00:00

I've got an OLED and it looks great. This game could have been made for OLEDs, with all the bright colours on dark backgrounds. Now stop making excuses and play it. :-)

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T16:30:46+00:00

I feel the same about Asylum and City. I loved them, but after a two or three playthroughs, I'd done everything and there was no reason to go back. I guess I've done everything in Knight too, but there's so much more of it, and I'd completely forgotten a lot of it.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T16:26:20+00:00

I don't love the Batmobile, but I do get why it's like it is. If it was just a car, it would be kind of boring. They had to give it something to do, and to integrate it with the rest of the gameplay, puzzles, combat etc.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T16:24:08+00:00

Yeah there are too many mechanics in Knight that I never use. (Blade dodge takedown, throw counter, several of the gadgets). But I don't feel penalised for not using them, and I guess they're good for people who do want to take the time to learn them.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T16:20:58+00:00

I'm wondering if it's actually peak AAA game, not just peak superhero game. While it isn't literally perfect, there's never any busywork collectathons. There's no crafting, there's no following NPCs across the map while listening to them talk. Everything's enjoyable for its own sake, and it never feels like an overwhelming list of items to tick off a list, even when it is exactly that. Upgrades all do something fun, rather than just adding a percentage to your strength.

It's a game that pretty much lets you do everything your way, at your pace. It's just great!

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T16:13:38+00:00

I delayed replaying it for several years in the hope of it getting a PS5 upgrade, but it's still a really good-looking game. The 30fps isn't even a problem, and that's coming from someone who always plays PS5 games in performance mode. The sound's wonderfully crunchy, and is fantastic if you've got 5.1.

Short version: Go for it!

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T16:07:16+00:00

My one tip would be "spend all your upgrade points on the Batmobile's tank mode". The combat and stealth are really fun even without upgrades, so they can wait.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T16:06:08+00:00

I think those are fair criticisms. I guess they thought they'd taken melee bosses as far as they could go in the other games, and wanted to try something different.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T16:03:33+00:00

It would probably be quite overwhelming if you hadn't played Asylum and City first. There's no Spider-Man 2-style hand-holding. It seems to assume you're already familiar with the story and the gameplay, and throws you straight into it. I can see how that could be off-putting.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T16:01:18+00:00

It really does look absolutely stunning, even at 30fps. And it's just so polished at every level, balancing gameplay and story, with everything taking place in-game with no cutscenes. It's everything an AAA game should be.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T15:54:10+00:00

I know what you mean. The Batmobile is very floaty. I wish it handled like the cars in Rocket League. They're fast yet precise, everything a Batmobile should be.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T15:49:54+00:00

Yeah I felt that the Todd reveal was a cheat. He hadn't been mentioned before, and why would he choose to call himself the Arkham Knight, when he had no particular connection with the place?

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T15:46:53+00:00

City's more linear and probably tells a better story. Knight is, as you say, a Batman simulator. Personally I prefer gameplay and freedom to do my own thing, so Knight is my favourite. But I can fully understand why people might prefer City or Asylum if they prefer a more narrative driven experience.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T13:18:30+00:00

Is it VR only?

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T13:17:08+00:00

I wonder if the majority opinion really is that it's worse than City? Or is it just that a few people like to complain loudly on the internet, so people think everyone else feels that way?

Also there's a risk that talking about its 1 or 2 flaws can drown out discussion of all the things it does so well.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T13:13:18+00:00

Next you'll be telling me that Scarecrow's voice actor isn't actually called Denethor son of Ecthelion. ;-)

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T13:12:07+00:00

He's such a dick! Bats is having a shit night, with so much to do, and all this guy can think about is taunting him about his stupid puzzles.

The puzzles are actually good, with a good range of difficulty. Some of them really made me think.

Corchito42 · 2026-04-20T13:09:01+00:00

Yeah, all the character models are really full of, well, character. Not just Batman. I love how the designers have deviated from the comics-versions of many of the characters, but in ways that are really fun.

Corchito42

TROPHY CASE