I'm BATMAN!!!

I recently had the opportunity to play a new video game called Batman: Arkham City. It was released on October 19^th, 2011 and has gained high reviews. IGN has rated the game 9.5 out of 10 and it looks to be a top contender for “Game of the year.” This is a sequel to the original hit Batman: Arkham Asylum and so far meets the expectations of gamers across the country. I have to admit I'm not a true gamer and classify myself as a part time gamer at best, I only play when I'm visiting a friend's house or a few times during the summer. I do own a Playstation 3 but mainly use it to watch Blu-ray movies. The games I normally play are First Person Shooters like the Call of Duty series. I like the excitement and perceived realism in FPS games but found Arkham City to be quite engaging. Arkham City is the 3^rd person adventure game. You play Batman, Cat Woman, and Robin as you make your way through the city of Arkham dealing with crime bosses like, Penguin, Joker, Two Face, and Mr. Freeze. As a kid, I played many adventure games like Super Mario Bros and Contra but haven't really experienced a game that caught my attention like Arkham City. The graphics and game-play amazed me, jumping from building to building was seamless and smooth, the fighting moves were fluid, and the graphics were nothing short of spectacular. It's amazing how the narratives in video games have are so well integrated into game-play. The controls were easy to get used to and once comfortable they allowed me the essential experience of being Batman. The game does have sexual suggested content and I often think if the rating system needs to be re-evaluated. It's currently rated “T for teens” but I feel because of its suggestive themes and violence it should be rated something equivalent to the rating “R”. I feel that a thirteen year old is too young to be playing this game, I often think about my thirteen year old cousin playing this and it disturbs me, especially during the scenes with Cat Woman and Harley Quinn. I do understand from a marketing aspect why they would rate this “T for teens” because with a higher rating they would be limited in amount of revenue they would be making. If the game was rated higher, parents or adults of age are the only ones that would able to buy the games and although younger teens are going to the stores with adults the lower rating allows them to make the purchase directly. Apart from the rating, I really enjoyed the story and appreciate how well the developers designed the game world. One of the most helpful aspects of the game is the ability to go into detective mode. In detective mode, the game space transform into a infrared version of the surroundings. Objects that can be climbed and grappled are lit orange while enemies are lit red. The game world is well detailed and can sometimes be overwhelming, I feel the designers took this into consideration as they developed the detective mode. The cut scenes are a pleasure to watch and adds to the game-play, the graphics are amazing, and I can definitely see why this game is considered a contender for “Game of the Year”. If you are in the market for a new game, I highly recommend Batman: Arkham City. IGN rates the game 9.5 out of 10 and there are many critic and user reviews on their website.

Batman: Arkham City

IGN

Arkham City Trailer

Arkham Asylum

Game of the Year 2011