Introduction
Playlist of all videos
What is this game?
Arkham City is the 2011 follow-up to developer Rocksteady's 2009 Arkham Asylum. Up until this point Arkham Asylum was considered not only the best Batman game of all time (Which is wrong because Return of the Joker was awesome) but one of the best licensed games of all time. Arkham City was met with rave reviews that also included the phrase "The formula is pretty much the same" as a knock against it. Most reviews then pointed out the formula for Asylum was great to begin with and more of the same was totally fine.
The game takes place a couple years after Arkham Asylum, the warden of Arkham from the first game (Quincy Sharp) has become mayor and has sectioned off a part of Gotham City and put all the criminals in there in a measure to keep the city "safe." Batman enemy Hugo Strange has been put in charge of running the Asylum and basically lets the inmates fight it out in violent gang clashes. A company called TYGER has been placed in charge of security which mostly leads to beatings and maybe a couple thugs getting killed every now and again. There are also a number of political prisoners inside the City, indicating that Mayor Sharpe and Hugo Strange are suppressing the truth about the City. In an attempt to get more information about what is happening inside Batman has decided to get arrested and thrown with the general population as Bruce Wayne. That is where the game begins.
The story was written by Paul Dini, the main writer for Batman: The Animated Series, and a couple actors came over from that show: Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker. Early in the game's development Hamill had stated that he wouldn't be voicing the Joker after this game after being the voice of the character in any number of animated adaptions for the last 20 or so years. Conroy's Batman is as solid and stoic as ever, but Hamill's Joker is going to steal nearly every scene they share. You can tell the writers wanted to give Hamill plenty of material for his send off.
The game is free roam, letting you acccess all areas of the City pretty much off the bat. Story missions take place inside different buildings where classic Batman Villains have made their lairs, which is where the Arkham Asylum influences are the strongest. The game keeps you strung from one story mission to the next by giving you investigations to carry out that will lead you to the next area and keeps you from jumping order by limiting access either by requiring you have a gadget or by just locking doors. Basically, it's a Metroidvania game.
Table of Contents
Episode 1: A Cunning Plan
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Episode 2: The Church Has A Blast Door
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Episode 3: In the Court of the Clown Prince
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Episode 4: Catwoman Returns
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Episode 5: Mr. Freeze has Left the Building
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Episode 6: Museum's Closed
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Episode 7: Night at the Penguin's Museum
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Episode 8: A Night at the Penguin's Museum Pt. 2
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Episode 9: Being a Dick to Everyone
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Episode 10: Thugs, Robots, Ninjas
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Episode 11: The Demon Trials
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Episode 11.5: Mayor Sharp, Come On Down!
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Episode 12: Freeze
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Episode 13: Hatting Never Made Me Mad
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Episode 14: Return of the Joker
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Episode 15: Catwoman, Again
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Episode 16: Protocol 10
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Episode 17: Wonder Tower
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Episode 18: Joker the Immortal
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Episode 19: Two Face is Back
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Harley's Revenge DLC
Harley's Revenge: Boy Wonder
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Harley's Revenge: Dark Knight Down
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Harley's Revenge: Finale
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Very Special Episodes
Arkham City Tour
Courthouse of Horror
Riddler Challenge Rooms Pt. 1
Batman Thanksgiving Special
Last Sidequests
Nightwing and Robin Predator Rooms