User:War Clown/Sandbox V2

Batman: Arkham City
A Criminal's Haven. A Hero's Nightmare. A Gamer's Paradise.

A young man witnesses two of the most important people in his life gunned down by a petty criminal. Dedicating his life to ridding his home of the criminal scum that took his family, Bruce Wayne trained himself to physical and mental peak, and has donned the cape and cowl that would later earn him the status of a legend:

"The Dark Knight"
Batman

Life as the caped crusader had Bruce Wayne meeting some of the most demented and colorful criminals the world has ever known, ranging from reptilian brutes and living puppets to psychotic scientists and former district attorneys. All of these individuals were admitted to what became Gotham City's most infamous hellhole:

Arkham Asylum
"A Serious House on a Serious Earth"

Batman's most recent exploits had him at the heart of the madhouse, when it was under the control of his arch-nemesis, The Joker. Quelling the insurrection, Batman has saved Gotham from what would have been a catastrophic incident, and had Joker in chains once again.

But after a year, the Asylum's Warden, Quincy Sharp, became Mayor of Gotham City by taking credit for Batman's heroics in the Asylum. As Gotham's most powerful individual, Quincy Sharp has commissioned perhaps the most dangerous project ever made:

Arkham City
"Hell on Earth"

A sprawling labyrinth that was formerly a part of Gotham, Arkham City was under the guidance of Professor Hugo Strange, who is as devious and dangerous as the rest of the Dark Knight's enemies. Now the home of every living criminal the Batman has ever known, Arkham City is a ticking time bomb, just about to explode into chaos at any given moment. Determined to destroy the evil roots that stemmed the living hellhole masquerading as a prison, Batman has taken the fight to his enemies at Arkham City.

Without further delay, here's an in-depth review of one of 2011's most critically acclaimed games.

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Presentation

"Arkham City. Another name for Hell."

―Random goon.

No other place quite like Arkham City. You can see the urban decay all around you, the atmosphere thick with the smell of chaos, hate, and death. Well, you can't smell it literally, but you can definitely feel the deathly atmosphere as you walk around the place. This place isn't technically the paradise Batman thought the criminals live in. No, it's obvious from their dialogue that their just as much scared to be in the city as anyone else would be. So don't fret: You're all living in the same cesspool of misery.

That being said, this cesspool looks quite beautiful; the graphics have improved tenfold. Batman's mug no longer looks like it was from a hobo, for one. And also, there is beauty to behold in the ruins you walk on; buildings have been done in great detail, and your enemies never looked better. Your adversaries look visceral and grimacing, their visage haunting your eyes with both their beautiful appearance and twisted rendition.

Voice acting is superb in this one. Mark Hamill's portrayal of the greatest clown to have ever lived is superb, and Kevin Conroy has done his work as Batman very well; you'll feel that the Dark Knight has become a lot more intimidating thanks to his work. And our dear Assassin voice actor Nolan North has done a great job as the iconic mob boss, the Penguin. You won't even think "Desmond Miles" when you hear Cobblepot's voice; instead, you'd think "dangerous and demented criminal who haunts kids at night with his voice alone." As for the other actors, they've done their part very well, if not the same quality as the lead actors. You'll feel the emotion of the characters conveyed clearly and convincingly, immersing you in the scenario.

Consensus - 10/10
Amazingly done. You could not ask for more in this category, most especially with the voice acting. Mark Hamill's voice work is, without the doubt, the best out of the lot; his rendition of the Joker has awarded the Clown Prince of Crime with the Best Character of 2012 award by Spike Video Games, forever glorifying his work. If this was to be his last work as the Joker, then he had him go out in a high note, most definitely.