2011 was a year when some of the decade’s most anticipated games made their way into the hands of eager gamers and numerous iconic series reached their conclusions. Mass Effect 3, Skyrim, Rayman Origins, Assassins Creed Revelations, Uncharted 3 and Battlefield 3 are just a few titles that made 2011 more than simply a big year for gamers. For many critics and commentators, 2011 also stands out as the climax of this generation of consoles with their graphical capabilities being pushed to the limit and gaming mechanics being further refined and polished. Yet one game stands out in this cavalcade of memorable titles. That game is Batman: Arkham City.
Arkham City is the sequel to 2009′s Batman: Arkham Asylum, the little game that could. Released with out much fanfare or hype, Arkham Asylum set the bar for what superhero games should be. This was then expanded upon and fine tuned in Arkham City. Although I could ramble on about the exceptional game play elements of the Arkham City series, but this chapter will instead explore where this game sits in the overall Batman mythos, its contribution to the Batman universe, and where it is situated within the style and feel of the overall Batman culture.
This is an excerpt from a longer essay published in Vivid Scribe’s Pop Thinking volume 2, available as a FREE ebook download here.
