Developer : Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Release date : October 18, 2011
Synopsis :
Batman: Arkham City is a 2011 action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to the 2009 video game Batman: Arkham Asylum and the second installment in the Batman: Arkham series. Written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini with Paul Crocker and Sefton Hill, Arkham City was inspired by the long-running comic book mythos. In the game’s main storyline, Batman is incarcerated in Arkham City, a super-prison enclosing the decaying urban slums of fictional Gotham City. He must uncover the secret behind a sinister scheme orchestrated by the facility’s warden, Hugo Strange. The game’s leading characters are predominantly voiced by actors from the DC Animated Universe, with Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles as Batman and the Joker, respectively.
The game is presented from the third-person perspective with a primary focus on Batman’s combat and stealth abilities, detective skills, and gadgets that can be used in both combat and exploration. Batman can freely move around the Arkham City prison, interacting with characters and undertaking missions, and unlocking new areas by progressing through the main story or obtaining new equipment. The player is able to complete side missions away from the main story to unlock additional content and collectible items. Batman’s ally Catwoman is another playable character, featuring her own story campaign that runs parallel to the game’s main plot.
Rocksteady conceived ideas for a sequel while developing Arkham Asylum, commencing serious development of Arkham City’s story in February 2009. The layout of Arkham City has a virtual footprint five times that of Arkham Asylum, and the city design was modified to accommodate Batman’s ability to swoop and glide. Over a year and $10 million were spent on the game’s marketing campaign, and its release was accompanied by two music albums; one containing the game’s score, and the other featuring 11 original songs inspired by the game from various mainstream artists.
Arkham City was released worldwide for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles in October 2011, followed by a Microsoft Windows version a month later. The game received critical acclaim, particularly for its narrative, character and world designs, soundtrack, and Batman’s combat and navigation abilities. It was tied with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the highest-rated video game of 2011 according to review aggregator Metacritic, and was the recipient of several awards from media outlets, including Game of the Year, Best Action Game, Best Action Adventure Game, Best Adventure Game, and Best Original Score. Like its predecessor, it is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. A spin-off mobile game, Batman: Arkham City Lockdown was released in December. Arkham City has received several re-releases, comprising: a Game of the Year edition in May 2012; Wii U and OS X versions in November and December 2012, respectively; and a remastered version for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in October 2016. A prequel to the series, Batman: Arkham Origins, was released in October 2013, and a narrative sequel, Batman: Arkham Knight, was released in June 2015.
At a press conference held by Bruce Wayne to declare his opposition to Arkham City, TYGER mercenaries arrest and imprison him in the City itself. Hugo Strange discloses his knowledge of Wayne’s dual identity as Batman before releasing him into the prison’s criminal populace. While Strange prepares to commence “Protocol 10”, Wayne obtains his equipment via airdrop from Alfred Pennyworth, allowing him to become Batman. He first saves Catwoman from being executed by Two-Face, who hopes to gain respect by murdering her. After Joker attempts to assassinate Catwoman, Batman tracks him to his hideout in the Sionis Steelmill, believing Joker may know the truth behind Protocol 10.
There, Batman learns that the unstable properties of the Titan formula are mutating in Joker’s blood, gradually killing him. Joker captures Batman and performs a blood transfusion on him, infecting him with the same fatal disease.[78][79] Joker also reveals that Gotham hospitals have been poisoned with his infected blood. Desperate to save himself and innocent citizens, Batman seeks out Mr. Freeze, who had been developing a cure but has since been kidnapped by the Penguin.[22][80] Tracking Penguin to his fortified museum, Batman defeats his forces, his imprisoned monster Solomon Grundy, and ultimately the Penguin himself, before liberating Mr. Freeze.
Freeze tells Batman that he has created a cure, but it is rendered useless via instability. Batman deduces that the restorative properties of Ra’s al Ghul’s blood can complete the cure and tracks one of his assassins to his underground lair, leading Batman into a confrontation with Ra’s and his daughter Talia, Batman’s former lover. With Ra’s al Ghul’s blood, Freeze is able to develop an antidote, but it is stolen by Harley Quinn before Batman can use it. When Batman returns to the Joker, he finds his health has been restored.
While the two fight, Strange activates Protocol 10, which is revealed to be a scheme to wipe out the entire population of Arkham City and destroy the criminal element of Gotham. TYGER troops begin executing inmates as Strange launches missile strikes on Arkham’s denizens from his base in Wonder Tower. A missile hits the steel mill, burying Batman under rubble. Before Joker can take advantage of the situation, Talia arrives and offers him immortality in exchange for sparing Batman’s life. After escaping with the help of Catwoman, Batman is convinced by Alfred to end Protocol 10 before pursuing Talia and Joker.
Batman infiltrates Wonder Tower and disables Protocol 10. Ra’s al Ghul is revealed to be the true mastermind behind Arkham City and mortally wounds Strange for failing to defeat Batman.[83] With his dying breath, Strange activates “Protocol 11”, the self-destruction of Wonder Tower. After Ra’s commits suicide to avoid capture, Joker contacts Batman, threatening to kill Talia unless Batman meets him at the Monarch Theater. When Batman arrives, Joker demands the cure from Batman but is impaled and apparently killed by Talia while distracted. Talia admits to stealing the cure from Quinn,[84] before she is killed by a second Joker, still stricken with the disease.
The healthy Joker that Talia impaled then reanimates into the shapeshifting Clayface, who is revealed to have been masquerading as a healthy Joker all along at the ailing villain’s request. During Batman’s battle with Clayface, Joker blows up the theatre floor, revealing that it is above the Lazarus Pit. After defeating Clayface, Batman drinks a portion of the antidote and destroys Ra’s’ rejuvenating Lazarus Pit before the Joker can use it. As Batman debates curing his foe, Joker attacks him, inadvertently causing the antidote vial to smash. Batman admits that despite everything Joker had done, he would have saved him. After Joker finally succumbs to his illness and dies, Batman carries his body out of Arkham City. As Commissioner Gordon asks what happened, Batman places Joker’s body on the hood of a police car and leaves in silence.
Source : Wikipedia
