Arkham City...I'm Batman

I know Arkham City probably didn't show up on many people's radars. With the oncoming releases of games like Battlefield, MW3, and Skyrim most people have committed their cash to buying those titles, and I can't fault them for that. Those games are most likely going to be great. But Arkham City is a wonderful single player experience and is a must buy or rent (but if you ever want to finish it you'll want to buy it) for any platform.

The game isn't a great departure from its previous incarnation; You still use the bat-a-rang have to get massive hit combos and solve numerous puzzles. But what is different is the scale of the game. You will meet almost every villian Batman has ever faced in this game. The size and scope of this game is enormous. There are literally subways to travel in, basements to wander around and numerous levels of buildings to figure out how to scale. Some buildings are a puzzle in and of themselves to figure out how to reach the top.

Not to mention the Riddler has been recalled and now there are 400 different trophies. Holy Batshit! Some of these "trophies" you collect of his unlock different story challenges for The Batman to complete, some unlock concept art and some unlock challenge levels for competitive play. Some of these puzzles are a pain to figure out and can really be a challenge.

Another great thing about this game is you are not limited to playing as Batman. Catwoman is an available player if you buy the game new...I know, I know. I'm not a fan of this "You gotta buy this game new for original content" crap, but her stories are pretty good. Not to mention if getting all the acheivement points in a game is your thing, you're going to have to have her to do so. Buying it used or renting just doesn't give you the same sense of accomplishment as you'd get if you had Catwoman right from the get-go. It costs 800 points to download it on Live ($10) and is not worth it in my opinion. Her parts are fun, and the idea of playing as her is great. You'd be better off waiting till new egg or some other site starts selling it new for 45 bucks or so. New is the way to go for this game. Damn you EA for starting this evil trend.

All in all, I'd say besides Skyrim and Dark Souls, Arkham City is probably the best RPG/3rd person fighter of this year. It's definitely top three. It is a must have at some point and time for any respectable gamer.