Rocksteady nailed Batman: Arkham City – that’s my first thought about this game.

The game picks up a few months after the events of Arkham Asylum. Former Arkham warden Quincy Sharp now reigns as the mayor of Gotham City, and he’s moved the bad guys from Blackgate Prison and the inmates from Arkham Asylum to a cordoned off area in the heart of Gotham. This is Arkham City, Dr. Hugo Strange runs it, and Batman’s job is to see what the hell is going on inside.

Trust me, you’re gonna want to play this game after you see the opening – which is one of the best in modern gaming.

Fans of the first game will feel completely at home here. Rocksteady refined and polished the already excellent game controls and mechanics. There’s also a ton of new gadgets while the old favorites are there as well. Batman can now counter and hit many enemies at once, and can also swoop down and then back up when gliding.

You immediately get that “bad-ass” feeling of empowerment when you walk into a room with 20 to 1 odds. You can fight, freeze them, or throw down a smoke pellet and disappear into the night. This feeling carries over to the bosses, while none are really challenging, it’s just good fun to beat down a baddie.

I won’t give the story away but suffice to say, it is a must have game, especially if you like to run around being Batman. The game isn’t perfect – Batman still seems a little stiff when just walking around, and some might say that the combat is simple and gets repetitive.

There’s plenty to make up for this: the voice acting, the absolutely amazing opening, the riddles, the crazy ending, and the excellent story are all reasons to love this game.

Review coming soon…