Batman: Arkham City

Night has fallen in Gotham City, and supervillains are running wild. Who will save us? Nana nana nana nana BATMAN! In a sequel to one of the most surprisingly successful games in recent memory, the Caped Crusader has returned in an even better open-world action game.

After the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum, the Asylum's warden, Quincy Sharp, has been elected mayor of Gotham and has quarantined a section of the city to build a super-prison to hold all of the inmates from both Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison. This new monstrosity is called--yep, you guessed it--Arkham City. While hosting a protest rally outside the gates of the super-prison, Bruce Wayne is kidnapped by TYGER security forces, the authority figures of Arkham City. Wayne overhears Dr. Hugo Strange, Arkham City's big cheese, mentioning "Protocol 10" to his goons and fears the worst. He manages to escape his captors and retrieves his Batman suit via an airdrop from the Batplane. Oh snap, it's on now!

Like in the previous game, Batman can easily travel across the map quickly using the grappling hook and glide ability, and can easily see nearby enemies through solid matter with his detective vision. Unfortunately, he still can't swim. But not everything is the same. Remember the repetitive mini-boss battles from Arkham Asylum? Yeah, they're gone. Instead, each boss battle is unique and well designed.

The scenery is excellent. The rundown section of Gotham that makes up Arkham City feels so alive and dark with all of the anarchy that floods its streets. Classic supervillains The Joker, Two-Face, and The Penguin are caught in a three-way gang war, with their henchmen at each others' throats. Plus, lesser known villains like Deadshot, Victor Zsasz and The Black Mask are on the loose as well. And don't forget, The Riddler has scattered plenty of collectables for you to find.

The score is also pretty good. It gives that dark, ominous feeling you should feel when you're traveling through Gotham City.

The voice acting is great all around. Talent includes Kevin Conroy as Batman, Grey DeLisle as Catwoman, and Tara Strong as Harley Quinn. But who could forget the man who always manages to steal the show? That's right, Mark Hamill returns in (what he claims to be) his final appearance as Batman's arch nemesis, The Joker.

Also returning from the previous game's control scheme is the combat system. While it doesn't feel too different, it's not that much to complain about. There are plenty of ways to subdue your foes, both head on and stealthily. Most of the Dark Knight's gadgets are back as well, and he'll pick up a few more, like the electric gun and the freeze grenades. As you complete missions, defeat enemies, and find collectables, you'll gain experience points, which can be used to upgrade your equipment and abilities.

If you buy this game brand new, you'll get an online code to download the Catwoman content, which allows you to play as Gotham's master thief in a few side missions in story mode, as well as challenge mode. Otherwise, you'll have to download it separately for a $10. While Catwoman fights and travels across the map in many ways similar to Batman, she has her own set of weapons and upgrades, including razor-sharp claws that allow her to climb on the ceiling.

When the story is over, you're free to roam around and swap between characters as you please. There are also plenty of side missions to keep you occupied, although the augmented reality training is ridiculously hard. Challenge mode is also also available, and you can use both Batman and Catwoman. Rocksteady Studios has also promised future DLC allowing you to play as Robin and Nightwing in challenge mode.

The only complaint I can make about Batman: Arkham City is its lack of co-op in story mode. Seriously, with all of these characters that we are able to play as in challenge mode, why wouldn't Rocksteady think of this? Hopefully, if there's a sequel, we'll get to see something like this soon enough.

Are you still reading this? If you're a Batman fan, you'd be crazy not to buy this game and shout, "I...AM...BATMAN!"

Available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. (Wii U version scheduled for 2012 release.) Rated T for Teen. Developed by Rocksteady Studios, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Image provided courtesy of PosterCollective.com.