It's very difficult to improve on a great game - and do it right. Often times, trying to improve the wheel just results in a complete mess, and the exact opposite of what a developer intended. Many felt that Batman: Arkham Asylum was one of those games, as it was such a surprise that it would be foolish to try and improve upon the format.
But if the early reviews for Batman: Arkham City are anything to go by, Rocksteady may be one of only a few companies that actually succeeded in upping the sequel ante.
Arkham City officially went gold just under a week ago, so it was only a matter of time before reviews started popping up for the much-anticipated title. Two reviews are currently up on the Internet - both of them holding nothing back in showing how much they love this game.
German magazine Play3, which is Germany's official PlayStation magazine, proudly gave the game 92% - calling it the best superhero game ever made. Certainly very high praise.
That said, the Australian version of Official PlayStation Magazine went above and beyond even that already enthusiastic endorsement:
"Batman: Arkham City is not only the best superhero game ever made, it's one of the best games ever made full-stop. It takes the already superlative original and gloriously expands on it. It's a deeper game, more complex, more inventive, more mature. It brings the caped crusader's world to life better than any comic, movie or television show before it."
The outlet went on to call the presentation technically flawless, saying that it "pushes the Unreal engine to its limit." Both the soundtrack and voice acting are reported to be brilliant - and the controls were considered especially responsive, despite some initial confusion. They finished by claiming the amount of replay value was immense - with more than enough content to last the player for many months. Oh and they gave the game a perfect 10/10 score.
So, just in case you couldn't tell, reviewers are excited about Arkham City. Not that there was much doubt - but, if the early reviews are to be believed, Rocksteady has delivered on the hype. Looks like we can expect more sequels to come, if it's already this successful.
Do you think Arkham City will be able to meet the especially high expectations set by the fans?
Batman: Arkham City is coming October 18th, 2011 for the Xbox 360 and PS3. The PC version has been delayed until November, and the OnLive and Wii U versions will release at later dates.
Source: NeoGAF & ArkhamCity.co.uk