If there's one thing that can be taken away from the months of hype surrounding Batman: Arkham Knight, it's that Rocksteady Studios has intended to leave the finale of their Dark Knight series on a high note. Ever since its official announcement in March of last year, Batman: Arkham Knight has kept everyone rapt with attention as details regarding the title's story and gameplay were shared with the public via myriad press releases, ad spots, and Arkham Insider webisodes hosted by Rocksteady Studios creators that took fans inside the 's development process.
So, needless to say, the buzz for Batman: Arkham Knight's release this Tuesday has almost reached a fever pitch. Without a doubt, when gamers get their hands on actual copies of the release and officially don the Caped Crusader's cowl, excitement will only become more amplified. However, the Arkham series' two exquisite titles preceding the upcoming game have set a rather lofty standard of quality, so expectations for Batman: Arkham Knight are extremely high.
While we here at Game Rant have yet to experience Batman: Arkham Knight fully enough in order to give the title a thorough critique, several other outlets have already released their reviews for the game. On the whole, the critical reception seems considerably positive, with most publications praising the game's staggering scope and lustrous visuals. Although, it is worth noting that these criticisms of Arkham Knight's graphics, gameplay, and story are based on PlayStation 4 playthroughs, so it's likely that evaluations for the Xbox One and PC versions could take some time in coming to fruition.
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IGN (Dan Stapleton)
"Arkham Knight is the biggest Batman game yet, not just in map size, but in the wide range of different types of gameplay, and its collection of characters. The addition of tank combat thematically clashes with everything Batman stands for, but it is fun, and having access to the Batmobile for the first time gives us a new world of possibilities for interacting with Gotham City. Arkham Knight is an outstanding game on almost every level."
Score: 9.2/10
Games Radar (Sam Roberts)
"I can see players just dipping in and out of this world forever, jumping in the Batmobile to chase down some criminals, visiting the villains in the lock-up at GCPD, gliding from an airship onto the LexCorp building . . . Arkham Knight offers an unparalleled interactive superhero experience that’s as rich as any fan could hope for - this is one of the best open worlds I have ever had the pleasure of exploring, and one of the nicest-looking games on PS4."
Score: 4/5
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GameSpot (Kevin VanOrd)
"Arkham Knight, for all its ham-fisted storytelling and frequent returns to well-trod ground, features the qualities developer Rocksteady has infused its previous games with: superb production values, hard-hitting combat, and a wonderful sense of freedom as you soar above the skies of Gotham."
Score: 7/10
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Video Gamer (Simon Miller)
"Batman: Arkham Knight is not only the best Batman game ever made, but a game that will be remembered as exemplary. . . . It's epic; it's grand; it's addictive; it's ridiculously good-looking and it's going to be remembered for a long time to come. A masterpiece."
Score: 10/10
US Gamer (Mike Williams)
"The stealth gameplay is given bigger playgrounds for Batman to be a scary predator in. There's more mini-games and diversions to reinforce that Batman is as much a detective as he is a pugilist. Gotham's level design is an amazing triumph; once you get to the high rises of Founder's Island, Arkham Knight handily outdoes Arkham City. . . . Rocksteady absolutely nailed the feeling of being Batman and Arkham Knight only increases the scope of the original games."
Score: 4/5
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Game Reactor (Gillen McAllister)
"There's a lot of variety on offer, from meatier missions right down to roving thugs, riots and police officers needing help as their cars come under attack. Get sated with one gameplay mechanic and the game offers nudges to taste another. You easily flow as one finishes to another. . . . The dual-play aspect of the game, letting you take momentary control of Robin, Nightwing or Catwoman as they cross paths with the Dark Knight and fight together, is as smooth and flawless as the rest of the fighting system. And while Rocksteady don't keep it all about combat, try keeping a grin off your face as the dynamic duo confidently march into a room filled with thugs."
Score: 9/10
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God is a Geek (Adam Cook)
"This is one of the best Batman stories committed to paper in recent memory, and it’s ours to enjoy. . . . It’s exciting, beautiful, haunting, dramatic, and compelling. It leaves you breathless, begging for more. This is the best game I’ve played this year so far, and it gets the mind racing as to what Rocksteady can do next. Occasional difficulty spikes near the end require a little patience, and although it’s often optional, there are lots of Batmobile combat encounters which you’ll either love or loathe. But if you give yourself to it, and if you love the characters, it’ll blow you away."
Score: 10/10
Polygon (Justin McElroy)
"The most notable non-feature of Arkham Knight is in the way it refuses to give you all the answers. It gives you the tools to pretend to be Batman and then trusts that you'll be able to make your way. When you're trapped with a monologuing [sic] enemy, Arkham Knight doesn't remind you that you can remotely blast enemies with the Batmobile; it waits patiently for you to come to it on your own. . . . After Arkham Knight, trying to find more meat on the Batman bone would define futility. After Arkham Knight, Batman has been perfected — and the end result is the best game of this console generation."
Score: 10/10
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Based on these early reviews of Batman: Arkham Knight, it sounds as if Rocksteady Studios' swan song for the franchise offers a wide range of different and impressive types of gameplay in addition to an incredibly well-crafted story. Bearing that in mind, fans of the series ought to be supremely satisfied after experiencing their final adventure with the Batman.
Batman: Arkham Knight is set to release next Tuesday on June 23, 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Source: VG 24/7