In the past two weeks Batman: Arkham Knight has received plenty of both criticism and praise. The PC version sucks, I know. However unfortunate that may be, I do think that Batman: Arkham Knight is a great game.
I picked it up last knight (puns) when I got off work, and I haven’t been able to put it down. I’m playing Arkham Knight on Xbox One, and five hours in I find myself wanting more.
My praise for this game does, however, come with one major caveat: you have to love Batman to love this game.
At least that’s how I feel about Arkham Knight. The combat is great, but not amazing. The world of Batman, however, is incredible – the villains, the heroes, and the gadgets are all near and dear to my heart because I love Batman.
Whether it’s reading the comics, watching the movies, or just consuming every form of Bat-related media I can get my hands on, I have always loved Batman. And for that reason I cannot help but love this game. My fandom helps me overlook flaws that other players may not be able to get past.
So my takeaway, roughly five hours in, is this: if you love Batman like I do then this game is for you. If you are looking for a game with incredible combat and revolutionary gameplay, I don’t think you will find it here. Don’t get me wrong – mechanically this game is great. I just don’t think it’s necessarily a must-play like other installments in the series.
And that is perfectly fine. Not all games are for everyone! I love the Batmobile and the caped crusader who commands it. I love grappling around the city and fighting against some of my favorite super villains. So I’m going to go finish cleaning up the streets of Gotham. But I’ll be back with a full-fledged review as soon as I’m done.
If you want to read about the game’s PC problems or the aftermath of those issues, GameSkinny has covered those topics. Or, in the interest of fairness, you can check out this article on why Arkham Knight is Batrocious. (I meant to type atrocious but I can’t stop the puns.)
How do you feel about Arkham Knight so far? Let me know in the comments!
