Genre: Stealth/Action
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive

As more of an adaptation of the recent Batman films than his comic books, Arkham City's aesthetic is a joyful mix of character designs clearly plucked straight from the Dark Knight's universe and Max Payne-like scenery-- dark, grubby, and snowy. Unreal Engine really struts its stuff here, showing what kind of designs great artists can deliver within its confines.

Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy return as the voices of Joker and Batman, respectively. As with their performances in Arkham Asylum, their work here is top notch as well. Ron Fish' soundtrack sounds like it came straight from a Batman film, and is sweeping, desparate, and dramatic-- perhaps a bit too much so. Despite Hamill's talents, the player is thankfully not inundated with constant Joker chatter, as he was in Arkham Asylum.

Those wondering where the brawler genre has gone in triple-A gaming should look no further than this title. Even though the combat feels a bit too automated at times, it's still nuanced, flowing, and intuitive. Navigating the sprawling urban landscape is highly reminiscent of Sucker Punch's "Infamous" titles, but with the addition of spectacular cape gliding and grapple hooking. The stage designs are water tight, and the Wii U's gamepad screen is even well-utilized.

With player movement from Infamous, aesthetics from Max Payne, combat from God of War, adventure elements from Heavy Rain, and stealth mechanics from Splinter Cell, Arkham City manages to take the best aspects from many great games and still manage to be greater than the sum of its parts. This is in part due to Paul Dini's writing, which achieves almost novel-like levels of sophistication and thought provocation. When all is said and done, Arkham City is one of the best games of the past five or six years.