Recent reviews by whaling

The last time a combat system hooked me like this was Batman Arkham Asylum. It feels so right to play a combo-based hack-and-slash to the beat. Unabashedly fun.

This game would have received a moderate recommendation (a buy-on-sale, perhaps) if it weren't for this: I've just been roadblocked from properly completing the game by a bug that was reported by multiple people in 2013 and remains unfixed 5 years later. Also, a whole bunch of the achievements are no longer obtainable because the online service has been taken down. I don't expect an online service to last forever, but maybe don't tie it into the completion of a game?

If you enjoyed the gameplay of Arkham City you'll probably like this because it's the same thing, though somehow not quite as fun. The story is the primary redeeming feature here (disjointed and predictable as it may be) and it often feels as if the game's getting in the way of the story. So many gameplay elements are just padding for time: hacking a door, button mashing your way through a grate, walking back through the entire level you've just completed just to get back to the entrance of a building. I found myself enjoying certain aspects of gameplay initially - and I love anything with Christmas themes - but much of the gameplay becomes tedious with the amount of repetition involved.

Finally, not that it impacts the review in any way but damn Batman's rude to Alfred. I mean, who raised him?

A captivating world with an atmosphere conveyed masterfully. On top of that it's some of the most innovative and fun gameplay I've experienced - and I played it nearly a decade after release.

An outstanding story with a complementary and deeply affecting score. This could (and should) be a movie.