By Alex Al-Kazzaz
Truth be told, the Batman: Arkham series is one of the best video game series ever created. I'll never forget when I bought the first game, Batman: Arkham Asylum for the Xbox 360 in October 2009 and just fell in love with the game. Two years later, I bought the second game, Batman: Arkham City, then while I was studying at the University of North Texas, I got the third game, Batman: Arkham Origins. However, after that, my gaming days died down due to educational commitments.
As a child, I loved Batman. I loved the show Batman: The Animated Series. As I grew, I began to lose interest in the superhero. That is until Arkham Asylum came out. Playing this series turned me back into a fan, and it also taught me so much about the Batman comic history, including villains I didn't know of before, and events in the comics, etc. What I am trying to say here is that this game series changed my life.
A few months ago, I played the remastered versions of Arkham Asylum and City on the PS4. I also replayed Arkham Origins, as well as Arkham Knight. It was great reliving some childhood moments. Arkham Knight was released in 2015, but I never got around to playing as I was still working on my degree at the time of the game's release. But Arkham Knight really is a good game, and the game's ending? Well, it really made quite an impact. Not spoiling for those if you who've yet to play! But I'll tell you this; your reaction to the ending..it'll be quite a reaction!
The series is absolutely amazing. It's certainly the holy grail for Batman fans as far as gaming goes.
There's a lot of things about the series that impressed me. I love how you encounter multiple Batman villains like Two-Face, The Riddler, Scarecrow, Bane, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Death Stroke, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, Harley Quinn, and of course THE JOKER!. As you progress through the games, you unlock character biographies(That's how I learned about villains that I didn't know of like The Ventriloquist, Clayface, Victor Zsasz, Black Mask, Deadshot, and even The Mad Hatter), as well as side missions and character trophies, etc.
I feel like the games are quite rewarding! Believe it or not, I always took the time to read the character bios and stories. It was important to learn what I didn't know previously. I am just that committed to the Batman universe!
The series is a third-person presentation. The player truly gets to utilize Batman's unique stealth and detective talents, as well as the Dark Knight's combat skills. There's a number of gadgets, as well. The game's action-adventure concept is very good as the player can roam around freely. You really go on a ride in the world of Batman. In Arkham Knight, you actually get to drive around in a new and much-more improved Batmobile, as the Batmobile plays a role in the game!
Aside from the games' main stories, the side missions in Arkham City and Arkham Knight are interesting. These side missions are known as "Gotham's Most Wanted" and they're optional in Arkham Asylum and City, however, in Arkham Knight, they're mandatory in order to complete the game. The side missions are where you encounter the villains that are not directly associated with the game's plot.
One of the most well-known side quests in the series is the Riddler Challenge: a side mission that requires you to collect dozens of Riddler trophies scattered around the game's world, as well as solving riddles. While the challenge can be tough and frustrating, it's fun. Let's be honest; the difficulty of the challenge is what makes it fun. It wouldn't be fun if it were too easy. Many of the riddles teach you and thing or two about the Batman comic history and universe. The Riddler Challenge and the other side missions are truly meant to keep the player busy after completing the main story.
Arkham Knight's Gotham's Most Wanted side missions are the best. If you've played the game, you'll remember what you did during those quests. It's absolutely amazing. The Riddler Challenge in this game was three times as difficult to complete. All the side quests in this game were fun, and it's worth finishing in order to complete the game and unlock the Knightfall Protocol. The creators really went the extra mile in this series. They made an effort to make the game more than fun. It's to really give the players more than one thing to be excited about!
The whole series is really quite an adventure. From the beginning to the end. You basically see what it's like to be Batman and how hard it is to be the guardian of Gotham City. You see the difficulties of fighting the crime that terrorizes the city and how Batman always manages to find a way to stop his adversaries. When the player takes control, that player officially becomes...BATMAN!