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Tribune News Service

 Batman: Return to Arkham
Rocksteady Studios
4/5 stars
Less than a decade ago, when the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were new kids on the block, Batman’s video game reputation was spotty. The Dark Knight had some decent outings over the years, but nothing approached the level of a classic game.


Enter developer Rocksteady, whose 2009 Batman: Arkham Asylum was among the year’s best. Great as that game was, the studio outdid itself two years later with Batman: Arkham City, one of the finest games of that console generation. Both bring top-notch comic-inspired storytelling, filled with superb boss battles and wicked narrative twists.
Keeping in step with the trend of remastered last-gen classics, Batman: Return to Arkham packages both titles into one game. And like most remasters, this collection doesn’t dangle many new carrots for those who’ve played and moved on from the originals.
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The good news is Return to Arkham (for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) illustrates how well both Asylum and City have aged from a gameplay perspective. Even with the advances made in 2015’s Batman: Arkham Knight for current-gen platforms, neither remastered title feels far behind in the way Batman moves, fights or navigates the environment.
But the remastered selling point centres not on gameplay but with upgraded visuals for each game, and the results are more mixed. The textures are vastly improved all around, but they’re especially noteworthy indoors. Arkham Asylum or City’s Iceberg Lounge are so much more richly detailed than the original releases, greatly enhancing the experience.
Unfortunately, Batman’s dialogue with non-playable characters looks even more stiff as time has passed, and the new textures actually make the Caped Crusader look like a puppet when he speaks. He’s not quite Batman villain Mr. Scarface, but it’s cringe-worthy at times in a series of games notable for their fluidity.
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Otherwise, the games come with all the additional downloadable content available right off the bat – pun intended. If you missed them the first time, especially the extra Batman skins with various looks from his history, they’re a fun addition. Just don’t expect anything that wasn’t already there five to seven years ago, because there’s nothing in the form of new content.
In the end, Return to Arkham is a great collector’s piece or an addition for wistful fans who no longer have their old PS3 or 360, and a terrific bundle for those who missed the two incredible games the first time.


Game review – Batman: Return to Arkham remasters two masterpieces

A still from Batman: Return to Arkham.

Art from the game Batman Return to Arkham

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The latest Batman release is an updated re-release collecting Arkham Asylum and Arkham City – two of the most critically acclaimed games of the last console generation – in one package
