Batman Arkham City Analysis
A brief analysis of the game Batman: Arkham City
Story Analysis
The main plot line of Batman: Arkham City is based around Batman being imprisoned inside of Arkham City which is a super-prison located within the ruins of Gotham City. He must face off against several of his enemies from the past as well as a new foe, Hugo Strange, who acts as the warden of the prison. The main goal you're trying to accomplish is uncovering the evil scheme that Strange is planning. In order to do so, you have to roam freely around Arkham City, meeting new characters, progressing through missions, unlocking new areas. There is a main story to follow in addition to the countless side missions that focus around different villains and secrets throughout the prison.
Functional Analysis
This game is a third-person, open world, action adventure game that has very few rules. The main guidelines in which you must abide by are; don't die, don't try to leave the map, and most importantly make strategic decisions. Most of your time playing this game is spent fighting enemies using a "Freeflow" combat system. The third person element of this gameplay allows you to have a 360 degree view around your playable character.
Controls for Xbox 360
(https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/xbox360/981374-batman-arkham-city/faqs/63180#section3)
The main story of this game is around 25 hours long and the side missions are about 15 hours of additional content. There are three different ways to play the game in terms of difficulty, normal, hard, or "New Game Plus" mode. "New Game Plus" mode allows for you to replay the game but you have access to all of your gadgets, abilities, and experience to fight off more difficult enemies. Waves of enemies patrol the city and are placed in mission specific locations. Batman's allies which include Catwoman, Nightwing, and Robin are also playable in certain DLC packs. Enemies have varying levels of armor and weapons which allow them to engage in different types of combat. Boss villains have special abilities that create complex story related variables. They establish more dynamic fight scenes and attach the game to its' comic book roots in a way that almost seems too realistic. Players progress through the game by advancing through a variety of missions that present opportunities to unlock new weapons, gadgets, and abilities. These newly acquired attributes allow the player to survive stronger enemies and finish the main storyline. A change to the game controls that I believe would make the gameplay more efficient is the option of first person combat. Sometimes it can be difficult to maintain attention to details when you don't have a direct view of where you're looking/fighting.
Engagement Analysis
The freedom that the user has when playing Arkham City is what makes it so engaging. The most enjoyable aspect of this game for me was the open-world. You can walk, run, fly, or even zip line throughout an entire city that is inspired by one of the most famous superhero stories of all time. The combat was also extremely well done to the extent that it makes you feel like you can take on any villain you face off against by using badass combo moves. If you ever need to blow off some steam just hop on this game and beat up every bad guy who steps in your way in the most brutal fashion possible, I guarantee you'll feel better. The only concern I had with this game was that some parts were incredibly puzzling, as if they were almost too challenging to figure out. One change that I think would make this gameplay even more engaging would be to allow players to take on Arkham City as the villains that Batman faces against. It would introduce an entirely new perspective on the story and pay more respects to the deep, interesting back stories of a multitude of characters.