10 Ways Arkham Knight Is The Closest You'll Get To Being BATMAN

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before…

If you had a choice between being BATMAN or getting any wish you can think of…

Which Batmobile would you drive?

Because YES, WE ALL WANT TO BE BATMAN! THIS QUESTION IS INVALID. Batman has been an icon in pop culture for decades! We all love him and what he represents – the pinnacle of human potential.

Be Batman.

We want to be the smartest, the strongest, the most skillful we can be – and we all want to KICK COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF ASS! Batman is the one superhero that’s actually (sorta) possible in real life! But alas, we don’t all have the billions of dollars for Bat-gadgets, or the spare time to master various fields of criminology and martial arts, or (thankfully) the life-altering tragedy that gave Bruce that freakish dedication to rid the world of crime.

But don’t despair. There IS a way to BE BATMAN. (Or at least, it’s the closest mortals are ever going to get.) Rocksteddy’s Arkham video game trilogy has brought the experience of being Batman at the tips of your fingers! And Arkham Knight, the final and best installment of the series, will have you whispering to yourself…“I’m Batman”. 

Batman's newest foe. But who IS the Arkham Knight?

Here are the 10 ways Akham Knight is the closest you’re ever going to get to being BATMAN!

10 Batman Trademark Butt Kicking

How else do you let off steam if you’re Batman? Why, beating up thugs, of course!

Fight off hordes of thugs with the game’s incredible melee system. You feel the power behind every blow and the rhythm of maneuvering through tons of bad guys at once.

Good thing Arkham thugs don’t have the common sense to just rush him all at once. Courteous thugs are courteous.

9 Working in the Shadows

Batman just loves his darkness. While Superman works in broad daylight, Batman is more comfortable working in the shadows. Aside from being the perfect backdrop for brooding, it also helps him strike fear into the hearts of criminal and effectively and stealthily incapacitate enemies.

So get ready to perch on those inexplicable indoor gargoyles and crawl through conveniently placed floor grates to pick off your enemies like only Batman could.

8 Dark Knight Detective

Superman ain't got nuthin' on Batman's multi-level x-ray vision.

Of course Batman’s no knucklehead. He’s also a master detective, solving crimes even the police force can’t figure out. And Arkham Knight’s multitude of side missions lets you see that side of the Caped Crusader.

You don’t get to do actual detective work, but it’s still fun to watch Batman piece together a crime scene using evidence that YOU collect!

7 Mind-drilling Puzzles

Will drive you INSANE! But you gotta get them all if you wanna see the game's TRUE ending!

But Arkham Knight’s still got plenty of brain games for you too. If the Riddler side mission doesn’t satisfy (or even annoy) your appetite for brainteasers then you must really be brainy! Gathering all those riddler trophies alone could drive one insane!

6 Combing the Rooftops

Flying is FUN!

We all know about that iconic grappling hook Batman uses to get around. He uses it just about as much as he uses his Batarangs. One of the best things about Arkham Knight is being able to grapple on to buildings and cranes and zip yourself upward then glide above the streets of Gotham.

Flying around Gotham is as exhilarating as web-slinging in Activision’s Spiderman games! It’s definitely not the way Adam West uses it in his TV show.

5 Gotham City

Gotham City is as much a part of Batman’s mythos as anything else. This crooked but beautiful city was stunningly brought to life in Arkham Knight. Rocksteady spared no effort to give gamers a fully realized, masterfully designed, and enthusiastically constructed Gotham CITY.

Not just a backdrop. You really CAN go down there and walk around!

I spent an hour of my life just walking around in Gotham, appreciating all the fine detail and artistry the creators lovingly gave every nook and cranny. I felt I owed it to them and their unbridled passion.

4 The Utility Belt and all the Cool Gadgets

When Batman’s in a jam, you could always bet he’s got something up his sleeve…or rather, in his utility belt! In Arkham Knight, you get to play with most of his toys like different kinds of Batarangs, a universal hacking device, explosive gel that only works when you apply it as a bat symbol, and even a ventriloquism gun! (YOU HEARD ME RIGHT!)

You may not have all his gadgets, but trust me, this is more than enough. Use them to get through obstacles or to come up with your own fancy way to take out henchmen! (HERE’S BATARANG IN YOUR FACE!)

3 Changing Batsuits

Tim Burton's Batman, the film that changed the superhero genre forever!

Okay, so the different Batsuits in the game don’t exactly do much else but be a change of clothes for Bruce, but it’s still pretty cool! Imagine being able to change into the suit that you’re familiar with – the Adam West suit, or the one in Batman Beyond, or even Tim Burton’s movie suit!

2 Driving the Effing BATMOBILE!

THE BATMOBILE: THE SINGLE MOST ICONIC FICTIONAL CAR IN HISTORY! Arkham Knight not only lets you drive this BEAST of a vehicle around town (leaving a trail of smoldering ruin in your wake), you actually need it for various missions and obstacles. You use it against tanks and copters, for building renovation, and for car chases on steroids! It’s as much a part of Batman as his arms!

The Batmobile is NOT JUST A GIMICK. It’s adds a whole new dimension to being Batman and IT. IS. A. BLAST. TO. DRIVE! And just like Robin said, “Chicks dig the car.”

1 Meet the Bat Family

What I love most about Arkham Knight is the supporting cast. Nightwing, Robin, Oracle, Alfred, Catwoman and Gordon, they all play very active roles in the story and gameplay. And nothing is more satisfying for a Bat-fan like me than to see Bruce interact with his adoptive family and have strong emotional moments with each of them.

And there’s a special place in my heart for the Robins, and in Arkham Knight, you get to play as Tim or Dick or even Jason (in a DLC)! Each of them have unique fighting styles and attacks that compliment Batman’s moves! Not only is this the best Batman game, this is also the best Nightwing and Robin game to date!

More Robin missions please! And fingers crossed for DAMIAN WAYNE.

***

The only thing missing from these Arkham games are the Bat-Credit Card and the Bat-Shark-Repellant. Otherwise, it was a f*cking PERFECT game! My brothers and I bought a PS4 just to be able to play this game and IT WAS SO WORTH IT. It’s a truly enjoyable game for comic readers and non-readers alike. The hair-raising action showcases, the cinematic narrative and the dramatic beats, the overall spectacle and badassery of being a vigilante hero, cements Arkham Knight as the closest you’re ever going to get to BEING BATMAN.

MICMIC RATING: 10/10

* First seen on The Philippine Online Chronicles!