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What do you prefer? Batman Arkham Asylum or Arkham City?
- Thread starter GAMEPROFF
- Start date
Asylum is 3d Metroidvania perfected. City just threw any and all level design out the window and made the riddler into a total cancer with his garbage littering the entire city. Knight actually had a ton of segmented sections that brought back some of the Asylum feel.
I always felt that the first game had a better sense of cohesion to its plot -- the setting being within Arkham Asylum proper just kinda made it make sense how you were encountering so much of Batman's rogue gallery in sequence. I always hated that the final boss ended up being a roided up monster-Joker but everything else hit very nicely in terms of setting and atmosphere.
I still think Arkham City had a good enough storyline despite kinda making some contrivances to expand its setting, and additionally the gameplay expansions that came along with City made things feel even better than Asylum too.
So I personally prefer City on the whole, but Asylum always had the more cohesive setting/atmosphere to me.
I still think Arkham City had a good enough storyline despite kinda making some contrivances to expand its setting, and additionally the gameplay expansions that came along with City made things feel even better than Asylum too.
So I personally prefer City on the whole, but Asylum always had the more cohesive setting/atmosphere to me.
City.
Asylum feels like a prototype going back to it with how slowly it ramps up the complexity of the combat and predator sections.
Also the "tight" level design is really overstated, it's made of three hubs with bespoke levels that spring off them. The only real difference beyond the size of City's hub is that it's contiguous.
Asylum feels like a prototype going back to it with how slowly it ramps up the complexity of the combat and predator sections.
Also the "tight" level design is really overstated, it's made of three hubs with bespoke levels that spring off them. The only real difference beyond the size of City's hub is that it's contiguous.
I kind of wonder if your investment in Batman is a factor in preferring City over Asylum. Because iirc City throws a lot more characters and lore at you, and you are getting more of that Batman fantasy, but as a non-superhero guy and casual Batman fan I really preferred the game design and atmosphere of Asylum.
City overall, easily. It's among my all-time favorites. Asylum is pretty close behind because of the level design and atmosphere though... It's just so damn cool being there and going through the different areas as you progress.
Love both so dearly though. Wouldn't be nearly as into comics as I am now if not for Asylum.
Love both so dearly though. Wouldn't be nearly as into comics as I am now if not for Asylum.
Every single aspect of the game is worse in Asylum.
Combat? Better in City. Easier to use items, better flow, better...everything.
Traversal? Better in City. Flying was actually expanded.
Level design? Better in City - it's *massively* wasted in Asylum. Like, genuinely, nothing happens with the so called "Metroidvania" aspect.
Predator? Better in City. Hugely expanded, with far more patterns, interesting setups, workable gadgets, and guard evolutions.
Bosses? Better in City. Night and day, honestly. Asylum has absolute trash bosses, whereas City has some of the best in the series.
Sidequests? Better in City. So much better. Trophies and riddles were better, and the side villains endlessly creative.
Asylum is far and away the worst in the series - seriously, just try to play them all again and claim otherwise. Just try. And yes, I played Asylum first. It's fine, but easily, easily outclassed.
Combat? Better in City. Easier to use items, better flow, better...everything.
Traversal? Better in City. Flying was actually expanded.
Level design? Better in City - it's *massively* wasted in Asylum. Like, genuinely, nothing happens with the so called "Metroidvania" aspect.
Predator? Better in City. Hugely expanded, with far more patterns, interesting setups, workable gadgets, and guard evolutions.
Bosses? Better in City. Night and day, honestly. Asylum has absolute trash bosses, whereas City has some of the best in the series.
Sidequests? Better in City. So much better. Trophies and riddles were better, and the side villains endlessly creative.
Asylum is far and away the worst in the series - seriously, just try to play them all again and claim otherwise. Just try. And yes, I played Asylum first. It's fine, but easily, easily outclassed.
This I might concede; I tend to not care about story in games at all and generally don't follow Batman so I'm not in a place to judge it.
They're both incredible games, and ultimately pretty different. I played them back to back recently, and as a huge Batman fan, I appreciate the greatly increased freedom in City - navigating a city is very much what Batman is about. Knight is really the ultimate Batman simulator, it's just let down by worse side missions and the tank sections which feel off. If that stuff had had more time in the oven (and really the tank sections removed altogether), it would be the greatest Batman game ever made (acknowledging that Asylum may indeed be the better game all around).
I still wish Rocksteady had gotten to do a new current gen entry with a fully functional city with citizens doing shit and cars roaming the streets. We never really got there with the Arkham series.
God, put a BTAS skin over everything while you're at it 😑
I still wish Rocksteady had gotten to do a new current gen entry with a fully functional city with citizens doing shit and cars roaming the streets. We never really got there with the Arkham series.
God, put a BTAS skin over everything while you're at it 😑
Era loves the Metroidvania aspect of Asylum
City.
I see a lot of people push the metroidvania thing for Asylum but aside from more riddler trophies, there was no real reason to go back. City's tight open world had so many cool secrets and locales
I see a lot of people push the metroidvania thing for Asylum but aside from more riddler trophies, there was no real reason to go back. City's tight open world had so many cool secrets and locales
Arkham City for sure. It was one of best open world experiences for me because of how it focused it was. Asylum's atmosphere was great but the story was kinda generic, very safe Batman story and I didn't like the final boss at all. City's story was way more interesting for me. City also improved almost everything from combat, bosses to exploration and design. Asylum walked so City could run.
City by far. Fighting a Bane-venom-monster version of the Joker at the end is not what I want from a Batman story lol.
City may have better gameplay and bosses(well at least it has one good boss) but I still pick Asylum because of nearly anything involving Scarecrow. And it just has better pacing in progression and when it introduces new gadgets. City has that open world issue where your supposed to be in a desperate race against time, but you not really because there's a billion other things calling for your attention.
Asylum feels like Metal Gear Solid 1 but with Batman at times and I love that.
Asylum feels like Metal Gear Solid 1 but with Batman at times and I love that.
I really disliked that the map in City (unless I'm totally misremembering) was a big 'U' so you couldn't go across it without repeatedly doubling back. And I felt Asylum was basically perfect insofar as atmosphere and lore went. I'd go Asylum, even if City still had a lot of good stuff in it.
Asylum was tighter with some amazing highs, but the shitty bossfights really got in the way
City was very much trying to recapture that magic, in a fairly contrived way, but was more consistent overall.
City was very much trying to recapture that magic, in a fairly contrived way, but was more consistent overall.
City for sure.
Asylum was a first great experience (it also revolutionaized the hero genre dont get me wrong) but is nowhere near a clever enough Metroidvania to replace how fun was the map of City
Asylum was a first great experience (it also revolutionaized the hero genre dont get me wrong) but is nowhere near a clever enough Metroidvania to replace how fun was the map of City
It's tough.
Asylum is the best "Batman Simulator" but it has poor boss battles and a sucky finale.
City has superior bosses and a great finale, but much less on-the-ground atmosphere. However gliding around as Batman and lurking on buildings is the part of Batman Simulation missing from Asylum.
They form a dynamic duo.
Asylum is the best "Batman Simulator" but it has poor boss battles and a sucky finale.
City has superior bosses and a great finale, but much less on-the-ground atmosphere. However gliding around as Batman and lurking on buildings is the part of Batman Simulation missing from Asylum.
They form a dynamic duo.
