Review of 'Batman: Arkham City' (PC)

No Spoilers!

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After most console reviewers scored "[Batman: Arkham City](/games?search=Batman: Arkham City)" the highest marks and called it the best game of the year, the five-week wait became an eternity for PC gamers. News that the game would be even better, delivered "one spoonful a day," did not ease the plight of computer players. And finally, the long-awaited moment has arrived: the game has been released on PC. I want to inform you that this is a slightly different version of the game.

I don't want to dwell on the gameplay: you may have read about it in a bunch of other reviews on the console version. So I will focus on the differences between the PC version and the console versions. For those who just emerged from the bat-cave and missed the flood of glowing reviews for the console version (there were indeed a lot of reviews with maximum scores) — I am pleased to introduce the trimmed version of Arkham City — this so-called best game of the year! No, the game hasn’t lost its fast and stunning combat system. And players have not seen such gorgeous, “alive” decorations in a long time. The game has everything I loved about the first part, but it could have used a dash more of “Titan” to make it even bigger and better!

But you know, just these facts are enough for me to call the console version of the game magnificent. And what about the PC version? I would like to start with the fact that you will have to play with a keyboard and mouse, which is already incredibly silly. This game is made to be played with a gamepad, so connect your "Xbox 360" controller to enjoy the game. For when I tried to bash a gang of thugs with a mouse and keyboard, it felt more like a brawl between drunks than a fight. In this game, you won’t need to "land" headshots from a thousand meters away, so just forget the mouse and push it aside.

I would also like to mention another fact that has brought the PC version to a new, better level. It’s clear that "Rocksteady" has really worked hard on this. And it’s the 3D support from "NVIDIA." After spending about ten hours with both versions of the game, I was amazed: the number of little details in the PC version (of course, with 3D support) was such… From tattoos on the arms of the thugs, not just "stuck" on the model but moving in accordance with the character’s body, to neon signs that can be seen even from the other side of the city. This is where the PC version unequivocally wins.

To those of you who can play the game with "DirectX 11" enabled, I want to congratulate you. Playing this game will be more pleasant for you. Smoke and fog wrap around Bats’ legs when he makes a swift leap from the roof. Tessellation is often used to make the city “live.” If in another version you encountered empty and flat surfaces, now they will, for example, be littered with some debris or have unevenness. Under such conditions, you will enjoy the game, playing at 60 frames per second.

But the medal has a flip side: such a frame rate is rarely found, as the game has significant performance issues. The system on which I ran the game was as follows: "NVIDIA GTX 580" graphics card, 4.5GHz processor, and 2.5GB of RAM. With such hardware, the game should have been "flying." But every time I transitioned to a new location, the game slowed down, delivering two to three frames per second. As soon as I tried to fly over the city, the game would start to “cough” and “gasp,” ruining the player’s impression.

But I cannot exclude the fact that NVIDIA support is involved here, which caused problems for the same "[Battlefield 3](/games?search=Battlefield 3)." Perhaps therein lies the main problem. To resolve it, you need to disable "DirectX 11" support, remove lighting and tessellation, which, as mentioned earlier, make the PC version special. "Rocksteady" has already publicly stated that there are problems, but that didn’t stop them from releasing the game. And you know, if it weren’t for the terrible porting, "[Batman: Arkham City](/games?search=Batman: Arkham City)" could safely be nominated for game of the year. But while such a problem exists, we have to watch a sort of slideshow instead of enjoying Bats’ graceful moves.

Another cause for discontent among some players is the "DRM" protection, forcing the player to pass through three layers of protection to be able to play the game. "Steam," "Games for Windows Live," "Securom" – yes, this is copyright protection and all that, but surely something simpler could have been devised.

For those who plan to play without all the features provided by graphics cards supporting "DirectX 11," I highly recommend buying this game. And I promise you will have fun with it. Those who cannot do without the bonuses from "NVIDIA" and everything else and want to fully enjoy the magnificent city of Arkham are currently forced to wait for any changes or patches from the developers, on which they have already stated they are diligently working.

80%

Excellent!

Pros:

• Fantastic combat system… Requires a gamepad.

• Huge city, exploration is a must!

Cons:

• Performance issues in "DX 11" mode.

• Keyboard-mouse scheme — not the best idea.

Author: Bats

Proofreading: snowman