Console: Xbox 360
Release Date: May 29th, 2012
Review Date: May 30th, 2012
Reviewer: Jon
Pros
* Continue The Story From Batman: Arkham City
* Play As Robin In Search Of The Dark Knight
* Adds Roughly Three Hours Of Gameplay
Cons
* Three Hours Is Great, But Leaves You Wanting More
* While The Story Is Continued, The Epic Feeling Is Never There
* A lot Of Questions Remain Unanswered
There is no doubt that Batman: Arkham City is not only one of the best Superhero games in existence, but also one of the greatest Current-Gen Titles out there. The epic campaign, countless side missions and collectibles made this one tough to put down. Just when you thought you were able to get back to the other games in your collection, Rocksteady Studios pulls a fast one and releases Harley Quinn’s Revenge. In celebration of the Game of the Year Edition, this brand new DLC picks up right where we left off following the events of Arkham City. Is this just another stale add-on, or is Harley Quinn’s Revenge worthy of the same praise that the core game received?
NOTE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS REGARDING THE ENDING OF BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY CAMPAIGN
Presentation: A
Graphics /Animation / Sound
Taking place right after the ending of Arkham City, Harley Quinn’s Revenge starts off with a missing Batman. We immediately take control of Robin as he starts his search for The Caped Crusader. In an opening discussion with The Oracle we find out that Batman has been “out of sorts” since the death of The Joker and Talia al Ghul. He has always been a tortured soul, but given the recent events of Arkham City even his closest allies are starting to show concern.
The circumstances that led to Batman’s disappearance becomes apparent pretty early on in this stand alone campaign. This isn’t surprising given the length of the adventure reached about 3 hours for me. For the sake of those who wish to watch the story unfold I won’t go into much detail. What is common knowledge however is that the plot centers around a heartbroken Harley Quinn who seeks revenge on Batman for killing her long time crush Mr. J. The narrative is told from the perspective of both Batman and Robin. As the story unfolds you will bounce back and forth in a fashion that almost reminded me of Halo: ODST.
While I did love seeing events pick up where they left off, there really isn’t a whole lot of depth to the story. I would have loved for Rocksteady to dive more into the mental state of Batman, instead it becomes something we just hear about, and the entire DLC revolves around a revenge plot which never really grows into anything else. If you would like a bit more insight into the format of this content, just think about if you were to isolate the Iceberg Lounge section from Arkham City. I’m not saying that Harley Quinn’s Revenge is a clone of the Iceburg Lounge, only referencing the scope in which it adds itself to the game. In the end it is only ever a different setting that you progress through and never becomes an epic storyline that will rival the events from the main campaign.
The production value of Harley Quinn’s Revenge is exactly what you could hope for. Visual flair, Solid Voice Acting, they are all present in this additional content. Everything feels completely up to par with the main campaign in every way. Yes, we do hear Robin speak and No he doesn’t sound stupid.
Single Player: A
Game Mechanics / Length / Difficulty
For those of you who didn’t purchase the Robin Character for the challenge maps, this could serve as a reason why you should. Simply put, Robin is bad ass! While certain aspects of him control identical to Batman, he does have a few extra tricks up his sleeve. One of the main tools in his arsenal consists of a mobile shield that can unfold from his staff. This can be used for protection against certain environmental obstacles and limited gunfire. If you have played as Robin in the challenge maps, he plays identical here. The only difference being that you will be using his skill set within the constraints of a campaign instead of individual maps.
The satisfaction of hearing Robin’s staff against an enemy becomes more addictive than you would think. It doesn’t help that Rocksteady did a marvelous job with the character model of Robin making him look the part and fit well into the game’s gritty setting. Playing through this short story with him only makes me wish he was unlockable for the core Arkham City Campaign.
The sections of the game that take place from Batman’s point of view, no need to worry. You will start out with all of the well-earned gadgets you left off with at the end of Arkham City.
Multiplayer: F
Game Mechanics / Features / Online Features
No Multiplayer Mode in this DLC.
Replay Value: C
Lasting appeal / Bonus Content / DLC
Harley Quinn’s Revenge is a very cool addition to an already amazing game. While Arkham City boasts a ton of Hidden Items and a number of Challenge Modes that will keep you busy for quite sometime, this mode doesn’t really offer as much replay value. One new addition however is quite a few hidden balloons throughout each section that could give you a reason to give this one another run through. The need to find all of these will likely only appeal to a small percentage of players due to the reward only being an Achievement or Trophy.
This additional content is launched from the title screen at any time and is a completely separate package from any other mode. This makes the ability to jump straight into it very convenient, and makes another play through a simple process. Aside from the inclusion of hidden balloons, the only reason to replay this mode is to progress through the story.
Personally I don’t see me replaying Harley Quinn’s Revenge unless I decided the go back through the main campaign to enjoy the story from start to finish. This is something that many gamers do (including myself), but with that being the main draw multiple runs in a short period are unlikely.
This content does tend to leave me begging for more, and I hope this is just the start of some great Campaign DLC. In fact, it has been a few months since I completed the main campaign, and this addition was enough to spark my interest in going back to playing Arkham City. With a few challenge maps that I never got around to completing this DLC does a great job of getting you back in the groove to revisit this stellar game.
For $10 the price point is pretty good. While you may walk away wanting to see more, I don’t think that is due to the lack of content but merely the ability of Rocksteady Studios to create an outstanding product that is a blast to play. I do hope that this is just the start, as I would love to see another section of the story featuring Nightwing, Robin, or the Dark Knight himself.
Overall: B
