Batman: Arkham City Strategy Guide Review

Authors: Michael Lummis & Michael Owen

Publisher: BradyGames

Format: Limited Edition Print

Contents: Hard Cover Strategy Guide, 6 villain Lithos, 1 double side Catwoman/Harley Quinn Poster

The re-launch of the Batman series has been a great one; letting players indulge in really being the Dark Knight at every turn. In the newest installment, Batman: Arkham City, that has been built upon so much it’s hard to comprehend. The game is full of enough content to get at least two playthroughs out of most gamers. With all of that play time , including side missions, character cameos, Riddler’s riddles, Catwoman’s side story, and all the other batty shenanigans that come with being trapped in a city full of criminals, you may need some help.

That’s where BradyGames comes in. For one, they make one of the most appealing strategy guides I have ever seen. The layout is beautiful and the content is pure eye candy. It has actual tips and tricks too, for all you guys that were here for that. There are (literally) footstep by footstep instructions on what to do and how to do it. So, despite how detective-like you may be, you will find yourself pulling a certain routine.

Go in a room, consult the guide.

Beat up a guy, consult the guide.

Perch yourself on a stone gargoyle and ominously overlook the city whilst mumbling “I’m Batman”….consult the guide.

As well as giving a complete overview and tutorial on how to use all Batman’s abilities and gadgets (new and old), you can find everything from trophies and routes to character dossiers and ways to spend time when not saving city. The book also has a guide for Catwoman’s side story with black painted pages opposite of Batman’s white pages.

For the most part, the game is moderately easy to figure out. The guide easily helps at times where you may be lost. The one thing that everyone may need a little more than help on though would be Riddler’s Trophies. The trophies come in both riddles placed a certain area and physical trophies. The Riddler’s section of the guide, colored an appropriate green, does well to pinpoint all of them and show you exactly where all the trophies are.

The only issue with this however is when you find yourself in a level where many of the scenes looked alike. Good examples would be Wonder City as well as The Forgotten Streets. In those particular situation, it is hard to find out exactly how to get to something, even with the guides help. If you can maneuver through those rare occasions, the guide can help you through the game from beginning to end without missing a beat.

As an added bonus, a sneak peak of the Batman: Arkham City graphic novel is included. The comics covered the events that occurred in the period between Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. They were previously exclusively online. Now, however they are available in print.

Lastly, the one thing I applaud BradyGames for is not spoiling the game with their walkthrough. Nearly every strategy guide I’ve read before this has slipped up at least once and given away a key story point whist trying to explain a level or situation. It’s not exactly hard to not do but, it can easily happen without realizing you are doing it. This is my first encounter with BradyGames and I can say that I’m impressed…not just because I’m amazed by their showmanship and presentation of said manual.

I give their guide a 5 out of 5 and highly recommend buying it to go along with the game. Much like the actual game, BradyGame’s strategy guide is damn near perfect.