Batman: Arkham City

Firstly, this game has a free demo in the Xbox live marketplace, so there's no reason not to try it out before buying.  It lets you play the first 15 minutes of gameplay. 

The plot is pretty simple but still compelling, and let's be honest here, this is Batman- the plot is gravy.  The whole reason that you're playing is because you want to zoom around Gotham and beat up bad guys like the Joker and Penguin.  The plot merely serves as an excuse to drive Batman forward as he pummels his way through oddly dressed henchmen toward the main villain.  And in this case, the plot serves well.  It is simple, yet compelling.  After the Arkham Asylum incident, a whole section of Gotham has been fenced in and made into a giant prison under the control of Hugo Strange.  Hugo knows that Batman is Bruce Wayne and arrests Wayne and tosses him into Arkham City along with anyone who knows the secret of what Strange is up to. 
Batman meets up with many old favorites such as Harley Quinn, Two Face, and Catwoman.  He also pattles lesser know baddies who are sure to please true Batman fans such as The Mad Hatter and Zsasz.



"Jeez. She fell funny."



The setting is big enough to give you the feel of a whole city to play in and there are plenty of side missions to keep you busy and happy while you are making bad guys rethink their career choices.  The level of detail in the city is amazing.  Be sure to visit the alley behind the Monarch Theater for a touching scene.  There are a few other eastereggs there as well.  The Exibits in Penguin's museum are worth checking out.  The devs put a lot of effort into the little details here and it really if worth stopping to just look around this miniature world that they've created.

The fights can be a bit repetitive and most can be won by masshing buttons, especially on easy mode, and the boss fights usually hinge around a gimmick.  In the tradition of Legend of Zelda, the gimmick usually hinges on the most recent addition to your arsenal.  But the vastness of this sandbox more than makes up for it.  As you play on, the baddies get tougher and you will eventually need more strategy to defeat them such as specific combos to defeat certain weapons and specific tactics to take down gunmen.

All in all, I am in love with this game.  there are enough levels of gameplay here to keep anyone interested, a plot worth following, and a wide vast sandbox to play in with lost of places to explore.