Honest opinions from those that have played through the story [No Spoilers]

[endlessmyst]

I beat the game a few hours ago, and I know of all the other stuff there is in the game to do after it's beaten, and plenty that I passed by, but after the ending and my overall impression, I don't want to do any of it.

It was good, and had some very nice things, including how awesome catwoman is, but it just seemed like a dumbed down version of Arkham Asylum, and by amount of places to go and the length of the main story, it actually seems smaller and shorter than the original. I won't say anything about the story other than it didn't motivate me or make me feel like I should explore, like Arkham Asylum did.

Anyways, I was wondering what others thought of it, and if there was something I'm completely underestimating that I haven't done yet that I should go do right now instead of go back to Skyrim.

[Ave07]

I think this game had the same problem as Spiderman 3, too many villains and not enough time were put into some of them. Still was a great game non the less.

[flarp]

I think this game had the same problem as Spiderman 3, too many villains and not enough time were put into some of them. Still was a great game non the less.

I was just about to say this.

story is great and engaging but when compared to AA, i feel its weaker. By going sandbox AC has also sacrificed some structure.

Dont get me wrong though, i still love AC; one of the best games this year. The mechanics (stealth, combat, flight, etc..) are x100 times better than AA, but the tightly knit story of its predecessor is much more memorable.

[evolve]

well i dont know about you guys but for me im only 26% through in over 10 hours, with 50% of the main story done. Im hooked, i enjoy doing the riddler challenges etc and will definately complete the entire game 100%. Story is amazing so far, ive found it less predictable than the first.

[BC2 Cypher]

I couldn't disagree more.

Definitely wasn't a "dumbed down" version of Arkham Asylum.

[Bite]

I find it to be fairly longer than AA, I beated AA twice, completing every single riddle on my second playthrough, and it only took me about 26 hours according to Steam, so far I've got 19 hours out of AC and I've only beated the story and still have over 300 riddles to solve...

IMHO neither the story nor the game is dumbed down, they did threw too many villains at once, it felt like they were coming and going, whilst in AA they were straight and clear; IMO the story feels disjointed in AC simply because of the sandbox element they added to it, that never goes well with story-driven games, I myself prefer AC to AA, but then again, that's just me, AC felt like it was too much action, whilst AA had a great balance of stealth, action, and even psychological action.

[endlessmyst]

I just don't find any motivation to do the other stuff, and the Riddler stuff seems so misplaced; in AA everything was well placed and didn't stand out like a sore thumb half the time like it does here. It's a good game, I'll give it that, it's just that I thought it would be an improvement on AA, not a step back.

And what I mean't by "dumbed down" is that the environments are fewer and not as interesting, while the game moves much faster, almost too fast. The story is definitely less complicated than AA and moves way too quickly, also lacking many of the elements that made AA's story good and memorable.

And I'm serious, the game seems smaller when considering the ground covered and the amount of time focusing on a certain villain.

[BC2 Cypher]

I just don't find any motivation to do the other stuff, and the Riddler stuff seems so misplaced; in AA everything was well placed and didn't stand out like a sore thumb half the time like it does here. It's a good game, I'll give it that, it's just that I thought it would be an improvement on AA, not a step back.

And what I mean't by "dumbed down" is that the environments are fewer and not as interesting, while the game moves much faster, almost too fast. The story is definitely less complicated than AA and moves way too quickly, also lacking many of the elements that made AA's story good and memorable.

And I'm serious, the game seems smaller when considering the ground covered and the amount of time focusing on a certain villain.

Again, couldn't disagree more.

[donnymill]

I disagree with your assessment of this game endlessmyst, but you're not asking for disagreement, you're asking for an honest opinion as to whether the sidequests are worth going back and pushing though your current disinterest in completing them.

I say, the game's not going anywhere. Maybe at another time you'll find the motivation to go back and complete everything, maybe you wont, but if you feel like doing something else than do it. Games are about having fun and completing tasks in a game that you aren't enjoying or aren't interested in just because they're there to be done isn't fun.

[endlessmyst]

Thank you donnymill, I do understand that games are for entertainment, though that idea can be lost at times. I was just wondering what others thought of it and if there was really cool side quest stuff that was worth it, so I could enjoy the game more (I've been burned by too many games when I went for 100%).

[donnymill]

Thank you donnymill, I do understand that games are for entertainment, though that idea can be lost at times. I was just wondering what others thought of it and if there was really cool side quest stuff that was worth it, so I could enjoy the game more (I've been burned by too many games when I went for 100%).

Ah, well. Most of the side quests are a bit bland and repetitive to be honest. If I were you, I wouldn't bother with the Azrael, Bane, Deadshot Zsasz, Politcal Prisoner or AR Training missions. There are a couple of other sidequests you may have already done, if not they only consist of one mission are interesting enough to be worth bothering with. There's no real reason to go for every single Riddler Trophy, there are way too many, but the missions where you rescue the hostages from the Riddler are pretty cool and you'll have to acquire a certain number of Riddler Trophies to unlock them all.

[donnymill]

The story is definitely less complicated than AA

I know, I'm weird, but I had to come back and address this.

You're misremembering because you prefer Arkham Asylum. Neither game has an especially complex story, but if we're going to go into which is more complex, Arkham City wins hands down.

It's a lot easier to just focus on the main story and win quickly because of Arkham City's open-world nature and strict separation of sidequests from the main plot, but that doesn't make it less complex. Arkham Asylum was just better at throwing things in your way to draw out the not-very-complicated main plot.

[yogibbear]

Riddler's hostage rescue side missions are excellent.

The rest you will do anyway as they line up pretty well with everything else you're doing (i.e. all the other side quests are right nearby story missions / on your way in/out of the next major story arc). Or at least I only had the riddler and identity thief side quests left when I finished the main story line.

[donnymill]

Riddler's hostage rescue side missions are excellent.

The rest you will do anyway as they line up pretty well with everything else you're doing (i.e. all the other side quests are right nearby story missions / on your way in/out of the next major story arc). Or at least I only had the riddler and identity thief side quests left when I finished the main story line.

I concur. Also, I didn't realize this when I posted before, but apparently completing the Riddler sidequest requires you to collect all trophies, riddles, etc.

I'd say the sidequests are worth doing, but if you're not motivated to do them, do something else and come back to them later. Like I said before, the game's not going anywhere. It's not like you can trade it in. ;)

[_jema987]

I liked 'Asylum' better because it felt more focused and batman felt more like a super hero when playing it. I was also a bit miffed by that you have to progress in the main story to unlock parts of the side quests, I would have liked to see them separated.