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Batman Arkham City |OT| Smashin' Faces, Glidin' Places

frequency

Member
I'm sure I can do fine throughout the game just using the attack and counter but I feel like I'm missing out if I don't use all (or at least most) of the tools I am given. It's like playing a Musou game and just "mashing X". It's just not satisfying.
 
For those of you that are having trouble remembering the button combinations, play combat challenges and try to get high scores and trophies. By the end when you earn your three stars/marks, you won't forget it.
 

LiK

Member
frequency said:
I'm sure I can do fine throughout the game just using the attack and counter but I feel like I'm missing out if I don't use all (or at least most) of the tools I am given. It's like playing a Musou game and just "mashing X". It's just not satisfying.

counter is my favorite thing. i want dudes to attack me more. the animations are so varied.
 

BeeDog

Member
GDJustin said:
Oh yeah, I forgot about the "shortcuts" ! So, there's actually TWO different controller inputs for many of the gadget moves.

Genius controls, right? :p

I am semi-trolling at this point, but it's true AC's controls are the most complex and convoluted of pretty much any AAA game this gen.

I honestly think the Assassin's Creed games have a much more convoluted control scheme than Arkham City.
 
LiK said:
counter is my favorite thing. i want dudes to attack me more. the animations are so varied.


and is it me or in AC Rocksteady gave us more flexibility, almost being able to cancel the punches/jumps into counters. I remember in AA the timing was more strict
 

LiK

Member
anyone else find the Subway level to be confusing? i remember just going back and forth looking for the exits. i dunno why there's no interior map for it unless i somehow didn't check.


BeautifulMemory said:
and is it me or in AC Rocksteady gave us more flexibility, almost being able to cancel the punches/jumps into counters. I remember in AA the timing was more strict

counter timing felt the same but it's been while so i may be wrong. the biggest addition is countering more dudes at the same time. so good.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
BeautifulMemory said:
and is it me or in AC Rocksteady gave us more flexibility, almost being able to cancel the punches/jumps into counters. I remember in AA the timing was more strict

Feels the same from what I can remember, but it seems really easy to get the multicounters off. If you go into freeflow focus you can get away with a LOT of risky stuff into counters, which feels awesome.
 
LiK said:
anyone else find the Subway level to be confusing? i remember just going back and forth looking for the exits. i dunno why there's no interior map for it unless i somehow didn't check.


It it very confusing. Exits are hard to find since they
are more holes in the walls
 

LiK

Member
The English Conquistador said:
Does
Robin
return to Arkham City after he saves
Batman
from the
League of Assassins?

I really liked his character so far.

Just a yes or no would be nice!

nope.
 
Papercuts said:
Feels the same from what I can remember, but it seems really easy to get the multicounters off. If you go into freeflow focus you can get away with a LOT of risky stuff into counters, which feels awesome.


Ahh maybe it's the focus that's making the difference. It does feel much easier...but really more fluid this time around. My biggest gripe about the combat is still sometimes I would whiff for no reason, the enemy's punch getting higher priority than I am (although we punch at the same time)
 

LiK

Member
one thing about the multi counters i hate is when Batman or Catwoman does the counter animation that is associated with two dudes and they only get one. so the other dude hits me during it.

not sure if this is a bug or not but it happens from time to time and it's kinda annoying during the Challenge room.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
LiK said:
one thing about the multi counters i hate is when Batman or Catwoman does the counter animation that is associated with two dudes and they only get one. so the other dude hits me during it.

not sure if this is a bug or not but it happens from time to time and it's kinda annoying during the Challenge room.

Do you realize you need to actually hit counter twice? Three for three as well.

BeautifulMemory said:
Ahh maybe it's the focus that's making the difference. It does feel much easier...but really more fluid this time around. My biggest gripe about the combat is still sometimes I would whiff for no reason, the enemy's punch getting higher priority than I am (although we punch at the same time)

I hate those fuckers that throw boxes and stuff. Even if I go all the way across to kick them in the face they sometimes kinda drop the box on me when they get hit and it counts against me.
 
Papercuts said:
Do you realize you need to actually hit counter twice? Three for three as well.



I hate those fuckers that throw boxes and stuff. Even if I go all the way across to kick them in the face they sometimes kinda drop the box on me when they get hit and it counts against me.



1. Count me in as learning the hard way about pressing counter each time for Catomwan

2. yes I don't like those fuckers either! I don't know about the gas tank, but with the box I try to remind myself that I can throw it back :D

Btw, big kudos to Rocksteady about the alternate skins for Catwoman. They are not simply just another different exterior skin. The animated one looks just like the one from the show, meaning the eye colors and everything --- it's a different Selina Kyle
 

LiK

Member
Papercuts said:
Do you realize you need to actually hit counter twice? Three for three as well.

yup, that's what i mean. for example, Batman does the move where he's holding both dudes in each hand to pound their heads together but one guy isn't grabbed and Batman does the animation anyway. happened a few times during campaign and in the Challenge room.
 

overcast

Member
The Broken Ska Record said:
I very much agree with all of this. I wouldn't say the controls are complicated, but the combat is not as fulfilling as it can be. Especially the takedowns, as someone mentioned.
Really? The combat is incredibly satisfying to me. Absolutely love it.
 

protonion

Member
Ok, before I break the game...

There is one of those riddler puzzles where you have to scan a "?".

The upper part is at the back corner of a sign somewhere to the north. It's really tiny.
Where the hell is the dot???
 

Luthos

Member
I can't believe some people don't like all the different types of moves and stuff. I loving having so much versatility. I mean sure you can get through the campaign with the bare minimum of attack, counter, cape, evade, etc. But it's much more fun throwing in quick gadgets. One of my favorite moves in the game is batclawing someone in to me and I closeline them.

Gadget spoiler:

Also, I thought freeze bombs were incredibly useful when you have lots of gun dudes. You can use the little gadget to disable two of them, and then I would quick throw freeze bombs at other dudes. It's a good crowd control move.

Also, The bats spin move is pretty good with lots of enemies, after doing it, I can go around hitting dudes once to knock them on the ground. Not to mention Catwoman's whip spin that knocks dudes on the ground. That one is amazing for large groups of guys. The thing with Catwoman though, for me, is her caltrops or whatever. It's nice because it trips dudes. But I'll see someone about to attack me so I press triangle to counter, but he trips before he attacks so I kill my combo my countering nothing.
 

Luthos

Member
protonion said:
Ok, before I break the game...

There is one of those riddler puzzles where you have to scan a "?".

The upper part is at the back corner of a sign somewhere to the north. It's really tiny.
Where the hell is the dot???
If you're at the spot I think you are, look under the sign far away on a building. I think there is a door where you have to shoot your electrical thing at it to open up the dot.
 
BeeDog said:
I honestly think the Assassin's Creed games have a much more convoluted control scheme than Arkham City.

Creed's controls are definitely more complex than AA, but with AC, I'd say the two series about par in that regard.

And to Creed's credit (or detriment), there's no combo counter and a block button, so you can take as much time as you need to analyze the situation and act accordingly.

They're similar but different, equally complicated and equally satisfying IMO.
 
protonion said:
Ok, before I break the game...

There is one of those riddler puzzles where you have to scan a "?".

The upper part is at the back corner of a sign somewhere to the north. It's really tiny.
Where the hell is the dot???

Open the door way out in the distance
 

hamchan

Member
Combat controls are pretty simple, can anyone really get confused by them? I'm actually super impressed with the way they've mapped their controls and how many moves are available for Batman to use instantly.
 
hamchan said:
Combat controls are pretty simple, can anyone really get confused by them?

They're simple, there are just alot of them.

You have the standard attacks, and then you have the trigger to modify them into gadget attacks.

Like AC, you have the offensive stance attacks, then the trigger to modify to defensive maneuvers.

Not complicated, just a lot of buttons to keep track of.
 

hamchan

Member
The Antitype said:
They're simple, there are just alot of them.

You have the standard attacks, and then you have the trigger to modify them into gadget attacks.

Like AC, you have the offensive stance attacks, then the trigger to modify to defensive maneuvers.

Not complicated, just a lot of buttons to keep track of.
I see. I think that just shows how many options Batman has in combat. The way the buttons and their shortcuts are laid out all make logical sense to me. Any move of Batman I can do easily and instantly. If it's hard for some people to remember what two buttons being pushed at the same time do then there's not much Rocksteady can do about that.
 
I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive, I'm currently replaying AA on PC and 360 and reading about the controls in AC is honestly a let down.
To me, AA was pretty much the upper limit of the number of different inputs you can intuitively manage.

I guess I'll see when my copy arrives.
 

putarorex

Member
Just finished the campaign. Fantastic game. I was freaking out a bit thinking that I wouldn't be able to finish the side missions after I got stuck into the final stretch. How many side missions are there in total? I can't remember how many I did (
I know I did Bane, Mad Hatter, and the phone one
). I have at least two left undone that I know of (
the sniper one and the masked guy who keeps leaving symbols to scan
).
 

hamchan

Member
Palette Swap said:
I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive, I'm currently replaying AA on PC and 360 and reading about the controls in AC is honestly a let down.
To me, AA was pretty much the upper limit of the number of different inputs you can intuitively manage.

I guess I'll see when my copy arrives.

The combat system is pretty much the same controls except they added a few shortcuts for the extra gadgets. If you can handle AA you can handle AC easily.
 
Y'all jokers complaining about the controls are crazy. Controls are bad because you can pull off a whole bunch of moves in combat? Come on. Do you want some generic light/heavy system like every single other game out there?

Batman's combat engine is stellar, there's nothing that offers a similar experience. It's all about staying calm and collected in the face of thirty dudes trying to beat you to death, and when you learn when to use which attacks and you start thinking up strategies it's the greatest thing in the world. And if you want to just use the basic moves you can do that, too; the game rewards you for learning its mechanics and there's no better feeling of accomplishment than taking out a horde of dudes without taking one single scratch in a long, flowing combo.

They aren't even complex controls. The 'hardest' moves to snap out are either double-taps or two buttons pressed together, and you can pause for a full second in between each move to consider your options. There are no crazy fighting game eight-button combos, the skill is just knowing when to use which move.
 
Palette Swap said:
I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive, I'm currently replaying AA on PC and 360 and reading about the controls in AC is honestly a let down.
To me, AA was pretty much the upper limit of the number of different inputs you can intuitively manage.

I guess I'll see when my copy arrives.


Don't let the thread get you down, every thread on this board goes this way.

Hype hype hype

Release

Nitpick nitpick nitpick

The game is great, combat feels great.
 

Zeliard

Member
If a player is confused at the concept of the A button having different properties in and out of combat there's probably not much that can be done. There are only so many buttons on a gamepad; what do people want them to do, sacrifice more depth in a combat system that's already shallow enough?

You don't have to pull off any of the special combos or use the gadgets if you don't want. The option is there for being who can and want to utilize these things.
 
matrix-cat said:
There are no crazy fighting game eight-button combos, the skill is just knowing when to use which move.

That's exactly what draws me to Batman as opposed to some other action games. I suck at learning/executing long combos.
 
Nose Master said:
After beating this... pretty shocked at it's near perfect review scores. It's good, but 10/10? Not so much.

Any specific complaints?

I'd give it a 9.75 btw. I loved everything except the "find the thing in this general area" side quests and Batman would occasionally control a bit strange in tight areas with ledges.
 
Can't believe this is a rated T game.

The story of Mad Hatter, Zhasz, and then the Riddler
burning that guy alive
was pretty brutal. lol

I would give the game a 93/100. The combat system is so damn good. My only gripes are I wish it were longer and I wish they revamped detective mode a little. Like AA, I find myself using it a bit much and can't enjoy the beautiful scenery. Other than that everything is absolutely brilliant.
 
These guys with the shields are vexing me every damn time; they always screw up my combos. Counter doesn't work, so what is the official way to deal with them? Am I supposed to input O X X (PS3 version) every time the signal flashes above their head?
 
Acquiescence said:
These guys with the shields are vexing me every damn time; they always screw up my combos. Counter doesn't work, so what is the official way to deal with them? Am I supposed to input O X X (PS3 version) every time the signal flashes above their head?

Aerial attack them (not sure what the combo is on PS3) or ignore them and take them out with triangle+circle when your combo allows it.
 

Luthos

Member
Acquiescence said:
These guys with the shields are vexing me every damn time; they always screw up my combos. Counter doesn't work, so what is the official way to deal with them? Am I supposed to input O X X (PS3 version) every time the signal flashes above their head?
The O X X attack isn't used as a counter. It basically means cape stun them, then jump over their head. Because X X is a dodge roll, or jumping over dudes. But when you jump over someone who has been stunned with your cape, you run up and jump down on them.
 
Acquiescence said:
These guys with the shields are vexing me every damn time; they always screw up my combos. Counter doesn't work, so what is the official way to deal with them? Am I supposed to input O X X (PS3 version) every time the signal flashes above their head?

For those guys I either do the weapon break to remove the door from the fight or I just do the combo takedown (same with armored guys, I use the takedown on them each time).
 

hamchan

Member
Acquiescence said:
These guys with the shields are vexing me every damn time; they always screw up my combos. Counter doesn't work, so what is the official way to deal with them? Am I supposed to input O X X (PS3 version) every time the signal flashes above their head?

You can also break their shields with square + triangle, which is preferable for combat rooms since you want to beat them some more to get a higher multiplier. Also prevents other enemies from picking up the fallen equipment.
 

Replicant

Member
Riddler's sub-mission:

Can someone please tell me how to save
Medic Hamasaki from the electric current trap that Riddler put him in?
 
Yeah takedowns are handy when dealing with the armored/shield guys. Also has a cool takedown animation.

Another way to deal with them is Quickfire explosive gel and use it as a mine.
 
FantasticMrFoxdie said:
Yeah takedowns are handy when dealing with the armored/shield guys. Also has a cool takedown animation.

Another way to deal with them is Quickfire explosive gel and use it as a mine.

I wonder how good the explosive gel is with the "kill all downed guys" move.
 
Replicant said:
Riddler's sub-mission:

Can someone please tell me how to save
Medic Hamasaki from the electric current trap that Riddler put him in?

Not sure if this is the same riddle, but Quickfire Batarangs on the Question Marks around the room and they open a path.
 

Replicant

Member
The Xtortionist said:
Describe the room?
the floor is electrified. The medic is hoisted on a platform and there are two question mark levers that controls the electric current and one that can elevate another platform up. But I can't get this platform closer to the medic and gliding can't take me there.

I must have missed a switch or something.
 
hamchan said:
You can also break their shields with square + triangle, which is preferable for combat rooms since you want to beat them some more to get a higher multiplier. Also prevents other enemies from picking up the fallen equipment.

To break the shields, is that a move you have to unlock or is it available from the start? Because I really don't recall encountering any tutorial for that ability.
 

Replicant

Member
FantasticMrFoxdie said:
Not sure if this is the same riddle, but Quickfire Batarangs on the Question Marks around the room and they open a path.

They do but then what? I can't figure out what to do after that.
 

Zeliard

Member
I like messing with the gadget freeflow upgrade. The one that makes gadgets more powerful when you hit a 12x (I think) multiplier, i.e. adding chain lightning to the REC that knocks goons down.
 
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