well i fail at writing long reviews but here is one for the new Batman : Batman: Arkham City Reaffirms Itself as The Best Superhero GameDespite this review's headline, Batman: Arkham City confirms a train of thought that originated when I saw Batman Begins: It's not just a superhero action game, it's also an inverse-horror game. Consider this situation: Four buddies hanging out in what can be considered a haunted steel mill. They talk about mundane things like what they did earlier that day, or their bets on which local community leader-type person will ultimately gain control of the area. In the tradition of horror movies, they stupidly split up. One of them hears a strange whooshing noise and runs off to investigate. One glimpses the quick movement of shadow around the corner. Then things get weirder.
At this point, random machines start turning; their guns suddenly jam up for no apparent reason; mines prematurely detonate; and walls suddenly explode. Amid all of these jump scares, the guys start disappearing. The one who ran to investigate the random sound gets found strung up above. The one who walked too close to a weak wall gets caught in said wall's explosive collapse. The third one panics, fires his gun only to see it has been rendered ineffective, and while running to get a new firearm, finds himself locked in a sleeper hold. The last fellow thinks he's clever by using his thermal imaging goggles to look up and around, but even he succumbs to sheer terror when he sees a man-sized bat in front -- followed by smoke appearing all around him, his gun getting yanked away. And when the smoke clears, he doesn't see that the shadowy man is about to land on him feet-first with full force.
Rest of Review is at 1up.com