I’ll be honest with you, I am a gamer that hunts achievements for sport, makes sure I get as much game play from a game as I can, and looks under every rock and in every cranny for collectibles. I am also one of those people that will wait until someone else has a guide on how to achieve all these things on the internet for when I get stuck. So why should you buy the Limited Edition guide?
The guide comes with either Batman or Catwoman on the cover. They are both equally breathtaking. Simple and printed on pearlescent paper, the guide stands out and begs to be caressed. Once you take it out of the plastic, the hefty, nicely bound guide treats you with a black and white scene of Doctor Strange and his goons. As you flip through the pages, the art is consistent with the game and the cover, meaning it is exceedingly beautiful. Towards the back you’ll find a double sided poster with Harley Quinn on one side and Catwoman on the other that is just simply outstanding. You’ll be hard pressed to decide which side to display, or even if you have the heart to rip it out of the book. On top of that, the guide comes with lithographs of some of the most notorious villains of the game. My first impulse was to look for frames that would fit a comic book size litho so I can hang them in my office. Yes, they are stunning! That alone, made the purchase of this guide worth the money.
At first it gives you a “previously on Batman” sort of breakdown, since most of us have not played Arkham Asylum in a while. The guide goes on to explain how to do all the moves, weapons, and everything else you’ll be encountering in the game. It used to be the case that most of us would skip this section of the guide, but with more and more games shipping without a manual and a limited explanation in-game, this is a section that you might want to read before frustration sets in while you are in a boss battle.
After showing you all the moves and each character with bios, it jumps into the game play. The first few pages are short and void of much information, because what happens in the game is rather fast and almost on rails. After that, the game gets more and more complicated and the guide counters that with more extensive explanations as you go on. Arkham City is overwhelming when it comes to the achievements and the Riddler Trophies. Did you know that they are 400+ of them? One of the things I loved about Batman: Arkham Asylum was running around and getting all of the hidden clues, collectibles and solving Edward Nigma’s riddles. Arkham City brings some of that back, but overwhelmingly so. If you follow the guide page by page, you’ll be able to get though the game and but with only some of the Trophies and secrets due to you not having the right Batman equipment yet. If you feel like not paying attention to the story just yet and want to run around looking for as many trophies as you can get, then the guide will be able to help you with a comprehensive map and how-to with pictures. Finding trophies is not as hard as if you were looking for them blindly. However, I would have preferred for each section of the game guide to have had the locations of the trophies to match; that way, you could do both since you are in the area. Also, I would have liked a check off area for keeping track of what trophies I have already collected. It could be a print out I could go and download, or pages that I could scan to print. As it is, I don’t have the heart to cross with a pen the locations in the book.
The guide takes you through the whole game and divides itself, helping you through Catwoman’s story, Riddler’s challenge rooms [including DLC], finding every Riddler trophy, a guide to every side mission, Batman challenges, and an achievements guide. To top it all off it closes with a sneak preview of the Batman: Arkham City graphic novel.
Whether you are a Batman fan or not, this is a guide that is a must for all of us gamers who like to get the most out of our purchase. Marvelously done and full of information, this guide should be the accessory to buy with Batman: Arkham City for Christmas. A cheaper version is available with the same information, but I am telling you, the Limited Edition is definitely where is at. Plus, just having the guide viewable, it strikes conversation with any visitor, as mine has been picked up by everyone that sees it. Your friends, family, loved ones and/or yourself will love what the Limited Edition has to offer, with every flip of the page and lithograph worth of displaying. Get out there and treat yourself to this guide and complete the whole Batman: Arkham City experience.
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