Arkham City is one of video game's great sequels, building on everything that Arkham Asylum did well and crafting the best Batman game really anybody could ask for. The premise of cordoning off a portion of Gotham for the villains to run wild in is pretty silly, but it offers so much more potential for exploration that lacked in the more contained Arkham Asylum.

Like the first game, the traversal, gadgets, exploration, and combat are all pretty fantastic. While I've definitely grown tired of the punch-counter-punch system after so many video games copied it, there's no denying how well Rocksteady implemented it and why it became such a staple in action games.

What struck me the hardest with Arkham City was the storytelling. We get the whole rogue's gallery like the first game, and the way the villains weave in and out is pretty well-executed. But the main antagonist is of course the Joker and Mark Hamill really gives his all in making this tale compelling. What they do with the famous Clown is really impactful and interesting, and the story's resolution left me absolutely floored.

Arkham City is a perfect sequel and there's nothing I'd change about it. Probably the best superhero game ever made.