Honestly playing these again I don't know if I could choose between the first and second games, they're really simmilar in a lot of ways but also feel like different beasts. The linearity of the first will always lend it some comfort within its metroidvania styling, whereas the open-world transition here allows for a lot more interesting side-puzzles and the higher budget allows a more in-depth story.

They also both have a decent level of variety, in the first game each level has a segment that shakes things up, be it the 2d scarecrow sections or something else, whereas here the variety is from a smidge more enemy types and the switching between batman and Catwoman.

Big issue with both of these games, but especially this one is that it assumes knowledge of the comics. Luckily I have that knowledge, but someone jumping into this game as their first experience of batman would definitely be like 'Ra's al who???'

Honestly though I'd probably give this some points down, whilst this one is a step up from the first game, the mechanics, particularly traversal ones, taken from there don't feel like they translate as well as they could to the open world and to some of the puzzle types. I remember Arkham Knight really expanding the traversal in good ways but we'll see. Speaking of which, I can't wait to replay the finale of this trilogy.