This game is an insane improvement over the first one. I'd say skip the first one entirely if there wasn't a lack of Scarecrow in this one, but pretty much every single villain comes back from the first one in this one. Jonkler, Harley, Bane, Killer Croc, Riddler, even third rate wannabe slasher villain Zsasz. This game offers such an interesting look into the Batman Mythos, it's got a who's who of famous names and fits them all perfectly in the story (as if a city wide prison wasn't a good enough reason for these characters to appear in the game). I especially like the choice of giving Clayface and Hugo Strange such a prominent, story-important role in the game itself. Clayface might be someone who people recognize and enjoy from the animated series, but I don't think a single person looked at Hugo Strange and thought "wow, my favourite Batman villain finally made it to a game. Oh hell yes!"

Another thing that this game does well is that every boss fight has the characters fighting to their elements, it doesn't have the Joker shooting himself full of Bane-adjacent gunk to fight you as a hulking monstrosity. Hell, you don't even get to fight the Joker, not really anyway. And I didn't mind a single bit. Just like I didn't mind fighting the RIddler. The way they are used in the story just works. The combat also flows much smoother than Arkham Asylum, and the movement in general around the city cured me of the syphillis that the movement in Asylum gave me.

Playing as Catwoman really dragged me down, I will say. I liked how she played, but every time the story flashed to her I immediately just stopped caring about everything that was going on and started playing the game like a braindead Let's Player. It dragged down what could have possibly been the perfect Batman game, and instead it's the perfect Batman game & Knuck- Catwoman. Such a letdown.

Anyway; glad every woman you rescue and every woman you don't rescue in this game has her makeup smeared.