My first game of 2024. Very much a comfort playthrough. It's hard to give a game like this anything less than 5 stars when I've played through it about 20 times.

Sometimes I play through and take my time to explore, listen to all the dialogue, really immerse myself in the game. This was not one of those playthroughs. It was basically a speed run. But man oh man is that satisfying at times. EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP I'M BATMAN AND I'M IN A RUSH.

I remember being blown away by the Ra's Al Ghul fight when I first played but as time goes on, that Mr. Freeze fight just gets better and better. So many ways to tackle it.

It's funny playing this not long after playing Insomniac's Spider-Man 2 and I can't help but admire Rocksteady's ambition to make something so different from Arkham Asylum. Over the years I've come to appreciate each entry in Rocksteady's Arkham trilogy uniquely. Not forgetting Arkham Origins too - which has also aged brilliantly.

Any complaints? Well, I genuinely think as time goes on that any media I'm disappointed with generally improves as I come to accept what it is rather than what it could have been. But in saying that, the fact the story sets up Hugo Strange as the big bad - only to ignore him for the vast majority of the game is bizarre. I always feel like the Titan poisoning feels like a B plot that overtakes the actual, interesting story of Hugo strange knowing Bruce Wayne's secret. Ahh well. At least the Clayface reveal is still fun.

Oh also, before I go. That introduction never gets old. There's nothing that makes me feel more like Batman than suiting up in a dangerous situation. A perfect game introduction.