Batman: Arkham Knight

There are many recognizable assets here from earlier games (notably in animations - Batman is still using combat moves from 2009), but overall this looks like what I would expect from an eighth-gen game. The environment is chock full of things that the 360 wouldn’t be able to render all at once, making for a denser, richer city. Well, rich in a Gotham way - it is a filthy place, covered with graffiti, grime, and opportunistic criminals who busy themselves with rioting and looting. Textures are sharp, lighting is realistic, and unlike the PC version, there are few bugs. The only time the framerate chops is during super-fast Batmobile moments, and it's mild. One issue of note is the rain, which is seemingly endless and just makes everything look kind of gray instead of wet.

The cast is large and has a mix of returning Batman actors (Kevin Conroy as Batman, Martin Jarvis as Alfred, and Mark Hamill again as the Joker - the guy just cannot retire), film actors new to games ('Twilight's' Ashley Green as Oracle, 'Breaking Bad’s' Jonathan Banks as Jim Gordon), and prolific gaming actors (Nolan North as Penguin, Tara Strong as Harley, etc.). Almost all of the voice acting is terrific. Composer Nick Arundel returns from other 'Arkham' games and similarly does great work with the score. The Batmobile, despite its hot-and-cold performance, does sound really cool.

I would not go so far as to say that 'Batman: Arkham Knight' is the best 'Arkham', but it's pretty close. The Batmobile is not without its flaws, and there are some mild complaints with the script and the side content, but this is still one of the best superhero games to date. Rocksteady’s Batman swan song is a treat.