Batman: Arkham Knight

Batman: Arkham Knight closes out Rocksteady's series about the caped crusader and, for the first time, opens up the whole of Gotham City as one continuous playable space. The city has been evacuated, Scarecrow has moved into the streets with his fear toxin, along with a mysterious enemy in powered armor who knows Batman uncomfortably well. The gameplay builds on the established rhythmic counter-based combat system and on silent takedowns from above, where the player gradually picks off guards and watches their panic grow. The new addition is the Batmobile, which serves as a vehicle, a combat tank, and a puzzle-solving tool, and a great many missions are built directly around it.

On PlayStation 4, this was one of the technically most impressive games of its time. Constant rain, reflections on wet pavement, smoke, and illuminated skyscrapers created visuals that put the series on an entirely different level than previous entries. The atmosphere is dark, comic-book exaggerated, and yet surprisingly heavy, since the story deals largely with what Batman's journey has done to him personally. The music is orchestral and menacing, and the main cast's voice acting ranks among the best the comic-book game genre ever had.

Reviews of the console version were very good, though critics often mentioned that the Batmobile is inserted too often and that the tank battles don't fit what the series originally started out as. The game is also dogged by the reputation of its exceptionally poor PC release, which had to be temporarily pulled from sale. Its influence on the genre is undeniable: the rhythmic combat of the Arkham games became the standard for the entire following decade. Today it remains a beautifully looking and substantial game, arguably the most convincing depiction of Gotham of them all. It also offers an extensive lineup of side cases featuring famous villains, riddle-collecting for the Riddler, and several missions where the player briefly takes control of Batman's allies, giving the game dozens of hours of content.