Hit or Miss - Arkham City Portrayals
By RainEffect 50 Comments
Blog time again. I've recuperated from my last rant about how the Catwoman/Batman ship should not sail ... shut up, you're doing it again Rain.
Anyway! I was playing Arkham City's storymode again for like, the bazillionth time, and I was just analyzing the portrayal of certain characters and whether I liked them or not. So, well, here's a little list I thought I might do and see everyone's opinion.
Remember, these are just my opinions of the particular portrayals. I won't be doing the Joker or Batman as that goes without saying.
Mr. Freeze
Hit. I really thought they did an exceptional job with Victor. It is hard to take a character that was so horrifically ruined by Batman & Robin's portrayal. Hey, I loved it as much as the next guy, but that was from a purely hysterical standpoint. When Freeze has that helmet on and he talks, he sounds robotic and I love it. Bane
Eh ... miss. I'd imagine a few more Bane fanatics (I'm looking at you, Entropy) will talk about how Venom does not define Bane's character. Much less whatever this Titan ripoff is that was never explained in Arkham Asylum (I do miss that hot doctor who blew up half way through the old game, though). I liked Bane's voice - the accent was a nice touch. However, he's too much of an imbecile. That isn't Bane. Hush
Hit. Loved it. The fact that he was voiced by Kevin Conroy made it so much better. You could tell Kevin was having a lot of fun doing the voice over. He was a creepy villain, probably the creepiest out of all the villains I came into contact with in Arkham City. I also liked that he didn't know Batman was Bruce, it added to the whole creepiness. Imagine some bandage-faced guy came up to you, took away the bandages and was the EXACT image of you? Creepy. Ra's al Ghul
Hit. Biggest hit of the game. The first two words you hear are "Welcome, Detective". I won't lie, I paused and had a little fanboy moment the first time I heard it. Perfect replication of Ra's unique personality and his appearance was just spot on. I felt as though the developers actually sat down with a Ra's comic and went, okay, this is what he looks like. Also, the voice actor sounds very familiar. Any help? Talia al Ghul
Hit. The developers took Talia's ethnicity seriously. Almond hair, tanned skin and, thank god, a relatively PG-rated outfit that reflects her origin. Stana Katic, her voice, nailed the accent perfectly. As a loyal Talia fanatic, this game earned RainEffect's Seal of Approval for Talia. Tim Drake
Eh...Hit. He had like, what, two lines? Makes it hard to decide. I liked the design, though the hood was a little reminiscent of Damian's current outfit. Neverthless, he's pretty intimidating for ... well, the 'boy wonder'. Let's face it, outside of comics, Robin is a joke. Tim wasn't too humorous (which would lead into Grayson territory), so he gets the mild approval from me. Two-Face
Miss. Boring. He's just a thug who talks a little bit louder when the camera is focused on his dark side. Dent isn't an idiot, so I don't know why the game made him look like one. Plus, he got his ass handed to him within the first ten flipping minutes of the game. Nice, Dent ... nice. Penguin
Hit. Big hit. Why? The developers and voice actor are really trying to make you hate Cobblepot; and it works. Nice accent, gritty character design and an intelligent mind to back it up leaves me with the thumbs up. Even more so, it felt so good to finally waltz up to him and wail on him as Batman. Harley Quinn
Help me out. I can't remember her from the Animated Series. But all I know is, she annoys the crap out of me. I'm pretty sure she never sounded like that did she? Besides, she had absolutely no relevance to the game, she was just there as eye candy for us and the Joker ... wait, that sounds dangerously close to her comics-self. Catwoman
Miss. Talks like a prostitute. Walks like one. Even fights like one. I mean, who hooks up with thugs (who haven't showered or cleaned their teeth) in the middle of a fight? "Hey Harv ... way to leave a girl ... hanging." *Cringes* "I vote for a stay of execution..." *Cringes again* Poison Ivy
Hiiiit. ....brb, mistress is calling. Deadshot
Hit. Seemed to really resemble the Deadshot we saw in Batman: Gotham Knight. Is arrogant at a distance, craps his pants when Batman gets in close. I liked the outfit and the voice actor. Not to mention, that little flash of him we get at the very start was superb. "Bruce Wayne ... you're on my list" Wearing bright orange never seemed so cool. Oracle
Hit. The voice actor is superb. I wish I knew her name. I love how she's incredibly angsty, because it makes Batman seem all the more emotionless. When Oracle's panicking, Batman's just silent. I love the dynamic. Alfred
Hit. Big hit. Another superb voice actor. That scenario where Protocol 10 is activated and Alfred denies Bruce's request to divert satellite attention to Talia's tracker is just .... gah! So true to his character. He's the voice of reason for Bruce. I love it. Hugo Strange
Hit. I don't know ANYTHING about Strange, aside from what Comicvine's 3 minute expert told me. Regardless, Strange is a creepy bastard. He seems like the ACTUAL villain of the game and Joker's got the backseat because of the actor's exceptional performance and characterization. Riddler
Hit. Blumbering idiot who hasn't discovered Batman's identity yet. Spot on... okay, that was a little harsh. Without Edward, the game would be robbed of 60% of its re-playability. It's a hit because he's presented as a nuisance, which is how Batman views him. We actually share the same view of Batman - "Man this guy is annoying. His riddles are amateurish and I can't wait to break his jaw". Also, I LOVE the 'dogs with lazer beams' part. That made me LOL. Thoughts, guys?