Parents' Guide to

Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Combative Dark Knight game has some blood and death.

Game Nintendo Wii U 2012
Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition Game: Screenshot #1
  • Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition Game: Screenshot #2
  • Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Sugata M.
Sugata M. Adult
March 6, 2017
age 10+

The Caped Crusader at his best.

Batman has come to life. The best superhero game ever made. Stealth and gadgets are the best aspects. You get Robin, Catwoman, Joker, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Ra's and Talia al Ghul, Clayface, Mr. Freeze and many more. It is a dream come true for comics fans, and spanning over more than 50 years, I am sure the comic fraternity would looove this! Kids get the best role model they can have. There is a little bit of maturity which I am sure the kids of the 21st century can handle. :3

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Easy to play/use
Simon S.
Simon S. Parent of 7 and 16-year-old
September 3, 2016
age 14+

Probably the best Arkham game in the series!

Holy cow, this game is amazing! It's got an interesting story, cool characters, and fun gameplay! In terms of violence, it's mainly just comic book violence, basically what you would see in your average superhero movie. In terms of sexual content, it's really not that bad. Common Sense Media says that people have conversations about sex, but chances are, you won't hear them. Those conversations are random conversations the thugs around the city can have, and there are a ton of possibilities for those, so there is little chance that your kids will hear them, and even if they do, it's nothing a mature kid/teen can't handle. And there's one building with a sign suggesting it's a strip club, but there's nothing you do in there, the building is just there, nothing else. The language is about PG-13 rating. I think if your kids are Batman fans, and they can handle the above, they'll love this game!

This title has:

Easy to play/use
Too much violence
See all 4 parent reviews

What’s It About?

BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY ARMORED EDITION is a lengthy single-player adventure that builds upon the original 2011 game by including all downloadable content already preloaded on the disc, along with exclusive features that take advantage of the new Wii U GamePad controller. Without giving too much away, the dark story is about Gotham City sealed off and used as a maximum security prison for all of Arkham City's criminal masterminds: Penguin, The Joker, The Riddler, Harley Quinn, Two-Face and Mr. Freeze. As you might expect, it's not easy to contain these villains. In addition to the Caped Crusader, you get to play other familiar faces, including the likes of Robin, Catwoman, and Darkwing.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (15 ):

Yes, most definitely. As with last year’s game, this third-person adventure folds in many kinds of gameplay, including stealth, melee and ranged combat, gadgets (beginning with your Bat Grappler), exploration (even while soaring from rooftops) and some puzzle-solving. Along with multiple areas to explore – including city streets, a museum, abandoned subway, and old courthouse -- side missions, secrets, and role-playing game (RPG)-like upgrades help keep the game interesting.

Developed for Wii U by WB Games Montreal, the game offers additional content introduced by the game’s original developer, Rocksteady Studios. For one, Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition introduces the Battle Armored Tech (B.A.T.) mode and new Armored Suits for both Batman and Catwoman. This allows the characters to build up kinetic energy during fight scenes and then enter B.A.T. mode to dole out more damage and experienced heightened awareness. The Wii U GamePad, which houses a 6.2-inch touchscreen, is now your Batcomputer, which lets you tap to access objectives, select gadgets, upgrade gear, detonate explosive gel, and scour the area for forensic evidence in Detective mode. In fact, this second screen is now a real-time map of Gotham you can call up at any time. And as previously mentioned, this version of Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition houses all previously released downloadable content, namely: Catwoman Pack, Robin Bundle Pack, Nightwing Bundle Pack, Harley Quinn’s Revenge Pack, Challenge Map Pack, and Arkham City Skins Pack. Gamers who haven’t yet played this game will no doubt fall for this refined Armored Edition exclusive for the Wii U console. The Bat is back.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether the second screen really adds to the gameplay. How do you feel playing on the Wii U GamePad -- a tablet-like controller that shows information that compliments what's onscreen?

  • Families can also discuss the impact of media violence. Does it matter that the violence is portrayed in a comic book world?

Game Details

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