Perfect Batman game even if you don't like Batman
The gameplay is solid, the story is a riot (as in good), the villains are interesting and fun, and the graphics are shiny and fantastic especially if you have a physx enabled videocard.
Before I began this game I was worried that the gameplay was a beat em up which I don't particularly care for. Fortunately that isn't the case as most of the combat involves more than just mashing buttons. Well timed counters or batarang throws make all of the difference when fighting multiple enemies at the same time.
I found the additional Riddler sidequest content to be especially fun since I was given the opportunity to learn more about the world of Batman through unlocking character BIOs and interview tapes. I think collectables like the Riddler collectables should appear more often in other games.
My only complaint with the game were the boss battles which always threw out all of the standard gameplay mechanics. For the most part, the majority of batman's gadgets were useless for boss battles and every boss had a very specific way of taking them down. In fact I would go as far to say that the final boss was so disappointing, it was the original reason why I didn't bother playing this game for over a year.
The bosses felt a bit tacked on considering how much time and detail was put into the rest of the game. For example it blows my mind how much the developers went out of their way to prevent batman from performing an actual kill. Even if you throw guys off roofs, Batman automatically hooks a line to them so they dangled off the edge. The detail never ceases to amaze me. So when I see the boss battles, it is clear something in development went wrong. As I suspected, the developers admitted in an interview that the bosses were the last thing they put into the game at the very last minute and it shows. Thankfully this isn't a deal breaker as the rest of the game is pure perfection. I only wish the Joker hadn't pumped himself full of venom as it seemed very out of character and unjoker-like.
If you want to play a game where you get to be Batman in what is probably the best Batman game ever made, I highly recommend this game. You will especially love it if you like stealth games. Fortunately the problems I had with the bosses are being addressed in the sequel Arkham City so in many ways the Arkham series is perfection. Check it out.