Doesn't take the great bounds of its predecessor, but succeeds in creating a magnificently polished experience
They did.
Well, in a manner of speaking they did, anyway. As with Arkham Asylum, Arkham City does a great job at capturing the spirit and quintessence of the Batman legacy: the atmosphere is exquisitely rendered, the combat is visceral and rewarding, and the game really sells the impression that, for a time, you *are* Batman. On the downside, however, the story could have been stronger, and while many accolades have been showered on the voice acting of the series, I found that the dialogue was often lackluster -- particularly with Catwoman, whose constant kitty jokes nearly gave me a hemorrhage.
I suppose I'll elaborate on the positive aspects of the game before I expound on the negative ones. As I mentioned and as countless reviews before me have mentioned, the atmosphere in Arkham City is impeccably rendered: the attention to detail within the world is deep and thorough while never feeling too overwhelming. The color pallet focuses heavily on darker shades, and the ghostly iridescence of Gotham City gleams like lamplight throughout the game, setting an exquisite, almost noir-ish backdrop to an already intensely atmospheric foundation.
In addition to the setting, the combat and navigation mechanics are also superbly presented. Combat, as anyone who played Arkham Asylum will know, plays out very smoothly -- almost like an Assassins' Creed system that doesn't feel cheap or exceedingly easy -- and consists of four base attacks and a few different gadget attacks, all of which can be combined into a single seamless combo and can be upgraded over the course of the game. It is visceral, frequently thrilling, and always entertaining.
After boasting of the game's virtues, however, I now arrive at its deficiencies. I found that the story was lacking. I don't intend to imply that the story was stupid or a waste of time like Killzone's; quite the contrary, I assert that the story does indeed have its merits. All those merits are marred by a blatant lack of focus. Several adversarial relationships and fragile alliances are spawned over the course of the game, and while it's never difficult to follow along with the story, not enough time is given to one specific aspect to really leave an impact. The conflict with Hugo Strange, for example, could have been more fleshed out, and I noticed that several of the characters -- including Batman himself -- suffered from occasional inconsistencies and fickle motivations, being stark and steadfast about something one moment and becoming complaisant the next. This may just be me nitpicking, but I also felt that the game may have featured too many antagonists, the likes of which include Penguin, Harvey Dent/Two Face, Hugo Strange, and of course Mark Hamill's Joker. It's not that I don't appreciate the attempt to diversify the experience; it's just that not enough time was given to one single villain for anything to resonate.
I'll stop blasting the game there, though, because I don't want to give the impression that I disliked it. Overall, Batman is an excellently polished game. While it doesn't take any great bounds forward like its predecessor, it certainly succeeds in providing a long, immersive, entertaining experience that will please any and all fans of the Dark Knight.