This weekend, with the dust having settled on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, we asked you to name your favorite game in the Arkhamverse. Coming in at number one with an overwhelming 59.1 percent of the vote was 2011’s Batman: Arkham City, the second entry in developer Rocksteady’s main trilogy, which offered more freedom than its predecessor with the titular setting, more classic villains, and the chance to play as Catwoman, Robin and Nightwing in the open-world and on challenge maps.
In second place with only 18.2 percent was 2015’s Arkham Knight, which undoubtedly diluted the definitive Batman experience with the overt emphasis on piloting the Batmobile, and the rushed resolution of its take on the Red Hood story. Regardless, it offered the largest in-game version of Gotham to date, even more playable characters and villains, and the fantastic stealth and combat mechanics Rocksteady continued to iterate upon at their zenith.
In third place with 13.6 percent was the game that started it all, 2009’s Arkham Asylum. The game, which reunited Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin as the Batman, Joker, and Harley Quinn, remains the most horror-centric experience in the series, between the creepy, claustrophobic setting, and the intense encounters with villains like Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Bane, and Poison Ivy. At the time of release, it became the most well-reviewed superhero game ever, and while it’s naturally since been eclipsed, it demonstrated a game developer’s own take on a beloved character could exist comfortably alongside a movie or TV version, even one as big as The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Hopefully it’s a magic Rocksteady and Warner Bros. Games will be able to recapture someday. Thanks to everyone who voted, including the sole individual who chose the mobile tie-in Arkham City Lockdown (a true maverick!), and remember to stay tuned for our next Reader Poll on Friday afternoon.
