Batman has been in video games dating back all the way to 1986, and with the upcoming release of Gotham Knights in 2022, Batman fans continue to see this universe expand. Fans have long awaited the entrance of the villains, the Court of Owls. Anticipation has grown also with the fact that, although Batman is presumably absent from this title, other Batman characters such as Nightwing and Red Hood will be the main characters in this story.
Ranking the Batman games is no easy feat, and given that Metacritic ranks scores for different platforms of the same game, the scores are averaged out for clarity and do not include re-releases.
10 Batman: Arkham Origins
Average Metacritic Score: 73
Arkham Origins is the prequel to the Arkham Asylum games and sets itself up as the beginning of the Arkhamverse. However, instead of Rocksteady developing the game it was Warner Brothers Games Montreal. Upon release, it faced a slew of bugs, glitches, and game crashes. On top of this, critics also felt that the game did not expand much off of Arkham City and Asylum, and was very uninspired in its gameplay.
There were positives to the game as well, such as the gameplay in boss battles, the overall story, and the gameplay mechanics in combat. Despite the technical issues, critics do state that the game is fun and entertaining, and although the weakest game in the Arkham series, is not a terrible game by any means.
9 Batman: Arkham VR
Average Metacritic Score: 74
As the world of virtual reality gaming continues to grow, characters like Batman should not be surprising to get their own VR game but Rocksteady upped the anty with a Batman: Arkham VR game, especially a new story set in the same universe. However, the game received a mixed response, but with many of the positives coming from the game’s ability to have a great atmosphere that is perfect for a VR setup.
Where the negatives come in is how short the game is which also harms the story as well. The replay value of the game also suffers and any puzzles in the game are simple.
8 LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Average Metacritic Score: 74
The third entry into the LEGO Batman series saw the caped crusader go “Beyond Gotham” into space to help save different Lantern Worlds and collect several Lantern Rings to stop Brainiac. The game boasts a vast amount of characters, 217 to be exact, as most LEGO games do. However, the game did receive mixed responses from Metacritic.
LEGO Batman 3 is critically the lowest in the caped crusader’s LEGO bout but many of the positives state that it is an enjoyable experience for kids and fans of Batman with simple controls and excellent co-op. The downsides to the game are that it is not much different than other LEGO games, the story is weaker than previous entries, and did feature some bugs at launch.
7 Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Average Metacritic Score: 74
Brave and the Bold saw releases both on Wii and Nintendo DS, and was more of a beat ’em up rather than an adventure game. It was based on the animated show, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, with the first episode premiering in November of 2008. Beat ’em ups are usually hit or miss and this one does share some cons including repetitive gameplay and easy difficulty.
On the positive side, critics did say the game had great humor, controls, the difficulty being easier does allow more kids to play it, level design, and the graphics as it paid tribute to the early 16-bit days. However, critics also state that the game is too short and offers very little replay value, but is a great co-op experience which usually beat ’em ups are.
6 LEGO Batman: The Videogame
Average Metacritic Score: 78
The first LEGO Batman got praise when it was released but also faced some mixed reviews as well. Where it succeeded was in its gameplay, the variety of different levels, and co-op, which LEGO games are greatly known for with that couch co-op feel. However, the criticisms it faced were in the puzzles, how similar it was to other LEGO titles, poor storytelling, and lack of online co-op.
Although, the game is geared towards kids who enter into the gaming world and most critics agree that this game is great for kids to play. It has an offline co-op that can have parents join in on the fun as well.
5 Batman: The Enemy Within – The Telltale Series
Average Metacritic Score: 79
The second season in Telltale’s Batman series focused on the villain of the Riddler but also brought about the origins of the Joker. Most of the praise from critics came in the adventure of the story and how much the choices actually affect it. Despite this, the game did have issues mainly with difficulty in puzzles and the lack of detective gameplay.
Although, one thing critics liked was the origins of The Joker and how decision-making plays a part in the overall story. Batman fans should still enjoy this second season, especially fans of the Joker.
4 LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Average Metacritic Score: 80
LEGO Batman 2 is the highest-rated LEGO Batman game so far. It expanded upon not only the Batman-centric characters but added more of the DC Universe, serving as somewhat of a Justice League LEGO game a bit. Critics praised its ability to both be a LEGO game and a Batman game. The downsides to the game included some of the gameplay whether that be AI or controls in some areas such as Superman. However, praise was given to the level design and the number of characters which LEGO games continue to do so well.
Critics also praised how well this game progresses from the first LEGO Batman. This game was a huge leap forward for the company and a stray away from the usual like in past games.
3 Batman: Arkham Knight
Average Metacritic Score: 81
The latest addition to the Arkham series did not quite receive the same critical acclaim as Asylum and Arkham City did. The game introduces a new villain into the mix which is appropriately named the Arkham Knight and makes fan-favorite Scarecrow the new big villain to fight the caped crusader. It also introduces a new mechanic in the Batmobile which was absent from all previous entries in the series.
Most of the complaints in Arkham Knight are because of this addition of the batmobile. Some of the lower scores for the game consistently reference the batmobile as being a flaw for the game as it is often forced upon the player and takes away from the story and overall feel that the first two games achieved so well. One of the many things critics did praise Arkham Knight for was its atmosphere and the map.
2 Batman: Arkham Asylum
Average Metacritic Score: 91
Arkham Asylum received a lot of praise on release which includes its storytelling, how polished the game was, and the gameplay mechanics fitting into the character of Batman. It boasted a top cast of fan-favorite villains, a serious tone and atmosphere which fit perfectly into the overall dark mood of Batman.
However, where Arkham Asylum fell short, according to critics, was the repetitiveness of the gameplay. Despite this, the game is still highly regarded as being one of the best Batman games, and before Arkham City was released, it was considered the best Batman game of all time by Metacritic.
1 Batman: Arkham City
Average Metacritic Score: 94
Arkham City, from the beginning, received critical acclaim. It is arguably the best Batman game of all time. Critics praised the game’s story, its action, and just how polished the game was overall.
It is often debated whether Arkham City or Arkham Asylum sit atop as the best Batman game but where Arkham City differs in how it expanded the map, story, and the characters in the Batman universe adding fan favorites like Catwoman and Mister Freeze. Arkham City also had story DLC added onto it with “Harley Quinn’s Revenge”, which before DLC was only challenge maps and costume packs. However, critics are sure that Arkham City is indeed the best Batman video game.
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