History Videogame / BatmanArkhamCity

'''Joker:''' WheresTheFunInThat Nobody's who you think they are, my dear.

* SexyWalk: Catwoman, Talia, and Harley.
* ShapeshifterShowoffSession: During the finale, it's revealed that [[spoiler: Basil Karlo, AKA Clayface]] has been serving as a BodyDouble to a major character for most of the game, eventually leading Batman to find himself meeting two versions of the character and prompting the imposter to enact a horrific-looking reversion to their gigantic true form. For good measure, it's clear that this is being done mainly for the sake of drama, as it's already been established in the previous game that the character can transform in the blink of an eye; [[spoiler: Clayface]] is deliberately drawing out the transformation in order to show off.
* ShapeshiftingSound: In the finale [[spoiler: Clayface is revealed to be serving as a BodyDouble for the Joker, and transforms back to his gigantic ShapeshifterDefaultForm with a series of loud, wet sloshing noises.]]

* CentralTheme: '''Do criminals deserve rights?''' The theme of ''Arkham City'' is specifically a question of whether criminals deserve basic fundamental human rights. To what extent do the worst of humanity command compassion and restraint? What does it say about a society that decides to wash their hands of them and simply corral them to a dustbin where they will eventually be subject to [[KillEmAll extermination]]?

** MPT Anne Bishop is voiced by Kimberly Brooks. Given the character's looks and personality (her first question when Batman rescues her is where's Riddler, clearly intending to remove his spine), chances are that [[Franchise/MassEffect Ashley Williams]] will come to mind.
** Catwoman is voiced by Creator/GreyDeLisle so chances are she'll remind some people of [[WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy Kitty Katswell]].

The game takes place six months after the events of ''Arkham Asylum''; Quincy Sharp is now Gotham's mayor, having won the election after taking credit for stopping Joker's assault on Arkham. With Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Penitentiary both closed due to the events of the previous installment, Sharp has arranged for all of Gotham's inmates to be moved to Arkham City, an open-air prison built around the slums of Gotham City. Which doesn't sound too bad until you realize that anyone with even the slightest record is thrown in. Which means tax-dodgers and petty burglars are in there with crime bosses, serial killers and lunatics.

** [[spoiler:Hugo Strange]] might have been a [[KnightTemplar deluded fanatic]], but still, seeing him [[VillainousBreakdown broken, betrayed and nearly crying]] after being [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness stabbed in the back]] by [[spoiler:Comicbook/RasAlGhul (both literally and figuratively)]] you nevertheless feel ''some'' kind of pity for him.

*** ''[[Comicbook/GrantMorrisonsBatman Batman Inc.]]'' (Given out for free by Rocksteady as a thank-you gift.)

* HammerAndSickleRemovedForYourProtection: Averted. Russian SiameseTwins are named Hammer and Sickle. It is also their WeaponOfChoice.

** Batman's modus operandi, as in all incarnations. It even extends to [[spoiler:trying (and failing) to [[SaveTheVillain cure the Joker]] from his TITAN poisoning]]. By the Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC, there are rumours floating around Gotham he's broken it (due to the [[spoiler:aforementioned death of the Joker]]).

* EvilPhone: Victor Zsasz's side mission involves answering several ringing payphones throughout the city in order to track him down.
** Likewise, the back story reveals that as soon as he got put in the City, Zsasz started playing with the phones, calling them at random and killing whoever answered. He did this only because 1) [[ItAmusedMe he was bored]] and 2) he knew Batman would eventually track him down for it.
* EvilPlan: The Joker's overarching scheme. [[spoiler:Dying of a disease, Joker's plan was to lure Batman close enough to spread the contagion to him and thousands of others, then have Batman do the work of getting the cure for him while leaving Bats ill and the Joker good as new.]]
** In the comics we learn that the Joker planned everything up to and including [[spoiler:his death]] on page 3.

* TheMagicPokerEquation: Zsasz claims that Penguin beat his four-of-a-kind with a straight flush to bankrupt him. But, considering the source and the players, it's likely Zsasz is lying or one or both of them was cheating anyway.
** Zsasz had four sixes, while Penguin's Straight Flush included a fifth six.

* PsychopathicManchild: Zsasz, Mad Hatter, and Riddler.

* TookALevelInBadass: In the first game, Victor Zsasz was a bit of a ButtMonkey, serving as a tutorial boss and getting beaten up ''again'' later on. This time round he's the villain of one of the longer sidequests (admittedly he still goes down from a stealth attack, but hey). There's also [[spoiler:Clayface]], who was an Easter egg in the first game and is the final boss this time round. Riddler counts as well, with harder trophy puzzles, hostages in elaborate traps, and he actually makes a physical appearance this time around.

* WhamEpisode: It doesn't get more "Wham" than [[spoiler:the Joker dying]].
** Along with a little bit beforehand with [[spoiler:the flashback revealing this whole time the "healthy" Joker was just Clayface [[ThePlan to get the cure back to]] Joker]].

* PlotTumor: Batman arrives to investigate the secrets behind Arkham City and Hugo Strange's real motives in setting up the prison. Half an hour later, the Joker takes over the plot.
** Catwoman's playable segments add little to the story, often interrupting the action at crucial points (such as when Batman has been captured by The Joker). One might almost wonder [[{{Fanservice}} why they were included in the first place]]...

--->'''Thug 3:''' Yeah, I thought he wanted the Joker to win.
--->'''Thug :''' Me too, but, don't you think that's kind of crazy? [[spoiler:Who spends billions of dollars building a prison and then gives everyone a gun?]]

** Some enemy chatter will have a mook bicker about one of the other members of the gang stealing from them. While normally if you take an enemy out in stealth and he's found, their allies will call for reinforcements just to make sure you're not baiting them into a chain reaction - if the dialogue about stealing from each other happens beforehand, the mook will instead tell the others to fan out and Batman and kicks the unconscious thief while calling him a bastard.

** When Batman can deactivate Freeze's... [[ShapedLikeItself freeze]] gun he takes out Penguin with a [[StreetFighter Dragon Punch.]]

* AbsoluteCleavage: Catwoman's suit is zipped down to the point where her whole cleavage and her stomach can be seen at some angles.

** After being rescued by Batman, Catwoman takes back Two-Face's smartphone and seems to hide it from Batman by putting it down the front of her [[AbsoluteCleavage partially unzipped]] catsuit.

* RapidFireFisticuffs: Batman can perform a "Beatdown" move on a stunned foe, in which he starts channeling [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro]] and jabs the opponent in the midsection as quickly as possible before landing an incapacitating finisher. Catwoman can do it even ''[[UpToEleven faster]]''.

** How do you make a game like Arkham Asylum [[UpToEleven better?]] Well, the first thing you can do is have Batman keep his [[WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys cool toys]] from the first game and let him upgrade them from the beginning, then have a section of Gotham be dubbed as ''"Arkham City"'' and make it an [[WideOpenSandbox open world]] to explore... also have Riddler keep some henchmen around for added fun in his Riddle challenges... Batman can counter up to three people at once now and use more of his gadgets seamlessly in combat...

* CastingGag: Creator/FredTatasciore as Solomon Grundy. He's also known for playing the ComicBook/IncredibleHulk, another [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation green]] [[TheDreaded monster]] with [[TheBrute enormous strength]], [[HulkSpeak broken speech]], and [[DumbMuscle limited intelligence]].

* PyrrhicVillainy: The Joker [[spoiler:stabs Batman in the shoulder, making Bats drop the cure, dooming Joker]].