History YMMV / BatmanArkhamKnight

* CaptainObviousReveal: [[spoiler:Arkham Knight is Jason Todd. Aside from being such an obvious choice for the role that most fans guessed it was Jason from the moment the Arkham Knight was first seen and talked at length about how he obviously knows who Batman is and being pretty angsty about it, anyone who had seen ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'' or has a familiarity with the character from the comics would have figured it out long before the reveal, and most of those who at first maintained it didn't take the stance simply ''because'' it seemed like such an easy answer. The fact that this is the first game in the Arkham games to talk at length about Jason at all (barring an offhand comment by Joker in Robin challenge maps in ''City''), and Batman seems to obsess over him and his assumed fate, it would have been more surprising if it were ''not'' blatant foreshadowing.]]
** Lampshaded by WebVideo/SmoshGames in their Arkham Knight honest game trailer where they describe the Knight as "[[spoiler: A young-sounding man in a red suit who clearly has a long past with Bruce Wayne.]] And if you can't guess who it is before the game tells you, welcome to your first Batman story!"

** As mentioned on the [[Awesome/BatmanArkhamKnight awesome]] page, the final fight with Joker counts as this, as will not end until you chuck him in the cell with an Environmental Takedown. Nothing else will keep him down. But seeing as the Joker is an absolutely terrible fighter and has been pissing Batman off the entire game, you can spend however long you wish utterly beating the crap out of him. The Joker [[AintTooProudToBeg pathetically begging]] Batman not to kick him out of his mind and therefore erase his presence forever is just the icing on the cake.

*** The Joker branding [[spoiler: Jason Todd]] becomes this since in ''Dawn of Justice'', Batman [[PayEvilUntoEvil punishes human traffickers and rapists]] [[KickTheSonOfABitch by branding them]]. Bonus points if the player does the scene while wearing the ''Dawn of Justice'' skin.

* EsotericHappyEnding: The complete, true ending. Sure, [[spoiler: Bruce stopped Scarecrow and stop himself from turning into a new Joker]], but [[spoiler: his identity was revealed to the whole world and when the game tells us that Gotham is now safe because all the villains have been caught and sent to prison, we’re supposed to be happy that we helped Batman finally make Gotham a safer place. However, considering how often the villains break out of jail, it’s only a question of "when", not "if" the villains will break out to cause havoc again; so at best, it's [[CarboardPrison just a temporary setback for them]]. If you compare what happened to Bruce and what happened to the villains, Bruce [[PyrrhicVictory has lost so much more in this adventure than the villains have]]. He lost his home, everyone knows his identity, and there are still thousands of his enemies who will definitely break out of prison to hurt people again ([[RevengeByProxy and likely people he cares about too]], considering that they now know who he is), and he lost everything. What makes it worse is that Scarecrow wanted, among several other things, for Batman’s life to be ruined and to reveal his identity to the whole world. It may not have happened the way Scarecrow wanted, but it happened anyway. Batman’s identity is now common knowledge, he lost basically everything, and his life is ruined. Taken further, while Jason lost his army, he can just [[KarmaHoudini walk away from it all after one heroic act]] without even the minimum of him being arrested like the others, despite his involvement in Scarecrow's plot making him into a war criminal, meaning there is ''still'' at least one villain on the loose, even excluding others who were merely waiting for the end of the night like [[SerialKiller Victor Zsasz]] or [[SoftSpokenSadist Calendar Man]] are still very much at large. While the full game and DLC add-ons imply that several villains have been utterly bankrupted, and some are even dead -- namely [[FateWorseThanDeath Scarecrow]], [[KilledOffForReal Poison Ivy, the Joker, Black Mask]], [[LetThemDieHappy Mr. Freeze]] and likely [[LaserGuidedKarma Riddler]] -- does this really count as a happy ending?]]

** For many the game is this, since it [[spoiler: gave Batman a real ending to his career. Unlike most trilogies and gaming franchises, and comic book stories, that either become FranchiseZombie or bring a clean slate, this version brought definite changes to Batman's career, taking his story to a tragic yet heroic finish, having him definitely defeat the Joker and reclaim his sanity, putting most of his enemies behind bars, with everyone knowing who Gotham's hero really was]], making the Arkham Series alongside ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' and the ''Franchise/{{DCAU}}'' to be one of the few superhero adaptations to give an ending to the hero.

* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: The "Catwoman's Revenge" DLC has raised some eyebrows for a sequence in which Selina has to steal three terminal keycards from armed goons, directly recycled from the ''Arkham City'' DLC. Funny enough, though, Catwoman even comments, "Why is it always three of something?"

** Likewise, the GCPD has become so supportive of Batman that they seem to accept him as a de facto leader, second in authority only to Gordon, giving him far too much latitude. Gordon knows Batman is keeping four people prisoner against their will without any trial (to quarantine them, admittedly); he's allowed to wander anywhere in the GCPD, including the evidence locker, the interview room, and the holding cells, without any guide or oversight; he can assault prisoners without reprimand and forces a corrupt cop into a cell in front of two other officers without any preamble, who proceed to apologize to Batman for pointing their guns at him when they realize the full details. That said, the game is set in a classic martial law scenario where there has been a complete disintegration of civil authority: a due process simply isn't an option when everyone who could actually serve on a jury has fled the city in terror, and some serious restraint is being shown in incarcerating thugs in a vulnerable central location rather than executing them on the spot.

* TierInducedScrappy: Poor Catwoman; while she's fine in combat maps, her already somewhat awkward predator gameplay from ''City'' is made even more slow and difficult due to the maps not supporting her ceiling climbing abilities. While her run remains silent and she's been given a slight BalanceBuff (Her caltrops regenerate now and she has just as much health as everyone else) she also cannot perform double takedowns at all[[note]]This is often attributed to the Fear Takedown system, but all three DLC characters can perform double takedowns despite not being able to perform fear takedowns[[/note]], with the end result being a character whose stealth gameplay is almost entirely limited to singular silent takedowns, meaning her challenge maps consist of a ''lot'' of waiting, to the point where it's not uncommon for 3-star runs taking well over 10 minutes. Even Harley and Red Hood - who also have somewhat limited movesets - at least have something to compensate for it[[note]]Red Hood's takedowns are really quick and he has his OneHitKill pistols, while Harley [[MechanicallyUnusualFighter plays odd by design]] with her [[SoMuchForStealth loudness]], LimitBreak, and BulletDodge ability[[/note]], but Catwoman's lack of almost any useful moves just makes her predator gameplay a chore.

** The game gets vindicated even further after the disappointing launch of ''VideoGame/{{Gotham Knights|2022}}''. Even during the previews, some have already made comparisons between those two games, only to find out that ''Arkham Knight'' looks and plays much better despite the 7-year gap. Many returns to this game just to appreciate the groundbreaking visuals, art direction, and gameplay compared to ''Gotham Knights''.

** During the ending [[spoiler:Batman appearing throughout Joker's POV hallucination as statues]] have caused many to compare him to [[Franchise/DoctorWho the Weeping Angels]]. Batman's [[VideoGame/LEGODimensions next major video game appearance]] sees him fighting the actual Weeping Angels at one point.

** A video clip of a cutscene where [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JUWBoYwAgaE Batman and Catwoman have swapped character models]] has reached people who have not played the game. Batman with Catwoman's over-the-top SupermodelStrut has been compared to characters from ''Franchise/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' and has been used to show what people mean when they talk about the MaleGaze.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The new AR challenges drew so much fan outcry that a series of DLC and patches reverted them back to the way they were in previous games.

** The series as a whole seems to be arguing Batman could and should keep his allies closer rather than push them away. The whole point of ''Origins'' was to teach Batman that he needs allies in order to achieve his goals. This message is zig-zagged in Arkham Knight since his allies are constantly put in danger seemingly because he kept them at a distance. Other sites, however, argued that the game illustrates [[http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2015/10/batman-arkham-knight-storyline-review.html Batman really should do it alone since everyone he's close to gets killed, kidnapped, or constantly screws up.]] Especially when you consider the ending [[spoiler: Bruce is forced to either kill himself or fake his own death, reasoning that it's "the only way to protect them." Even though it most likely won't because they are still known associates to the man who physically assaulted and put thousands of criminals in jail for the past decade and assisted on multiple occasions.]]

** Batman in this game is both a TragicHero with HeroicWillpower and a cold ManipulativeBastard who really does bring death and misery to all who follow him, whose trust issues tend to make himself a liability to his allies. The game also casts serious doubts on how actually effective he is, with Batman coming across as a FailureHero and a DestructiveSavior. His relationship with his allies also falls under this label, namely, the fact that in the Arkhamverse, [[spoiler: Batman took on Tim Drake as the third Robin less than six months after the Joker kidnapped Jason Todd, and before Jason's death was confirmed. Did Batman take on Tim in order to help him find Jason? Was he so obsessed with keeping the Dynamic Duo intact that he let Tim take on the role, despite Jason's claim to it? If Jason did return, what was his plan for both Tim and Jason? The game doesn't delve into any of Bruce's reasoning for when and why he let Tim be Robin, even when Jason later asks Bruce accusingly if he'd "replaced" him in a month or less, although considering several of these accusations are fueled by a Joker-manipulated Jason, there may be an element of UnreliableNarrator at play.]]

** The Batmobile in general. Some fans had been hoping for its inclusion since ''City'' while others rejected the idea since it could detract from the main gameplay. After ''Knight'''s release, the reception was further split on the Batmobile's redesign, especially the fact that it bristled with actual guns as well as the less-lethal weapons one might expect. There was also debate on whether or not the tank combat had any business being in a Batman game. There's also the fact that, for all its power, gliding is still a faster way of moving around the city, so many players tend to ignore the Batmobile most of the time, only using it as a boost platform to launch themselves into the air or when the plot actually requires it.
** Prior to release, there was a split between fans who hoped or wanted Joker [[BackFromTheDead to return]], and others who wanted him to stay dead so other villains could shine, as previous installments had been commonly criticized for placing too much focus on him.

** The identity of the Arkham Knight. Even fans who have been [[spoiler: anticipating Jason Todd's inclusion in the game's universe were divided between happiness over the fact that Jason's first appearance directly escalates him as the title character, to have preferred him to be the Red Hood (though we do eventually see in the game that the Arkham Knight armor is merely a cover of Jason's Red Hood garb). Others simply disliked the idea that the Arkham Knight isn't an exclusive new character after all, or wished him to be any pre-existing character other than Jason. The way he's portrayed doesn't help either, with his whiny militant surfer-bro personality who comes off as an annoying fratboy who's constantly boasting his superiority over the Bat, even after Batman shuts down each and every one of his plans and countermeasures.]]

** Challenge maps. Is the A.R theme good or not? Is the fact that alternate characters have different enemy pools a good way to add variety to enemies or is it simply developer laziness/inability to get the actors/mocappers back, in order to make new animations of characters fighting new enemies? Are the locations good? Are there enough variety and maps? Most who liked the maps often reminded those who complained about the lack of variety that again, the previous games that are used as examples of evidence in fact had fewer maps, many of which were simply reused multiple times with different character loadouts.

** Lampshaded by WebVideo/SmoshGames in their Arkham Knight honest game trailer where they describe the Knight as "[[spoiler:A young-sounding man in a red suit who clearly has a long past with Bruce Wayne.]] And if you can't guess who it is before the game tells you, welcome to your first Batman story!"

** Professor Pyg has resonated as one of the most memorable new additions in the game thanks to the disturbing nature of his sidequest and his unexpected inclusion surprising [[NightmareFuel (and horrifying)]] many players, causing many to gain an interest in him. It's likely that his newfound popularity here helped lead to his memorable guest stint on ''Series/{{Gotham}}''.

* EsotericHappyEnding: The complete, true ending. Sure, [[spoiler: Bruce stopped Scarecrow and stop himself from turning into a new Joker]], but [[spoiler: his identity was revealed to the whole world and when the game tells us that Gotham is now safe because all the villains have been caught and sent to prison, we’re supposed to be happy that we helped Batman finally make Gotham a safer place. However, considering how often the villains break out of jail, it’s only a question of "when", not "if" the villains will break out to cause havoc again; so at best, it's [[CarboardPrison just a temporary setback for them]]. If you compare what happened to Bruce and what happened to the villains, Bruce [[PyrrhicVictory has lost so much more in this adventure than the villains have]]. He lost his home, everyone knows his identity, and there are still thousands of his enemies who will definitely break out of prison to hurt people again ([[RevengeByProxy and likely people he cares about too]], considering that they now know who he is), and he lost everything. What makes it worse is that Scarecrow wanted, among several other things, for Batman’s life to be ruined and to reveal his identity to the whole world. It may not have happened the way Scarecrow wanted, but it happened anyway. Batman’s identity is now common knowledge, he lost basically everything, and his life is ruined. Taken further, while Jason lost his army, he is able to just [[KarmaHoudini walk away from it all after one heroic act]] without even the minimum of him being arrested like the others, despite his involvement in Scarecrow's plot making him into a war criminal, meaning there is ''still'' at least one villain on the loose, even excluding others who were merely waiting for the end of the night like [[SerialKiller Victor Zsasz]] or [[SoftSpokenSadist Calendar Man]] are still very much at large. While the full game and DLC add-ons imply that several villains have been utterly bankrupted, and some are even dead -- namely [[FateWorseThanDeath Scarecrow]], [[KilledOffForReal Poison Ivy, the Joker, Black Mask]], [[LetThemDieHappy Mr. Freeze]] and likely [[LaserGuidedKarma Riddler]] -- does this really count as a happy ending?]]

** Red Hood is this in Predator Maps, courtesy of two advantages: Dual Handguns and extremely fast Silent Takedowns. Dual Handguns are fast, [[BottomlessMagazines have unlimited ammo]], and [[OneHitKill capable of killing mooks in one shot]]. Several maps can be completed just by taking position on a far, far away vantage point and snipe the mooks one by one. Then there's his Silent Takedowns, just as fast as Knockout Takedowns without alerting others, allowing Red Hood to stealthily take down enemies fast and silent. Even with Red Hoods' drawbacks[[note]]Limited gadgets, guns are loud, no Fear Multi-Takedown, and Silent Takedowns can only be performed from either behind an enemy or corners.[[/note]] and the maps' challenges, they hardly slow him down in the hands of skilled player. This is also the reason why Red Hood is nerfed in "Endless Knight" Predator Map[[note]]Gadgets cannot be used outside of play area, and Quickfire Handguns will not grant bonus time[[/note]]. Oh, and did we mention that those pesky [[DemonicSpider Brutes]] are missing if you're playing as Red Hood?

* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler:Batman locked Joker away in his subconscious, but come ''ComicBook/DarkNightsMetal'' and we see exactly what Batman would look like if he failed: an omnicidal maniac who becomes far worse than the Joker ever was]].

** When Mr. Freeze's [[spoiler:cryo generator explodes, there's enough ice to have partially frozen at least two of the three islands. That had to instantly killed some people as well.]]
** Unless they evacuated while Batman was unconscious, any defeated militia inside Ace chemicals might have died. On one hand, there's no bodies when Batman races out of the facility. On the other hand, Batman could not have been unconscious for no longer than a few minutes or the toxin would have much more severe effects, but could everybody really had waken up, run a long tunnel outside and cross a destroyed bridge/enter a helicopter in time?
* ItsHardSoItSucks: Even the ''Easy'' difficulty was hard for a lot of first-time players, and that includes players who were experts at the previous games. Normal mooks are now capable of doing charge attacks that cannot be countered, the only way to stop them is to either throw a Batarang at them, or jump over them. The Special Combo Bat Swarm has been replaced with the environmental attacks, so if you need to stun a group of enemies at once, you're screwed unless you use the Special Combo REC. Some players feel that combat is much more difficult this time around due to Batman's movements being harder to control (i.e. aiming for one enemy only to end up punching a brute/shield/taser thug and losing your combo).

** The DLC Missions. Each one can be easily beaten in less than an hour[[note]]The Harley Quinn, Red Hood, Robin, Nightwing and Catwoman Arkham Stories can be beaten in 10 to 15 minutes. ''A Matter of Family'' is roughly 45 minutes[[/note]]. This is zig-zagged, however, with the "Season of Infamy" DLC, which are full-on side missions, but each individual side mission can still be beaten in 15 to 30 minutes. Catwoman, Robin and Nightwing's were cited to at least give more on the story after the events of the game to make it worth their time. But Harley and Red Hood barely get anything lore wise and largely just come off as mini-games then additional content.
** Some of the story side-missions, especially Two-Face and Penguin, Batman's most iconic villains are far shorter than some feel it should be. By comparison, the missing firefighter mission is longer than both combined, and they feel far less substantive than even the Season of Infamy side-missions.

** The Arkham Knight, [[spoiler:once he's revealed to be Jason Todd. Underneath the mask of the homicidal ProfessionalKiller is a broken, tortured soul in desperate need of help and struggling to deal with the trauma from his torture at Joker's hand. Both Batman and Barbara believe he is not beyond redemption and desperately try to help him. [[HeelFaceTurn They turn out to be right.]]]]

* MemeticBadass: Played along with MemeticPsychopath. [[spoiler:Despite the fire chief Raymond Underhill's crimes (aiding Firefly in burning down abandoned apartments) having a noble reason to do so (having his men keep their jobs), Batman still locked him up alongside the other supervillains.]] This caused the fandom to joke that he is the most dangerous/evil of them all.

** Expect almost every French player to say something along the lines of "Damn, Jamy became hardcore" due to [[https://twitter.com/leprechaune21/status/613711079001169921 Jamy from the (now cancelled) educational TV show ''C'est pas sorcier!'' closely resembling the Riddler]].

* MoralEventHorizon: Scarecrow already proves he isn't playing around when he threatens to douse the city in fear toxin, but the moment he [[spoiler: [[KickTheDog forces Gordon to lure Batman to him, then throws Barbara off the construction building when Gordon seemingly kills Batman]]]] is the moment he truly crosses the line. But if you think ''neither'' of those really count (since both were ultimately successful), then it's officially game over when Crane [[spoiler:[[TheBadGuyWins captures Batman and Robin, making Gordon unmask the former on live TV or else he'll kill the latter, thus forcing Bruce and Alfred to destroy Wayne Manor and apparently go into hiding]].]]

** The Joker could have crossed the horizon as early as ''Origins'', but if nothing else he did in the series does it, he finally definitively crosses it with his actions before the events of the game. [[spoiler:In a Gotham City Story, he bombs a kindergarten which inevitably kills untold dozens if not hundreds of children, toddlers and infants, before gleefully singing "Humpty Dumpty" as he watches the mourning parents - all of this, of course, ForTheEvulz and to draw Batman out for the sake of [[AttentionWhore his hunger for attention]]. Jason Todd in particular was so infuriated after witnessing the aftermath that ''he'' decided to gun after the Joker...which led to him psychologically and physically torturing Jason for ''over an entire year'' - manipulating him into thinking that Batman abandoned him for another protege, before seemingly shooting him dead. He had then filmed all of it and then sent it to Batman, for a simple reason: to hurt him in the absolute deepest, most personal level possible, all because Jason showed up instead of him: and to thereby demonstrate what happens when Batman involves his friends and allies into his and Joker's "crazy little game". ''All of this started in a single night.'']]
* OlderThanTheyThink: Upon its reveal, many were weirded out by the various weapons in the Batmobile (and some still are). However, many Batmen have had guns on their cars, for examaple both Burton's and Nolan's had machine guns on them. Non-lethal weapons can be traced back to ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' and "rubber bullets, I swear."
* OneSceneWonder: The encounter against Professor Pyg is mercifully brief, but immensely memorable. Likewise [[spoiler:Nyssa Raatko who appears in the ''Shadow War'' DLC and Nora Fries from ''In From the Cold'' make quite an impression despite the fact that they appear in missions for the DLC]].
* OvershadowedByAwesome: All of Batman's major villains are nothing compared to the power of Scarecrow and Arkham Knight. [[spoiler:But then they're overshadowed by Joker, who ultimately serves the game's FinalBoss.]]

* PortingDisaster: On release the PC version was capped at 30 [=FPS=] by default, and it had various performance issues even on very high-spec [=PCs=] (particularly on [=AMD=] rigs). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37KpOYVrLZM One video]] by Rock Paper Shotgun had the game running on a fairly good rig at 60fps, with framedrops and stuttering into the ''single digits.'' It was so bad that Warner Bros. decided to essentially ''recall'' the PC version of the game by removing it from Steam and banning the sale of physical copies while they attempted to fix it. It eventually came to light that Iron Galaxy, a company known for making decent games and ports, had been outsourced and hired to make the port, but ''only eight people worked on it.'' As a result, the PC version had ''much'' worse performance, ''much'' worse graphics, low res textures, advanced graphic effects missing, and the list goes on. Warner Bros. [[http://www.polygon.com/2015/7/1/8877785/batman-arkham-knight-pc-issues supposedly]] knew about the problems "for months" but didn't bother to fix it. On release day, the game got a painful 31% positive review score on the Steam page, and lowered to 13% the day after, however since the subsequent patches, [[http://steamed.kotaku.com/seven-steam-games-whose-review-scores-have-changed-a-lo-1776832198 the reviews on Steam]] became more and more positive with users noting that most of the problems have fixed and the recent reviews of the game are 89% positive. It still isn't a full PolishedPort, as the game is known for having hitching, stuttering, and large frame drops while playing, but it's at least a step up from the terrible original release.

* RootingForTheEmpire: Arkham Scarecrow's audacity, cunning, coolness, and genius is so compelling that you can't help but stand up and applaud when [[spoiler:he unmasks Batman to the world]].

** The default controls for the Batmobile are particularly awful. By default, you have to hold the L trigger to enter tank mode, and reverse/brake/drift are all on a single button. You can change this in the settings to a far superior scheme, making tank mode a toggle with the R button, moving the brake/reverse to the L trigger, keeping the gas the R trigger, and keeping drift the same button that was combined with the other functions previously, making the Batmobile much more comfortable to play, but most players will not discover this, because the option to change the controls [[GuideDangIt is HIDDEN until after you complete the first drone battle and rescue Poison Ivy]]. Most players will set their control options when they start the game, and wouldn't think to go back into the menu again after 30+ minutes of gameplay to find a previously hidden option.

** One {{Anti Frustration Feature|s}} not returning from ''Origins'' is Riddler informants being immune to takedowns, so you have to watch where you're attacking when they're present once more. In fact they are easier to knock out than usual.
** Automatic camera changes while driving. This happens in two different kinds of missions. In battles against Cobra Tanks/Cloudburst, if you're spotted by the enemy you have to start driving away, which instantly pushes the camera away. Since this doesn't happen anywhere else in the game, it throws you off and makes escaping harder. Also, while trying to stop militia APCs, you have to race behind them and shoot them as soon as you get a chance. But they will request help from other vehicles, that will race between them and you, so you have to either pass or disable in order to reach the APC. The problem is that as soon as you make any of the helping vehicles crash the camera will slow down and focus on them so you can watch the crash ''instead of the APC you're following''. Prepare to instantly crash yourself or be thrown off the path, being forced to relocate the APC which has now gained a lot of distance.
** On the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 at least, the Batmobile's combat dodge move is effectively useless, since it's mapped to the X button. Most of the time while in the Batmobile, the player's thumb is going to be glued to the right analog stick to watch around for enemies. In the half-second it takes the player to move their thumb, the Batmobile runs right into the missiles it was supposed to dodge.

* ShippingGoggles: The Batman/Poison Ivy ship has ''skyrocketed'' in this game, shippers choosing to interpret Ivy's seeming lack of desire to kill him and her[[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn to save her plants from Scarecrow's toxin, as well as fight Arkham Knight's army to protect her ancient trees, as being the result of her having feelings for him. Batman working to protect her when Scarecrow and the militia go after her each time, their overall cooperation, and his comforting her in her dying moments, has led them to interpret Batman as feeling the same way, rather than just viewing her as an ally]].

** An audio example; while they got Creator/TroyBaker back to record new lines for the predator map character selection update[[note]]Although the old lines that don't directly mention Batman are shared between characters, there were no lines for the female characters so recording new lines was needed for both them and some other occurrences that had no generic lines before[[/note]], many of the new lines stand out by their vastly different delivery from the others (A lot are said [[MotorMouth noticeably faster]], for example). This is even more noticeable in certain foreign dubs (such as the italian one), where the delivery is consistent but the new lines don't have the Arkham Knight's voice filter applied, meaning it can be mistaken for that of a generic soldier.

** Firefly does not wear a full bodysuit in this game, he retains his goggles, pants and jetpack, but wears a white tank top that leaves bits of his burned skin exposed. It's very hard to look at.

* ThatOneAchievement: "Requiem for a Killer", which requires you to obtain a ''million points'' and beat a boss in the Iceberg Lounge challenge map as Batman; even the 3-star rating for the map is a measily 50 000, and going over 200 000 is an accomplishment in on itself. The challenge is an endless one, but not only does every enemy type appear in it, but the spawn limit is high enough that keeping track of enemies becomes an absolute nightmare - not to mention the ever-present possibility of being attacked off-screen, the targeting screwing up, or an enemy gaining a blocking tool just before your attack connects. Simply keeping up a high combo is presumably the easiest way to do it, but this becomes increasingly difficult later on in the fight when enemies start gaining special powers, limited invulnerability and other combo-killers. Losing your initial combo is enough to warrant a restart, due to how insanely hard it becomes to build up a new one when most enemies are immune to basic attacks. Fortunately, it's not a requirement for platinum on [=PS4=], although the relative ease of every other trophy means this one becomes a LastLousyPoint.

** [[spoiler: The Arkham Knight's giant excavator.]] It's incredibly fast and ''any'' hit from it is an [[OneHitKill instant game over]]. It also can't be damaged through normal means, and is fought in one of the most frustrating areas of the game to navigate in the Batmobile.
** Even worse is the fight against [[spoiler: The Cloudburst tank]]. The player is trapped on Bleake Island with it and 6 Cobra drones. The Cobra drones themselves are very tricky without the hack upgrade for them since they like to clump together and turn around at random, then comes an even trickier part of destroying weak points on the Cloudburst. Once alerted (which unavoidably happens whenever a weak point is destroyed) the Cloudburst instantly becomes insanely fast, ridiculously aggressive, and starts letting fly with an incredibly powerful laser cannon; if the player is not good at drifting the Batmobile, expect much torn hair and restarting. The final stage is at least easier, with the minor problem of not bothering to tell the player that the Cloudburst tank is only vulnerable in one extremely specific place that isn't exactly where you would guess it to be.

** The 'Azrael's Atonement' combat challenge. You have to get 30,000 points, which is somewhat ridiculously high. And you have to deal with [[GoddamnedBats ninjas]] and [[DemonicSpiders medics]]. Oh, and if you get hit ''[[OneHitPointWonder once]]'' the challenge immediately ends. The ninjas in particular are annoying to deal with, since they are equally likely to use a standard attack for countering as they are to use one requiring a Blade Dodge/Takedown, which has a somewhat different button input. With a normal combat flow going, it may be difficult to switch, leading to being hit... and having to start over from the top.
** "Big Game Hunter" can be this even if you don't have a problem with the Batmobile. You must destroy 6 Cobras without ever being spotted, and you also have to deal with [[spoiler:the Cloudburst tank]] roaming around looking for you. Also, [[LuckBasedMission sometimes a Cobra will spawn looking in your direction as soon as the challenge starts]].

** The "Cauldron Speedway TT" DLC race. It requires you to pull off big drifts to slow down the clock, not hit anything and take a shortcut to the end (which is very difficult to get to when using the default car or Tumbler), or else you will not make it on time. Even skilled players have stated that it has taken them dozens tries to beat it and some have even rage quit over it.

** The Catwoman DLC final fight caters to all of her weaknesses and none of her strengths. You're fighting hordes of robots while also dealing with an electrified floor and two roaming lasers. Catwoman herself does not have an offensive moveset (so no group takedowns), her counters take forever (which can leave you trapped on the electrified floor slowly dying), she has the base amount of health, and the way combat works in general means the game can just launch you straight into the things that are killing you regardless of your intent. You don't just need skill here, you need a lot of luck.
** A lot of the Campaign for Disarmament missions. You need to remain close to the mine while enemy tanks keep on appearing (upwards to 42!). They're numerous and utterly cramped with the game barely giving you much breathing room. At first playthroughs, these can be an utter pain and absolutely monotonous if you don't pace yourself.

** Hush returns from Arkham City. [[spoiler: He's not in costume, only trying to steal Bruce Wayne's fortune while wearing Bruce's face and taking Lucius Fox hostage before being beaten up by Bruce in a sidequest that totals out at five minutes max. For a character traditionally depicted as TheStrategist amongst the rogues, and an adequate combatant even against the Bat family, it feels like a cheap conclusion. You don't even get to hear his MotiveRant, since it's drowned out by Bruce strategizing about how to take him down.]]

** Even detractors of ''Arkham Origins'' will admit that Deathstroke's boss fight was one of the high points of the game, and some comic fans acknowledge that Deathstroke is perhaps the most lethal person Batman can take in a straight up fight. Even Batman himself told [[spoiler: Jason]] that Deathstroke was the toughest person he'd ever fought. Here? He's relegated to another tank mission, and gets taken out of the equation in a cutscene.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Prior to the game's release, part of its advertised premise was that with the Joker gone, Batman's rogues gallery would be joining forces to take him down once and for all. In reality, the extent of this 'team-up' is that most of the major villains chipped in to fund Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight before the game started. Come the game itself, they're all back to acting more or less independently with only hints of larger collaboration, such as Penguin supplying the militia with guns. In fact, the usual villains are overshadowed by Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight, with the rest of them except Harley Quinn only being encountered in side missions.

** While there are several endless combat challenges that only end when Batman is defeated, there's only one endless ''predator'' challenge. This is disappointing in that the one challenge that uses this concept (Endless Knight) was widely praised for the variety of ways to take down enemies and escalating challenge.

** One could argue this about the challenge maps in general; while they aren't bad per se with some providing genuine challenges, interesting layouts and decent variety, they still feel like an ObviousBeta compared to the previous entries. Even after character select was added through patches, some characters cannot fight certain enemy types at all, and as mentioned above, Harley and Jason are made to fit the mold and their unique level gimmicks are absent. In predator, instead of the personalized lines of ''City'' and ''Origins'', everyone gets the same generic announcements Batman gets (just with all mentions of Batman left out), and only Batman, Robin, Nightwing and Catwoman are called by their names by mooks. Speaking of the announcer, just like in ''City'' only one character (Arkham Knight) is used for all maps[[note]]Penguin and Harley technically host "Jailbreak" and "Wayne Manor", but never speak unless you overuse the voice synchronizer[[/note]], despite both Scarecrow and [[spoiler:Deathstroke]] also doing so in the main campaign. Overall, while the maps do their job, they could have been handled better.

** Another side mission villain that comes out of left field is Professor Pyg.
** Simon Stagg, who's usually associated with Metamorpho, a hero from a far less gritty sector of the DCU.

** The DLC "Beneath the Surface" tries to present Killer Croc as a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds and a TragicVillain. Problem is, he's still an AxCrazy cannibalistic serial killer who never shows any remorse for his crimes and is a complete {{Jerkass}}, so there's few if any reasons to care about his tribulations.
* TheUnTwist: It's obvious enough that [[spoiler:Jason Todd is the Arkham Knight]] that you'd be forgiven for thinking "that's ''too'' obvious" and they were going to do something different.
** [[spoiler:The Joker]] being brought back through Fear Gas hallucinations was a common expectation before the game's release and ultimately proved true.
* VindicatedByHistory: As noted under PortingDisaster, the originally very poorly done PC port has become much more warmly received after an extensive overhaul and several patches. A recent report [[https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-return-to-arkham-knight-pc-at-4k60 on the game on high-end PC]] notes that it's the best version yet. On a wider note, the general critical view on ''Arkham Knight'' is much less contested years later, especially after the expanded episodes and DLC were made available on a lower price or in the complete edition. It's considered a great third game, a satisfying conclusion, and some even consider it the best.
** The game gets vindicated even further after the disappointing launch of ''VideoGame/{{Gotham Knights|2022}}''. Even during the previews, some have already make comparisons between those two games, only to find out that ''Arkham Knight'' looks and plays much better despite the 7-year gap. Many return to this game just to appreciate the groundbreaking visuals, art direction, and gameplay compared to ''Gotham Knights''.
* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The ''Arkham'' series have always been good looking games, but ''Knight'' pushes things into overdrive. The extremely good rain effects, strong particle and smoke effects, exceptional lighting, solid animation and incredibly detailed character models make ''Arkham Knight'' one of the best looking games of the generation. The PC port is no slouch either, featuring a number of graphical enhancements.

** [[WheelchairWoobie Barbara Gordon.]] She feels conflicted about having to lie to Jim in order to help Batman, [[spoiler: gets kidnapped by Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight, finds out the Arkham Knight is Jason, and nearly gets killed by Scarecrow.]]

** [[spoiler: Mr. Freeze still hasn't managed to cure Nora, and the stress is causing him to explode into fits of anger. Furthermore, despite being trapped in cryostasis, Nora has begun to retain small amounts of consciousness over the months and years, and worries that, though Victor still loves her, [[TheLostLenore he only wants to save what he sees in his fading memories, not the woman she really was]]. Freeze's side-mission in ''Knight'' ends with Nora awake and his equipment destroyed: the two leave Gotham to spend their remaining few days together.]]
** By the end of the game, Batman himself. [[spoiler:He has lost both his Batman and Bruce Wayne identities, finds out that a former Robin has become a supervillain because he didn't rescue him in time, nearly gets another Robin killed, breaks up even the SlapSlapKiss dynamic with Catwoman and finally he and Alfred go underground cut off from all their former friends and allies, with Batman not even being able to attend Tim and Barbara's wedding]].

** Once the [[spoiler:Cloudburst fires, many of the criminals in Gotham are hit with Fear Toxin. Given that some of the criminals are armed with assault rifles, and the level of frenzied violence, a good chunk were likely killed before Ivy died clearing out the toxin. Some of the thugs will even refer to dead bodies.]]

** A video clip of a cutscene where [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JUWBoYwAgaE Batman and Catwoman have swapped character models]] has reached people who have not played the game. Batman with Catwoman's over-the-top SexyWalk has been compared to characters from ''Franchise/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' and has been used to show what people mean when they talk about the MaleGaze.

* EsotericHappyEnding: The complete, true ending. Sure, [[spoiler: Bruce stopped Scarecrow and stop himself from turning into a new Joker]], but [[spoiler: his identity was revealed to the whole world and when the game tells us that Gotham is now safe because all the villains have been caught and sent to prison, we’re supposed to be happy that we helped Batman finally make Gotham a safer place. However, considering how often the villains break out of jail, it’s only a question of "when", not "if" the villains will break out to cause havoc again; so at best, it's [[CarboardPrison just a temporary setback for them]]. If you compare what happened to Bruce and what happened to the villains, Bruce [[PyrrhicVictory has lost so much more in this adventure than the villains have]]. He lost his home, everyone knows his identity, and there are still thousands of his enemies who will definitely break out of prison to hurt people again ([[RevengeByProxy and likely people he cares about too]], considering that they now know who he is), and he lost everything. What makes it worse is that Scarecrow wanted, among several other things, for Batman’s life to be ruined and to reveal his identity to the whole world. It may not have happened the way Scarecrow wanted, but it happened anyway. Batman’s identity is now common knowledge, he lost basically everything, and his life is ruined. Taken further, while Jason lost his army, he is able to just [[KarmaHoudini walk away from it all after one heroic act]] without even the minimum of him being arrested like the others, despite his involvement in Scarecrow's plot making him into a war criminal, meaning there is ''still'' at least one villain on the loose, even excluding others who were merely waiting for the end of the night like [[SerialKiller Victor Zsasz]] or [[SoftSpokenSadist Calendar Man]] and are still very much at large. While the full game and DLC add-ons imply that several villains have been utterly bankrupted, and some are even dead -- namely [[FateWorseThanDeath Scarecrow]], [[KilledOffForReal Poison Ivy, the Joker, Black Mask]], [[LetThemDieHappy Mr. Freeze]] and likely [[LaserGuidedKarma Riddler]] -- does this really count as a happy ending?]]

* EsotericHappyEnding: The complete, true ending. Sure, [[spoiler: Bruce stopped Scarecrow and stop himself from turning into a new Joker]], but [[spoiler: his identity was revealed to the whole world and when the game tells us that Gotham is now safe because all the villains have been caught and sent to prison, we’re supposed to be happy that we helped Batman finally make Gotham a safer place. However, considering how often the villains break out of jail, it’s only a question of "when", not "if" the villains will break out to cause havoc again; so at best, it's [[CarboardPrison just a temporary setback for them]]. If you compare what happened to Bruce and what happened to the villains, Bruce [[PyrrhicVictory has lost so much more in this adventure than the villains have]]. He lost his home, everyone knows his identity, and there are still thousands of his enemies who will definitely break out of prison to hurt people again ([[RevengeByProxy and likely people he cares about too]], considering that they now know who he is), and he lost everything. What makes it worse is that Scarecrow wanted, among several other things, for Batman’s life to be ruined and to reveal his identity to the whole world. It may not have happened the way Scarecrow wanted, but it happened anyway. Batman’s identity is now common knowledge, he lost basically everything, and his life is ruined. While the full game and DLC add-ons imply that several villains have been utterly bankrupted, and some are even dead -- namely [[FateWorseThanDeath Scarecrow]], [[KilledOffForReal Poison Ivy, the Joker, Black Mask]], [[LetThemDieHappy Mr. Freeze]] and likely [[LaserGuidedKarma Riddler]] -- does this really count as a happy ending?]]

** The Arkham Knight[=/=][[spoiler:Jason Todd. His past trauma at Joker's hand and feeling abandoned by Batman is horrible, but it doesn't come close to justifying being involved in Scarecrow's plans or leading the Militia to invade and take control of Gotham.]]

** The game gets vindicated even further after the disappointing launch of ''[[VideoGame/GothamKnights2022 Gotham Knights]]''. Even during the previews, some have already make comparisons between those two games, only to find out that ''Arkham Knight'' looks and plays much better despite the 7-year gap. Many return to this game just to appreciate the groundbreaking visuals, art direction, and gameplay compared to ''Gotham Knights''.

** Red Hood is this in Predator Maps, courtesy of two advantages: Dual Handguns and extremely fast Silent Takedowns. Dual Handguns are fast, [[BottomlessMagazines have unlimited ammo]], and [[OneHitKill capable of killing mooks in one shot]]. Several maps can be completed just by taking position on a far, far away vantage point and snipe the mooks one by one. Then there's his Silent Takedowns, just as fast as Knockout Takedowns without alerting others, allowing Red Hood to stealthily take down enemies fast and silent. Even with Red Hoods' drawbacks [[note]]Limited gadgets, guns are loud, and unable to perform Silent Takedown from anywhere but behind an enemy[[/note]] and the maps' challenges, they hardly slow him down in the hands of skilled player. Oh, and did we mention that those pesky [[DemonicSpider Brutes]] are missing if you're playing as Red Hood?

** Brutes are so bad, they border on BossInMooksClothing. They punch faster than normal enemies, possess weapons such as blades, shields, and shock gloves, and unlike Hammer and Sickle or the Enforcers in ''Origins'' cannot be damaged by normal strikes and can only be taken out with beat downs, a Special Combo Takedown (or two if they are wearing body armor) blunt weapon strikes or a Special Combo Batclaw. And they occur way more often than in previous titles.

** Red Hood is this in Predator Maps, courtesy of two advantages: Dual Handguns and extremely fast Silent Takedowns. Dual Handguns are fast, [[BottomlessMagazines have unlimited ammo]], and [[OneHitKill capable of killing mooks in one shot]]. Several maps can be completed just by taking position on a far, far away vantage point and snipe the mooks one by one. Then there's his Silent Takedowns, just as fast as Knockout Takedowns without alerting others, allowing Red Hood to stealthily take down enemies fast and silent. Even with Red Hoods' drawbacks [[note]]Limited gadgets, guns are loud, and unable to perform Silent Takedown from anywhere but behind an enemy[[/note]] and the maps' challenges, they hardly slows him down in the hands of skilled player. Oh, and did we mention that those pesky [[DemonicSpider Brutes]] are missing if you're playing as Red Hood?

** Red Hood is this in Predator Maps, courtesy of two advantages: Dual Handguns and extremely fast Silent Takedowns. Dual Handguns are fast, have unlimited ammo, and capable of killing mooks in one shot. Several maps can be completed with just taking position on a far, far away vantage point and snipe the mooks one by one. Then there's his Silent Takedowns, just as fast as Knockout Takedowns without alerting others, allowing Red Hood to stealthily take down enemies fast and silent. Even with Red Hoods' drawbacks and the maps' challenges, they hardly slows him down in the hands of skilled player. Oh, and did we mention that those pesky [[DemonicSpider Brutes]] are missing if you're playing as Red Hood?

** The DLC Missions. Each one can be easily beaten in less than an hour[[note]]The Harley Quinn, Red Hood, Robin, Nightwing and Catwoman Arkham Stories can be beaten in 10 to 15 minutes. ''A Matter of Family'' is roughly 45 minutes[[/note]]. This is zig-zagged, however, with the "Season of Infamy" DLC, which are full-on side missons, but each individual side mission can still be beaten in 15 to 30 minutes. Catwomamn, Robin and Nightwing's were cited to at least give more on the story after the events of the game to make it worth their time. But Harley and Red Hood barely get anything lore wise and largely just come off as mini-games then additional content.

** One AntiFrustrationFeature not returning from ''Origins'' is Riddler informants being immune to takedowns, so you have to watch where you're attacking when they're present once more. In fact they are easier to knock out than usual.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** Among the redesigns of ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'', Robin's took a certain amount of scrutiny from fans. His head was shaved down to a buzzcut, which is kept for this game, but his costume also had a few issues, looking far more low-tech or even home-made compared with Batman's, and he also had fingerless gloves as a feature to it (which wouldn't exactly be good for a masked vigilante, what with leaving fingerprints behind). At the very least, his costume here looks much more suitable, being a full-body protective suit akin to Batman's, and his hands are fully covered.
** In ''Arkham City'' a certain number of criticisms went towards the female characters, with comments of over-sexualization. Whilst the {{Fanservice}} isn't completely gone from their designs in ''Knight'', here they look much more realistic and natural. For example, Catwoman wears less makeup and, although her jumpsuit is still unzipped, the cleavage is much less prominent, Harley's outfit covers her navel and Ivy has smaller breasts and her shirt covers her butt. The MaleGaze for Catwoman seems to have been very much toned down, especially in comparison with ''City'' where the marketing for her as a playable character involved prominent shots of her rear.
** WB Games and Rocksteady developed major patches to the PC version after a legendary [[PortingDisaster disastrous launch]]. Though it took them a while (the game was still pretty bad even on its supposed re-release date), they slowly and steadily continued to release updates over the following months, to the point where the game finally became acceptable. A look at the [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/208650/ Steam Page]] now shows that, while the overall reviews are still mixed, recent reviews (reviews posted in the 30 days prior to visiting the page) are actually positive.
** For fans who hated Harley's various redesigns for the ''Arkham'' series, she's finally sporting her iconic jester costume for the ''Matter of Family'' DLC, and it was eventually made available as a skin via a patch, along with an Arkham Knight skin for [[spoiler: Red Hood]].
** After criticisms about how the AR Challenges were too difficult to seek out and fly to in Gotham, were surrounded by bright blue holographic walls that were very distracting and restricted the player from choosing separate characters (including outright barring non-specialized Predator maps for some), the challenges have since slowly been reverted to how they used to be through a series of updates, including the main menu option, character selection, multiple round combat maps, and reducing the appearance of the blue walls; Harley has even received some new moves for dealing with different opponents, including a Knife Dodge Takedown.
** As an apology for the disastrous PC version, WB has given away all other Arkham games (including DLC) for free to all buyers of the game... unfortunately, the numerous technical issues were never quite resolved, as WB extended the refund period for the game. Also worth noting is that many who bought the game on PC already owned the previous titles, so the attempt to WinBackTheCrowd fell short for a significant portion of the audience.
** The ''Season of Infamy'' DLC was well-liked for involving more of Batman's central rogues in the game and adding more side-missions that didn't require too much Batmobile. [[spoiler:Also, in contrast to the main game, you get to engage in an actual boss fight against Killer Croc with Nightwing's help.]]
** The many {{Continuity Nod}}s to ''Arkham Origins'' appear to be this, since that game was hit with a bad case of FanonDiscontinuity prior to ''Arkham Knight's'' release. The game also built on some ideas that originally appeared in Origins, such as the 3D Crime reconstructions and advanced Martial Artist, and Heavy enemy archetypes.
** There's one for WB Montreal as well. When ''Origins'' came out, many were disappointed by the fact that the playable Deathstroke was mostly a Robin reskin, with no lethal weapons at his disposal. Then WBM was assigned to make Red Hood a playable character. While his standard attacks are the same as Nightwing's, he utilizes fully usable OneHitKill handguns which are balanced so that they still aren't overpowered, many of his combat takedown animations end with an execution, and stealth takedowns consist of Neck Snaps for silent takedowns and more gunplay for loud ones.
** The costume selection is much better than in the previous games, is tied with the character model gallery, and allows selecting skins for each character separately. [[labelnote: Compare]] Arkham City's system allowed you to pick the main character's costume before loading either story mode, Catwoman missions, or ''Harley Quinn's Revenge'', but every other character with extra skins turned to default during them unless the Animated costume was worn[[/labelnote]] You don't need to beat the game to switch costumes and beating the game unlocks a repaired version of the default suit; both are features that fans had asked for years.

* TooBleakStoppedCaring: While most people agree that the game's story is objectively good, and some may even come [[TrueArtIsAngsty precisely]] because of the fact, some end up so overwhelmed by the [[NightmareFuel horrors]] of the game or by all the [[TearJerker sad, tragic scenes]]. If we add to that the way [[spoiler: [[FailureHero Batman is represented here]]]], it gets to the point where some may even leave the game unfinished. Though most tend not to mind due to the game making sure to have plenty of optimistic, funny, and/or epic moments to downplay the overall sadness of the story.

* DracoInLeatherPants: The Arkham Knight. Sure, he might be a JerkassWoobie with FreudianExcuse, but he still took part in a terrorist plot to cover the ''Eastern seaboard'' in fear-toxin just to get revenge on Batman, and his soldiers murdered three hostages at ACE Chemicals.

** Professor Pyg has resonated as one of the most memorable new additions in the game thanks to the disturbing nature of his sidequest and his unexpected inclusion surprising [[NightmareFuel (and horrifying)]] many players, causing many to gain an interest in him.

* GoddamnedBats: The Mamba and Python drones. They launch missiles that take a bit to acquire their target and then fly straight toward the Batmobile. You only have a few seconds to find out where they're coming from and shoot them down before they hit you. They're especially annoying in AR challenges, where keeping up your combo to score high is essential. The reason they fall in this category instead of DemonicSpiders is that Mambas can be destroyed in one shot (with a fully upgraded 60mm cannon) and Pythons are very rare.

** Automatic camera changes while driving. This happens in two different kinds of missions. In battles against Cobra Tanks/Cloudburst, if you're spotted by the enemy you have to start driving away, which instantly pushes the camera away. Since this doesn't happen anywhere else on the game, it throws you off and makes escaping harder. Also, while trying to stop militia APCs, you have to race behind them and shoot them as soon as you get a chance. But they will request help from other vehicles, that will race between them and you, so you have to either pass or disable in order to reach the APC. The problem is that as soon as you make any of the helping vehicles crash the camera will slow down and focus on them so you can watch the crash ''instead of the APC you're following''. Prepare to instantly crash yourself or be thrown off the path, being forced to relocate the APC which has now gained a lot of distance.

** The Catwoman DLC final fight, which is against a large group of robots, an electrified ground, and two lasers. The fight itself will feel more like a LuckBasedMission, due to how difficult it is to land in a precise safe spot.

* EvilIsSexy: Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy as usual. [[spoiler: Nyssa is too, though she is AntiVillain at worst.]]

** Arkham Knight. [[spoiler:Some feel that Arkham Knight should have been an original character rather than Jason Todd, especially given the obvious reveal. Many were disappointed that after being promised in promotion as Batman's ultimate challenge the game didn't provide a FinalExamBoss on the order of the iconic Mr. Freeze fight in ''Arkham City''.]]

** Ryder has a lot more screen time in this game. Despite the fact The Creeper is confirmed in this universe to exist he never changes into The Creeper. How awesome would it have been to have a back-to-back duel with Batman and The Creeper taking out [[spoiler: the Blackfire Cult]].
** Jason Todd. He gets several flashbacks in the game itself, and he's the only Robin until this point who'd been completely unplayable, with Tim in ''City'' and ''Knight'', and Dick in ''Origins'' (granted not in an actual story, but still). Many expected him to show up in ''A Matter of Family'' helping Barbara Gordon, but Tim took the Robin spot instead. It doesn't help that many complaints point out that Tim's placement in the timeline seems very odd, and that his presence also has a bit of ShipTease with Barbara, which was already controversial. [[spoiler:This isn't even getting into the fact that fans wanted to see how different Jason Todd was before being tortured by the Joker and turned into the Arkham Knight. In addition, Barbara apparently being Jason Todd's MoralityPet even as the Arkham Knight already established a friendship with the two characters, which could've been explored during Barbara's story.]]
** The "Shadow War" sidequest features a civil war in the League of Assassins, dozens of dead bodies... and Shiva is nowhere to be seen. Doubly disappointing since she was the only assassin that Batman wasn't able to capture in ''Origins''.
** Challengemap!Azrael. There's a set of more brutal takedowns used only once in the main story, ([[spoiler: the "Joker Takedowns" near the end of the game]]), which would fit an AntiHeroSubstitute like Azrael, and him having no detective mode or a cape could have made him a cool, intentionally hard character to play as. However, he got a detective mode and [[ArtisticLicensePhysics somehow can glide with that... thing on his back,]] making him an exact copy of Batman.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
** Some fans have expressed disdain for TheReveal of the Arkham Knight's identity as being [[spoiler:Jason Todd/Red Hood]] and wished that Rocksteady had gone with [[spoiler:an original character instead, or a lesser known character who would have benefited from more mainstream exposure]]. Furthermore, there's the fact that [[spoiler:the Joker tormented Jason with the fact that Batman had apparently replaced him as Robin in less than six months. Even though Jason screams and yells at Bruce for replacing him during their climactic confrontation, ''and'' going after Oracle and telling her that Bruce will never pick her over "the mission", he never interacts with either of the Robins, even though in the comics, Jason has a very nasty history of jealousy, resentment, and violence towards both his predecessor and immediate successor as Robin]].
*** In particular, some feel that Damian Wayne would have been better as the Arkham Knight. Bruce and Talia hooked up once before, and while the timeframe of the series isn't fully clear, Damian was said to have been genetically engineered anyway, so you could HandWave away a teenaged Damian being around. Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins were the controlling forces between Arkham City last game, so a plot where Damian takes control of the League and takes them to Gotham to seek vengeance for Ra's death and finish the Arkham project, and he takes the moniker "Arkham Knight" to honor his grandfather's work and twist Batman's legacy into his own, fits perfectly.
** Many players wish Quincy Sharp had been heavily involved with the Arkham Knight (if not the Knight himself), since it would have put the Spirit of Arkham sidequest from the first game in full-circle. Granted, ''Arkham City'' retconned the reveal by having [[spoiler: Hugo Strange, with the help of the Mad Hatter, hypnotizing Sharp into thinking he was Amadeus Arkham]], but he could have still continued his delusions without Strange around. However, it's revealed that [[spoiler: Strange made Sharp commit suicide]], in a Riddler Arkham Story no-less.
** Prior to the game's release, part of its advertised premise was that with the Joker gone, Batman's rogues gallery would be joining forces to take him down once and for all. In reality, the extent of this 'team-up' is that most of the major villains chipped in to fund Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight before the game started. Come the game itself, they're all back to acting more or less independently with only hints of larger collaboration, such as Penguin supplying the militia with guns. In fact, the usual villains are overshadowed by Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight, with the rest of them except Harley Quinn only being encountered in side missions.
** Using gadgets while gliding is a [[UnderusedGameMechanic wasted game play mechanic]]. It is an optional upgrade and despite Man-Bat and Firefly both being in the game they both [[AntiClimaxBoss lack a proper boss fight]]. So one of them could have been a way to introduce the new mechanic and better incorporate it into the game. You even have to launch yourself out of the Batmobile, which when done normally allows you to instantly glide, to take down Firefly. The gadgets are also difficult to aim and some will ruin your combo.
** Now that the Joker is gone, you might expect that more attention will be concentrated on the other villains (especially Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight). [[spoiler: He comes back as a hallucination induced by a combination of his blood and Scarecrow's fear toxin, taunts Batman throughout the whole game, and is present in every cutscene with Scarecrow. He's also the [[FreudianExcuse sole]] [[ColdBloodedTorture reason]] for the Arkham Knight's revenge quest, and the climax of the main story is focused around dealing with him in Batman's mind (with him serving as an eventual FinalBoss [[AntiClimaxBoss that can be beaten with a few seconds of punching and button prompts]]), rather than giving players any agency in taking down Scarecrow (who is dealt with in a short, non-interactive cutscene)]]. Yeah...
** ''The Season of Infamy'' DLC was very well received, but some fans felt that the mission ''Shadow War'', which dealt with competing factions of the League of Assassins fighting each other, with Ra's at his wit's ends and Batman conflicted about whether [[spoiler:Nyssa would be better or turn out to be a tyrant like her father, and likewise the ethical dilemma of Batman WithholdingTheCure from Ra's, could have outfitted a full game by itself]].
** After ''City'' and ''Origins'' gave plot reasons why the map is almost completely devoid of innocent civilians, there were fans who hoped that the last game in the series with its fully fleshed out Gotham City map would include a teeming civilian population. Alas, once again the streets of Gotham are dominated by criminals.