If you’re looking for the next Batman game, this is not it! Don’t worry, Gotham Knights is not a bad game, but after three great Batman games with the Arkham Trilogy, we have moved on to other characters in the DC universe. It’s time for Batman’s sidekicks. Again, that’s not a bad thing. It’s fair to say that superhero video games are hit or miss. Some are great and some are just ‘meh!’ I think we can all agree that the Arkham trilogy is one of the best video game series ever created. It was one of the highest-selling video series for the PS3 and the PS4 and it was the first time that we really got to play a fantastic superhero game in HD. Gotham Knights takes that to a whole new level. This game was made strictly for the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X and double the frame rate and high definition that we normally see in a video game. But just because it looks good doesn’t mean it’s a great game. Personally, I go back and forth on superhero games. As much as I love the Batman games, I have not enjoyed the Marvel games except for the Spider-Man game that came out a few years ago. Gotham Knights is a game where four characters come together to protect Gotham City. You get to play as Nightwing, Batgirl, the Red Hood, and Tim Drake’s Robin. The story of these four characters coming together centers on Bruce Wayne / Batman being murdered so somebody has to take up the mantle of protecting Gotham City. There’s a whole comic book series coming out along with the game to tell the story. What sets this game apart from past video games is the fact that you can switch off at any time playing one of four characters. If you want to play the entire game as one character then go back and play it as another you can or you can switch off at different times throughout the story. In the past video games have forced you to play different characters at a certain point in the storyline. That’s what Marvel’s Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy which have come out in the last couple of years make you do. It’s not a bad thing, but it’s pretty cool to be able to switch to different characters. I admit that I have mostly played this game with Nightwing and Batgirl, but getting to play the Red Hood has been very cathartic. These four characters come together to solve Batman’s murder while facing off against very familiar villains.

So let’s get to it, is this game worth playing. Yes, especially if you are a fan of superhero games. I will admit from the start that it’s not as good as the Arkham trilogy, for many reasons. If you’re an old-school nerd you don’t really want to play a Batman type of game without Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill voicing Batman and the Joker. I don’t think Gotham Knights really measures up to those games, but it’s still a very fun game to play, and a game built for the next generation makes it a much more favorable game to play. It looks great, the style is fantastic, and getting to see Gotham in all its Glory at a higher frame rate than what we saw in the Arkham trilogy makes it a game that you should pick up. But we all know that it takes more than a good-looking game to make it a great game worth playing. The story is very interesting, there’s no doubt about it. It’s about time we had a video game that’s centered on characters like Nightwing and Batgirl. After all, Nightwing is one of the most underrated characters in the DC universe because we get to see the growth of Dick Grayson from being a sidekick to his own hero and at some point, he will take up the mantle and be Batman. The first thing I noticed about this game is the fighting in the action is a lot more smooth compared to past superhero video games. I’ve always felt that some of the Batman games were a little glitchy when it came to fighting and being able to catapult yourself through the city. The movement and the fighting in this game is exceptional and it does play a lot better on consoles like the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. The game handles very well. As much as I have enjoyed the story, I have found myself a lot more just patrolling the city and beating up bad guys. And I play the game on medium. But keep in mind that like the other Batman games, this is a detective story. Step by step you’re trying to solve a crime and take down the big villain. The game probably has the best version of Gotham City that we have ever gotten in a video game. That’s one of the best things that has going for it, but Gotham Knights is not perfect.

I think the biggest downfall of this game and not makes it worth $70, it’s not a Batman game.  You’re not getting to play with Batman and his sidekicks. This story is about the rescue of Batman and Bruce Wayne. Yes, this is a bit of a spoiler and I won’t go into detail. But you don’t get to play as Batman and let’s face it, he’s the character you really want to play with. That doesn’t mean Nightwing, Batgirl, the Red Hood, and Tim Drake’s Robin aren’t fun to play with, they’re just not as fun as the main character. I did very much like the story because we don’t get a lot of stories that center around the Court of Owls. Most Batman story center around his arch nemesis, the Joker so this is a bit of a departure and exploring more of the criminal underworld that isn’t necessarily the typical criminal underworld with characters who were trained by Batman. But like I said, all we really want is to play another Batman game. Is the Miles Morales Spider-Man game really better than its predecessor, no, but it can be just as fun, and I think that’s what Gotham Knights really is. To me, it’s playing a video game as if I were playing the Titans, just like the HBO Max show that focuses on other superheroes besides Batman. He’s a minor character in this series. But despite the story, one of the biggest things the game does have going for it is the multiplayer as facts. Getting to play a superhero game as a squad where you get to pick one of the four characters and play on a team to patrol Gotham City. That’s fine or a couch co-op mode where two people can play together. Superhero games aren’t going anywhere. As long as there are superheroes, there will always be video games where we can play these characters, but some characters are just not as fun as others.

In the end, Gotham Knights is a fun game but not worth the full price. I see this as a game that would be great for Xbox Game Pass or the new PlayStation Now. He will never truly be as great as the Arkham trilogy and those games have a lot of replay value. I recently went back and played them this past year. They still hold up. But I’ve never gotten to play a Batman game where I could play a couch co-op with a friend or my nephew. That’s a great mode for fathers and sons who want to play the same game together. And this is a game that looks absolutely amazing for the next generation of consoles. It even looks better than the remastered versions of the Arkham trilogy. It also plays better so there’s a lot to like about Gotham Knights, but it isn’t the game of the year and it’s not worth spending $70 on it when we all just want to play is another Batman game. I do recommend it, but wait until it goes on sale or it ends up on a subscription service. It’s a fun game even if you never go back to it. However, the multiplayer has a lot of potential and maybe that’s where we’ll get some really good DLC and find another multiplayer game that we can play with our squad because patrolling the streets of Gotham with your friends is always better than playing alone!