Gotham Knights

Gotham Knights didn’t wow me with its overly familiar objectives, combat, and activities, but it didn’t leave me sour. It’s fun to control some new heroes as they brood over Gotham from its building overhangs and uncover hidden plots against its people. Those heroes are right to wonder if they’re living up to a vaunted legacy. And even if they’re not quite up to snuff, Gotham has enough baddies to punch to make for a good time, whoever you are.

It's these rinse-and-repeat objectives that feel like they're made to fill time and push the loot that ultimately hamper the experience more than any other misstep. The game seems built to serve an almighty hours-played statistic that has lately felt frighteningly ubiquitous. Strong character work and a well-considered co-op experience can't save all that ails Gotham Knights, leaving this experience neither the one fans deserve, nor the one they need right now.

There's a lot to love about Gotham Knights, especially when fighting or traversing the city, but a few hiccups do hold it back.

Combat is clunky and progression unnatural, but the unique playstyles of the four characters combined with a well-integrated gear system offer plenty of fun. It’s just unfortunate that the poor AI and camera take away from that combat. The game features a presentation that looks good, though generic, complete with performance issues. Gotham Knights has its moments of brilliance and fun, but never manages to step out of Batman’s looming shadow. These knights are more than sidekicks, they just aren’t heroes quite yet.