UPDATE: While the video has been updated, none of the commentary below (from 2016) has! Please consider this a re-post!
We ended the last episode by handily destroying a squadron of attack drones in Divinity Churchyard, but then almost immediately being destroyed by a group of Cobra tanks on Bleake Island. But I guess we can chalk up that embarrassing defeat to the lingering effects of Scarecrow's fear toxin pumping through my system, because we're back in the saddle with another chance to take out the Arkham Knight's Cloudburst tank in this episode.
As much as I ranted about the many problems with the Batmobile battle mode sequences in last episode's recap, I do appreciate how the slower and quieter Cobra challenges allow a good opportunity for some dialogue to explore the relationship between villains. For example, it's apparent that Scarecrow has a very businesslike approach to his plan, while the Arkham Knight appears to take things very personal. In fact, if it weren't for the Knight's bravado and desire to face off against Batman, there's no way we would be able to get close enough to eventually destroy the Cloudburst. But as it happens, we're able to withstand the relentless assault of a tank that's stronger than the Batmobile in every way and emerge victorious, pulling the Arkham Knight out of the twisted burning wreckage just in time.
But just when it appears that we'll finally have some face time with the game's eponymous villain (i.e. punch his lights out), the Arkham Knight's masked face suddenly morphs into that of the Joker, which is a direct copy of what happens in Arkham City after defeating Mr. Freeze. Not only is it unoriginal, but it's a totally unsatisfying ending to an extremely challenging boss fight. At least that's how it felt while playing it. Maybe it was more fun to watch in a purely cinematic atmosphere where I was able to cut around a lot of the slow and frustrating parts.
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| LEFT: Mr. Freeze, Arkham City / RIGHT: Arkham Knight, Arkham Knight |
Anyway, with the Cloudburst gone, Poison Ivy should be able to use her three giant plants to neutralize the remaining fear toxin in the atmosphere. But upon returning to her base of operations in the Botanical Gardens, we find that the toxin has already severely weakened both the plants and Ivy herself. With one final heroic gesture, Ivy shares her life energy with her plants, giving them the power to absorb the toxin and save the city. However, clearing the toxin took every ounce of vitality she had left, and after her task is done, Poison Ivy dissipates into a cloud of pollen and floats through the city she once terrorized, a symbol of her ultimate selfless sacrifice. Although in this version of the story, Poison Ivy is technically a human/plant hybrid, so part of me wonders if her genetic material somehow survived in seed form, waiting to be replanted in the right soil, so to speak.
With the toxin gone and no concrete leads to Scarecrow, Alfred has the bright idea to check some side missions off my list. And since Nightwing was convinced that Penguin must have had several more weapons caches hidden throughout the city, I made Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot my next target. Nightwing had in fact located another truck, which led us to another hideout, but upon jumping into the fray, we suspiciously don't receive any help from Dick Grayson like we did the first time. And then after destroying the cache itself, we're greeted by a video message of Penguin threatening a captive Nightwing! This is not a good night for my allies: first Oracle, then Robin, then Lucius, and now Nightwing have found themselves in the clutches of nefarious villains at one point or another throughout this story.
The ensuing rescue mission of Nightwing has some of the best banter in the game, where Dick Grayson cockily taunts his captors while they administer a beating. Or, as Nightwing infuriatingly puts it: "Oh, so this is a beating? I wish you would've said something. Do you guys want me to act like I'm hurt?" It's this lighthearted attitude that made the lighthearted Dick Grayson the perfect match to pair with the somber Bruce Wayne back when they were Batman and Robin together. And the smattering of comic relief he provides is one of the reasons I would love to see Bradley Cooper play this role in a live action version of Batman: Arkham Knight.
Once Batman finally rescues Nightwing, it's a pretty straightforward task for the two of them to team up and clear the room of henchmen, but it's what happens after the dual-team combat that really puts the exclamation point on this side mission. Penguin himself somehow manages to get the drop on Nightwing while Batman was priming the weapons cache to explode, and now Batman has to watch as yet another one of his allies is held at gunpoint! But Dick Grayson is a trained crimefighter in his own right and isn't so easily bested: with a well-placed elbow to the Penguin's ample gut, the former Robin knocks the diminutive crime boss off balance, then flips him to Batman for a tag team power bomb! Even though this part of the aforementioned live action movie would have to be performed by a stunt player, I would still love to see the incomparable Stuart Pankin portray the Penguin for all the dialogue-centric scenes.
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