Arkham Atonement - 2016 Game

Arkham Atonement is a 2016 action-adventure video game developed by TitanEdge Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. Based on the DC Comics Batman, it is the successor to 2015's Arkham Knight as the fifth and final game in the Arkham series.

The game follows the Arkham Comic-Book mythos, as the Batman returns from his self-imposed exile after two years to combat a rising threat in Gotham. A mysterious individual simply name "Scourge" has appeared and attacks upon police officers have occurred across Gotham City, with notable massacres at G.C.P.D. Headquarters, the ruins of Arkham Asylum and Crime Alley. After a mass breakout from Blackgate, caused by Scourge, Gotham's greatest criminals are let loose on the streets. These include: the Riddler, Penguin, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Catwoman, Bane, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Harley Quinn, Hush, Deadshot, Professor Pyg, Calendar Man, Firefly, the Mad Hatter, KGBeast, Zsasz and Dr. Kirk Langstrom (Man-Bat). With the threat of a war in Gotham, and the ever looming presence of Scourge, Batman is set out on his most dangerous mission yet. This issue develops upon the story-telling ability of the Arkham series by employing a branching storyline, depending upon the player's actions and successes. It also expands the map, making Gotham considerably larger and includes a much larger number of side missions and gadgets.

The final largest change is the inclusion of the Batplane, allowing for advanced combat within the air. To prevent the vehicle from becoming overpowered, its maneuverability is decreased, meaning that to reach certain areas, gliding must be employed. There will also be less emphasis upon use of the Batmobile, an area that received criticism from reviews.

Gameplay
Arkham Atonement builds upon the Free-Flowing Combat gameplay of the previous installments by including "Friendly Fire Takedowns" which are attacks that use one target's attack against another selected by the player. Gliding can take place for much longer periods and the new "jet boost" can be used for a quick burst of speed, adding new dynamics for Riddler Trophies and puzzles.

The new Friendly-Fire Takedowns are designed to speed up fights with multiple foes and can be used to gain breathing space closer to Batman and eliminate armed foes further away. For stronger attacks, timing is more difficult. For example, riot shields are harder to block than simple punches, but can also cause considerably more damage.

Story
It is two years after the events at the end of Arkham Knight, and the story begins with James Gordon giving a speech at Solomon Wayne Courthouse, praising the actions of Bruce Wayne. He reveals a statue of the Batman behind him and asks that while people continue with their lives as normal, they should be always thankful that someone was watching over them. Driving back in a police car he confesses that for a while he hated the Batman. Not only did he outperform them, but he seemed to take on an omnipotent role deciding who lived and who died. However, Jim still wishes Batman to be out there.

It is revealed that Bruce Wayne faked his own death. During the destruction of Wayne Manor, he and Alfred confined themselves to the Batcave, awaiting for the turmoil to end. Meanwhile, Robin and Nightwing took over as protectors of Gotham, albeit indirectly. By defending the nearby city of Blüdhaven and using a strain of Scarecrow's fear gas, the duo managed to induce a figure of Batman to appear to criminals and keep crime at an all time low for Gotham.

However, after two years, signs of unrest are beginning to show once again in Gotham as the criminal underworld is becoming more active, with a simple word on everyone's mouth "Scourge", a legendary figure. Batman fears that a war is coming soon and that it is time for the true Batman to return. Alfred confesses his concerns over whether or not Batman should return to Gotham as he too has heard tales of the ominous "Scourge". Batman ignores him and ascends out of the Batcave and Grapnel Guns off into the sky. Landing on the roof of the G.C.P.D. building he finds James Gordon languishing near the now destroyed Batsignal. The two converse, with Gordon displaying his suspicions that he thought that Batman was still truly alive. Gordon directs Batman towards the ruins of Arkham Asylum, where he recently sent a squadron of officers to clear the site before rebuilding it to its former glory, in the hope of containing the prisoners in a new, safer location. Batman expresses his concerns, especially considering what happened during the events in Arkham Asylum. Gordon says that he has lost contact with his officers and asks Batman to investigate.

Upon arriving at the Asylum, Batman discovers a mass of dead policemen, at least fifty in all, and a number of destroyed police cars. Moments later Gordon arrives with another squadron and a conversation between the officers and Batman occurs, during which one of them mentions "Scourge". Batman demands to know more about this individual, to which Gordon agrees to send out more officers to investigate. Meanwhile, the officer informs Batman on what he knows: Scourge was first seen in the Middle East, where he was heavily involved with a warlord near Mashhad in Iran. It is said that Scourge was hired as the warlord's bodyguard but proved such skill that he was elevated to the title of Commander and took control of the warlord's forces. After masterminding the warlord's advance eastward into Afghanistan, Scourge used his new power to oust the warlord and became the new power in the area. Somehow he managed to bring in a huge arsenal of weapons and trained a selected few to become his chosen militia. After that he vanished. However, recent occurrences have been attributed to him, and the massacre seems to be his work. Batman however, assumes there is more here than meets the eye and that there might be some truth to the legend. After scanning the crime scene, Batman discovers trace elements of a toxic gas that must have been used by Scourge to weaken the group before attacking and bullet rounds with mud compounds from further up river. He asks Oracle to identify and locate the source of the chemical whilst he investigates areas to the east, hoping to find more information. The compounds lead him to the Steel Mill near Amusement Mile, he contacts Barbara again and asks for an environment scan. The scan indicates that the compound is strongest near the eastern side of the Mill. Upon reaching the area, Batman is confronted by heavily armoured thugs. After defeating them, Batman takes a chip from one of the troop's helmets and uses it to hack into the communications for this group. He is immediately met with white noise. He contacts Barbara and asks why the frequency will not work for him. Barbara does a quick scan of the chip and discovers that it checks the user and if the scan does not match biological records, the person is "rejected" and communications will not work. Therefore Batman is forced to further investigate the scene. The guns the troops are using are not recorded on any manufacturer's lists and the DNA records for the persons present apparently went missing about a year ago.

However, he manages to discover the same chemical elements as the gas at the Asylum, and uploads the new data to the Batcomputer. Barbara reports that a new part of the compound have allowed her to identify the compound as VX (a man-made toxic gas). She also reports that a large illegal bulk order of the gas occurred about a month ago although the actual data is encrypted, with the money transferred through an overseas Bank Account. Oracle says that she will try to find the original source of the money, but adds that she needs additional data to unencrypt the information about the transfer. That data can only be accessed via a terminal at the Bank of Gotham. When Batman arrives, he is swamped by a huge mass of reporters imploring him for an interview after his arrival. He manages to enter the Bank and locks the doors behind him. Once inside, Batman investigates a terminal and manages to recover the data required and uploads it to the Batcomputer. Upon leaving the Bank, huge explosions suddenly occur across Gotham, with two happening right next to your location, killing almost all the journalists. To get through the streets, Batman calls the Batmobile, and heads straight for Wayne Tower to analyse the data. Along the way, he is attacked by several armoured tanks (pictured left) bearing the same symbol as the troops at the Steel Mill. After beating them off, Batman arrives at Wayne Tower and heads straight for the top floor, where Oracle awaits with Tim Drake. As Batman arrives, Tim seems eager to help, but once again Batman turns him down. Oracle seems angered by this, but she simply shows Batman the data encryption for the transfer. It the best encryption she's ever seen, but the data collected from the Bank has allowed her to find one name: "Anghara". She has also managed to gain some information about the forces that Scourge appears to have been deploying across Gotham: most of them are ex-Military and come from Arabian regions. Batman leaves to try and find more about "Anghara" but before he can leave, Jim Gordon bursts in and demands that Batman follow him.

Gordon leads Batman to the G.C.P.D. Headquarters, past hundreds of police cars and thousands of massing people. The Headquarters are revealed to be on fire. Batman rushes into the building to rescue people, who are trapped within. He only manages to rescue four people: Sergeant Jackson Davies, ex-Commissioner Michael Akins, Detective Crispus Allen and finally Detective Romy Chandler. He witnesses the death of Detective Harvey Bullock and finds the charred remains of Officer Aaron Cash. He apologizes to Jim, who tells him that similar events had occurred in the areas around Crime Alley and Batman zooms over to investigate. What he finds is a very similar scene to the one at Arkham Asylum, with piles of dead Officers. Batman scans the scene and finds more examples of VX but now also fingerprints where one of the troops failed to equip his gloves properly. He identifies the prints as belonging to one Colby Chester, who was recently removed from the U.S. Army for violent conduct. He sends the information to Oracle, requesting that Operation Night-Star is put into effect. Oracle states against the project as an invasion of privacy, but admits that if it is the only way to find Scourge, then she will activate it, although it will take a long time to work.

Batman gets back in contact with Gordon and orders him to close down Blackgate, fearing a riot, however, he is put through to Blackgate, where it is reported that Scourge's forces are overrunning the prison. Batman zooms over and finds a number of guards hiding outside the perimeter fence. After finding out what happened, he enters Blackgate, only to find all the cells open. After taking out a number of Scourge's troops, he is approached by an inmate wearing a red and black outfit. He states that "Mr Cain is awaiting your arrival Batman,". Batman knocks him out and goes through the door at the end of the corridor. As soon as he enters the next room, he catches sight of David Cain, the master assassin, holding Doctor Stephen Kellerman hostage inside one of the interrogation rooms. Cain states that upon sight of Batman, he will kill Kellerman and if he notices he men start to fall, he will also kill her. This requires Batman to take out his henchman as quickly as possible, before Cain notices. Upon doing so, Batman hacks into the room and approaches Cain from the back before disarming him. But Cain is able to wrestle free and engage Batman in hand-to-hand combat. After beating Cain, Batman contacts Gordon and asks that he send someone to pick up Cain. After that Oracle calls and says that Operation Night-Star is active. Batman uploads the data of the fingerprints and is directed towards Port Adams in the South-East of the city. As Batman crosses the city, he notices various actions of the criminals released from Blackgate and can swoop in to intervene. After beating down the thugs at the Port, Batman interrogates Colby Chester, but is shocked to see that he is unable to threaten him. Nightwing arrives and informs him that he has already tried with one of the other thugs, and it seems that they are too tough to crack.