Batman: Arkham City: Lockdown

Although the concept of Batman: Arkham City Lockdown seems to be nothing more than an Infinity Blade-clone at first glance, the authentic Batman elements like gadgets, the music and costume amaze once again. It's a fun action game that'll keep you interested longer then you'll expect.

Plays like a simpler version of Infinity Blade, but with a little less finesse and feelings of grandeur. For bat fans, however, there's no doubt that the experience of beating baddies up as Gotham's no. 1 vigilante is a lot more satisfying.

The gadgets make for a good change in pace and the boss battles mean Lockdown stands out from being an Infinity Blade clone.

Even though everything in the title is very well done, there just isn't enough of it to justify the expensive price tag for this iPad and iPhone app.

If I take my Batman fanboy hat (with pointy ears) off for a moment and look at the game without thinking about the franchise, its main faults are quite clear; the combat system is basic, especially compared to Infinity Blade, and the length of the game is pretty short, but even without the Dark Knight's involvement, the game would be easy to recommend.

If you want a comparable experience to the console titles that you can carry around in your pocket, then you will probably end up disappointed in this effort. If you want a gorgeous looking Batman title filled with all sorts of nice fan service and simple combat that won't bust your brain with strategic depth, then Arkham City Lockdown delivers this really well.

Yes it's a little too easy, too short, and completely devoid of a story – but Batman Arkham City Lockdown is also a fast-paced, finger-swiping good time that looks stunning, keeps you hooked, and lets you be Batman. What more could you ask for in a video game?

Alas repetitive fighting holds this back. [March 2012, p.98]

Batman Arkham City Lockdown is a fun brawler, even if it borders on frustrating and shallow.

Batman: Arkham City Lockdown tries to capture the spirit of its maior version, but it only does at half.

Batman: Arkham City Lockdown is a high-quality game but could be much more.

There's a lot to like about Arkham City Lockdown, but there unfortunately isn't much to love. The game is a fun way to pass the time, but lacks the fantastic story that's made Rocksteady's Arkham games so notable on consoles.

It has some gameplay flaws, but the fans will still have fun with some more bat-action.

Batman: Arkham City Lockdown adds its own spin to the Infinity Blade-styled action game and packs a meaty punch with its presentation, but it never quite takes flight.

Batman: Arkham City Lockdown feels like a missed opportunity: it's merely an Infinity Blade clone, stripped down of many of the elements which made that game such a huge success.

Not a very convincing game. It is always attractive to become Batman in a videogame, and it is quite a good adaptation, but its gameplay falls limited and repetitive soon.

Batman: Arkham City Lockdown tries to capture the spirit of its triple-A counterpart, but it only succeeds on a superficial level. At six dollars, the game's short length and repetitive gameplay will be palatable only to the most obsessed members of the cape and cowl cult.

Fun for a while, but it really should be both longer and cheaper.

Batman Arkham City Lockdown is the dark side of Infinity Blade, and that's not cool as it could seem. It has an excellent presentation, thanks to the Unreal Engine, but that can't compensate for the lack of variety which the gameplay offers. We love Batman, but it deserves a bit more than this poor treatment, mainly because its price is quite high.

Batman Arkham City Lockdown is short, but fun, challenging and frantic on its first completion; unfortunately subsequent clears provide little motivation for doing so and ultimately it feels like too little, too late for iOS gamers interested in the Arkham franchise.

On paper, Lockdown was full of promise: excellent source material, a couple of original gameplay ideas, creators of the recent hit Mortal Kombat as developers. In other words, a ready-made kit for an "iOS killer app". But what did we get in the end? A weak quasi-prequel with two lines of a story that tries to rip off Infinity Blade left and right. And it fails even at that.

Batman Arkham City Lockdown tries to offer an Infinity Blade experience, with stunning graphics and addictive gameplay. Sad to say, the results are totally different: mechanics are poor, besides too few ideas repeated throughout the game. Definitely, a half faux pas in the Warner Bros Batman franchise.