5 best games like Batman: Arkham City 

The Batman Arkham series was a pleasant surprise to fans of the superhero genre, and a hit among the gaming community. When news broke of a relatively new studio, Rocksteady, working on a Batman video game, expectations weren't necessarily high.

However, Batman: Arkham Asylum turned out to be not just a great game, but also one of the best of the year, period. The sequel, Batman: Arkham City, then improved on virtually every aspect of the original and delivered one of the best games of the last decade.

Players instantly fell in love with the game's intuitive combat system and the vibrant open-world of Arkham City. The combat system would be hugely influential, and a lot of games adopted it, as it was deeply satisfying and responsive.

There are some games players might enjoy if they happen to like Batman: Arkham City, and we take a look at some such offerings.

5 best games like Batman: Arkham City

---

5) Marvel's Spider-Man

Perhaps the most apparent game most akin to the superhero-driven experience is Marvel's Spider-Man. The game is an excellent open-world action/adventure that puts you in control of the webhead in what is perhaps one of the most enjoyable campaigns of the last decade.

Fans and critics praised the game's swinging mechanics, but the combat was also done excellently by Insomniac Games. Taking a similar approach to the Batman Arkham games' combat, Spider-Man delivers a similarly satisfying combat system.

---

4) Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War

Set in the Lord of the Rings universe, the Middle-Earth games, explicable, had a lot of expectations attached to them. And these titles were a pleasant surprise, as players did not expect the quality of games that they got to play.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor/War are two excellent open-world games with satisfying combat and exploration. These games' main strength lies in their ingenious Nemesis system, which creates personal conflicts within the ranks of the Orc army and the player. Meaning each battle with an enemy results in the player creating a ripple effect in the army.

---

3) Assassin's Creed: Syndicate

Perhaps one of the most underrated Assassin's Creed titles, and one that is often overlooked due to its timing, as the series' fatigue had begun to set in among players.

Similar to the Batman games, Syndicate also has a grappling hook that allows players to traverse the open-world with added verticality and speed. The combat system of the Assassin's Creed games have always been satisfying and incredibly cinematic.

---

2) Mad Max

The post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max perhaps lends itself the most to video gaming than any other movie property. Released on the heels of Mad Max: Fury Road, the game is a whole new story not adapted from any of the Mad Max movies.

It's approach to combat is two-fold: vehicular as well as ground. Both these systems are incredibly satisfying and rewarding, offering hours upon hours of replayability.

One of the most underrated games of the last decade, Mad Max is a perfect open-world adventure that deserves more attention.

---

1) Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs pays homage to the very best of Hong Kong action movies, and delivers a delightful undercover cop story. The game's combat is very martial-arts centric, and is perhaps the game's strongest aspect.

Its combat system is enjoyable from the first level, and doesn't lose steam throughout the game's considerable length. Sleeping Dogs is a game worth a revisit in 2020, and is one of the best open-world games with great combat from the last decade.