Newest Batman content is criminally short

Not even Batman could save this downloadable addition.

“GCPD Lockdown” is the most recent entry in the long list of post-release content for the fantastic “Batman: Arkham Knight.”

Players take the role of Batman’s sidekick, Nightwing, on a mission after the events of the main game to prevent the Penguin from escaping from the Gotham City Police Department.

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This is one of the better additions to the game. Unfortunately, this does not mean much because it continues the trend of being underwhelming and overpriced. Upon completion, a player will still feel as if they got swindled, even though the addition costs only $1.99. 

As far as gameplay is concerned, there is nothing knew. Nightwing plays exactly like Batman with fewer gadgets and abilities, making players feel limited.

Nightwing fighting thugs

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The biggest disappointment is the length — roughly 30 minutes of gameplay. This is abysmally short, and like previous downloadable entries it ends before the player feels any connection to the characters or plot.

Since it takes place after the main game, “GCPD Lockdown” has the advantage of filling in some story gaps, because “Batman: Arkham Knight” ended on a cliffhanger and drastically changes the Batman universe. However, only few story elements are mentioned, making the sequel-oriented selling point irrelevant.

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Gameplay has to make up for the lack of a decent storyline, but this content is more of the same. A player could get the same fulfillment from running around the main game’s open world, which would save money.

The entirety of the content consists of players fighting two small groups of bad guys, followed by a stealth section and ends with fighting a large group of bad guys. None of the main game’s great open world is present.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is proving their attempt to milk “Batman: Arkham Knight.” So far, everything released post-game has been a disappointment. The season pass, a service that provides a consumer all additional content for a flat price, which includes “GCPD Lockdown,” has not been worth the $39.99 at all.

Overall this content is quick and fun, but does not add anything to the experience. If a player owns the season pass they might as well try it, but otherwise don’t bother. I cannot recommend this to anyone unless they are the most diehard of Batman Arkham fans.

“GCPD Lockdown” is a blemish on the otherwise stellar “Batman: Arkham Knight.”

Score 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Grant Meyer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @GrantMeyerDE.

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