Gotham City Imposters: Beta Impressions

By Michael Shelton / February 3, 2012

If you haven't played the beta yet, perhaps you were like me when I first saw Gotham City Impostors and thought, "This is so stupid it's not even funny. Batman would never allow these ridiculous vigilantes to ruin his good name. Whether he's gone or not...he'd just appear out of nowhere to stop them." Yes, I'm a very devout Batman fan, and all that he stands for. Under a gravely voice I always heard Batman, "I don't kill." However, after spending some quality time with the beta I can safely say, that Batman would allow vigilante justice this time, it's too much fun. Right when you jump into the game, they offer an "initiation" game mode. This simply puts you in the hideout of the Batman vigilantes. What follows is an entertaining interaction between two of the members, which then has you using the different gadgets to familiarize yourself with the controls. What's most refreshing about the game is how much their is the focus on fun in creativity. I felt a vast amount of freedom in the amount of customization content which had me experimenting until I found a loadout I was comfortable playing and had fun with. The game allows you to play exactly how you want to without restricting you to a specific class. You're able to add mods to the guns, unlocking a new gun camo by completing various challenges. You'll find yourself changing your body type for different bonuses, such as being incredibly agile, but hindered by heavy weapons. You're even given the ability to customize your Fun Facts, granting you an extra boost in combat. You are free to create whatever character you will have the most fun with, and it's very liberating. The gadgets are one of the highlights of the game. Allowing for some very unique movement or concealment within the levels. There's a glider you can open near a vent which flings you high into the air. Get close enough to an enemy and dive-bomb on them for an instant kill if you get a direct hit. The graple is the most fun allowing you to grapple from multiple points while in mid-air, even letting you hold onto a certain point for a certain amount of time. In no time at all, I found myself zipping around the map quickly and efficiently, scoring a few memorable kills by landing on an enemy to hear the satisfying crunch of their neck. Gotham City Impostors is fun. It's pure fun, and the wait for the full game's release next week is going to be a long one. Hopefully, with full access to the entire game we'll all be impostors in Gotham.