Arkham City on PC...HARD MODE

Anomaly1964

Platinum Member
Nov 21, 2010
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Has anyone started this game in Hard Mode on PC? It is kicking my ass!

I can't even get past Two-Faces court room thugs!!!!!

Normal Mode seems WAY to easy but honestly, I can't do sh*t in Hard mode, any tips???

Thanks!
 

Clinkster

Senior member
Aug 5, 2009
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Yeah, normal's too easy. And that fight scene took me forever to complete.

You have to be good at counterattacking to avoid getting autogimped. Always be sure to cancel anything you do if you're getting attacked by any brutes. I did a lot of dodging and kiting so I could get the brutes dizzy, punch them until I can use them to destroy the masses. I got interrupted a lot, but that's what countering is for.

Oh, and be sure to pay close attention to the tracks. They'll tell you when the car/train/whatever (it's been a while) is coming by; crucial for avoiding damage AND knocking enemies down if you kite them effectively.
 

Anomaly1964

Platinum Member
Nov 21, 2010
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Yeah, normal's too easy. And that fight scene took me forever to complete.

You have to be good at counterattacking to avoid getting autogimped. Always be sure to cancel anything you do if you're getting attacked by any brutes. I did a lot of dodging and kiting so I could get the brutes dizzy, punch them until I can use them to destroy the masses. I got interrupted a lot, but that's what countering is for.

Oh, and be sure to pay close attention to the tracks. They'll tell you when the car/train/whatever (it's been a while) is coming by; crucial for avoiding damage AND knocking enemies down if you kite them effectively.

I'm only just inside the court house for the first time!

I keep jumping and countering but does countering do any damage to them?
 

Xcobra

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Oct 19, 2004
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I have yet to start playing it. Will get to it tonight. Will see how it goes.
 

fralexandr

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Apr 26, 2007
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from what i could remember of the game,
most of batman's punches seem to do either no damage, or almost none (i could understand some of those doing 1/3 or 1/2 the normal damage, but not like 1/100 or 0).
only certain hits in the combo will do anything significant

a lot of games seem to be doing that which seems silly and annoying :\ (i.e. assassin's creed revelations with the guards that take 3 crossbow bolts/knives/gun shots to the chest, or ~100 "evaded" stabs that still draw blood)
 
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nenforcer

Golden Member
Aug 26, 2008
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I haven't played HARD mode yet but I'm guessing they are putting quite a premium on the special combo moves in HARD mode to do any sort of damage.

They also take away the flashing "counter" indicator which does make it quite a bit more difficult.

You do the most damage when you build up large combo multipliers so if you don't get there it may take a while.
 

Anomaly1964

Platinum Member
Nov 21, 2010
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I can't even take down ONE guy in the court room, guess I'm gonna have to play NORMAL first then go back and play hard...
 

gothamhunter

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2010
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I can't even take down ONE guy in the court room, guess I'm gonna have to play NORMAL first then go back and play hard...

If you're going at it as a brawler, you will lose. Make sure you're stunning them, grappling back up to the gargoyles, get to them again, etc...
 

Anomaly1964

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Nov 21, 2010
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If you're going at it as a brawler, you will lose. Make sure you're stunning them, grappling back up to the gargoyles, get to them again, etc...

Tried this too...

Gotta make sure you stay out of Two Face's line of fire...

I NEVER play games on anything but HARD mode, this is pissing me off, LOL!
 

JamesV

Platinum Member
Jul 9, 2011
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I pretty much breezed through hard, except a couple of hiccups.

Using a 360 controller can be a huge help. I tried playing with the keyboard/mouse, but it's something like Shift+RMB for a takedown which was clunky. Went from 30-40 combos to 60+ when I switched to a controller. I know PC gamers hate what consoles have done to games, but in this case a controller is the better option.

The hardest thing on hard, is counterattacks, especially when 2-3 enemies need to be countered. It can be hard to watch those near Batman, and keep an eye on the battle as a whole (guys about to throw something far away, etc). So I tended to use the dodge/jump mechanic alot more than normal. Hit a guy 3 three times, dodge/jump over the head of a nearby enemy, hit or pull a move, dodge/jump, repeat. Once you get used to that, you can literally fight forever this way and keep your combo. Countering became much less used; dodge/jump took it's place.
 

Anomaly1964

Platinum Member
Nov 21, 2010
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I pretty much breezed through hard, except a couple of hiccups.

Using a 360 controller can be a huge help. I tried playing with the keyboard/mouse, but it's something like Shift+RMB for a takedown which was clunky. Went from 30-40 combos to 60+ when I switched to a controller. I know PC gamers hate what consoles have done to games, but in this case a controller is the better option.

The hardest thing on hard, is counterattacks, especially when 2-3 enemies need to be countered. It can be hard to watch those near Batman, and keep an eye on the battle as a whole (guys about to throw something far away, etc). So I tended to use the dodge/jump mechanic alot more than normal. Hit a guy 3 three times, dodge/jump over the head of a nearby enemy, hit or pull a move, dodge/jump, repeat. Once you get used to that, you can literally fight forever this way and keep your combo. Countering became much less used; dodge/jump took it's place.

Good tips...thanks!
 

Anomaly1964

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Nov 21, 2010
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HECK YEAH!

I finally beat it and got to upgrade my suit too, should help, after the Joker now!
 

power_hour

Senior member
Oct 16, 2010
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Started a new game on hard mode. Play as Catwoman(???) and I can't even clear the room. Man I suck...lol
 

Xcobra

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Oct 19, 2004
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I have played about 5 hours into it or so (well mostly wasting my time gliding through he city). What a great game. I am loving it so far including the story.

If you had trouble on courtroom, it may get a bit more annoying for you later on (more enemies with guns, etc.). Courtroom is definitely easy if you compare.
 

VulgarDisplay

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2009
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Maybe it was just time flying because I was having fun, but I swear Arkham City seemed like a really short game.
 

Xcobra

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Oct 19, 2004
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Maybe it was just time flying because I was having fun, but I swear Arkham City seemed like a really short game.

I think I agree with you. But that's only if you look at the main story. I think the side missions (not to mention the Riddler challenges!) add a bit of content/challenge to it. I think it was ok overall.
 

Clinkster

Senior member
Aug 5, 2009
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Oh sorry I misunderstood you.

In this game you can counterattack when multiple enemies strike. Just rapidly hit counterattack for the number of people who attack you (so if 3 go to strike, hit counterattack 3 times) and watch the rape.

Get accustomed to using gadgets too, quick boomerangs are easy stuns.
 

Laminator

Senior member
Jan 31, 2007
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They also take away the flashing "counter" indicator which does make it quite a bit more difficult.

Actually, I believe the counter indicators are still present in hard mode; they're removed for New Game Plus (which is easier, in my opinion, as you start off with all of your gadgets/abilities).

I've played through Arkham Asylum and Arkham City a few times with a mouse and keyboard and I've found them both to be quite easy yet incredibly satisfying. The key is to know the mechanics of the combat system. I recommend reading the "Combat Mechanics" guides by abaddononion2 on GameFaqs:

Arkham Asylum: http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/952339-batman-arkham-asylum/faqs/57661
Arkham City: http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/982135-batman-arkham-city/faqs/63221

It's also very helpful to watch good players complete some of the Challenge maps on YouTube so that you can emulate them in your own battles:

Arkham Asylum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_l0T6i5Pm4
Arkham City: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEVSjqGfBFQ

Keep Batman flowing from enemy to enemy using evades or Freeflow/Critical strikes. Target enemies by looking at them with the mouse even as Batman is completing his previous move. Use gadgets for crowd-control. When in doubt, evade over an enemy (although beware of accidentally initiating an aerial attack). Merely avoiding button-mashing to chain together critical strikes isn't quite good enough; you want to adopt the correct rhythm for your attacks. Initiate the next strike too quickly, and you'll jump straight into an enemy's attack. Attack too slowly, and you'll be struck from behind (and/or you'll lose your combination). Once you get the timing down and are aware of all the appropriate counter-moves for the various enemy attacks, you won't get hit unless you screw up. The titans do make things a bit harder; you'll have to be aware of their locations and evade at the right time.

After you've internalized how the enemies attack, how Batman moves, how combinations are started and retained, how to use your gadgets as part of your combination, etc., the fighting becomes trivial. Fighting 10 enemies becomes the same as fighting 100 enemies. In fact, you'll want the thugs to be tougher/more numerous because then you can beat more points out of them.

That's right: when you have mastered the combat system - when you have truly become Batman - you will realize that the enemies are not actually hardened, muscle-bound criminals that threaten to bash your head in with crowbars or riddle you with holes from an assault rifle. They're not even warm-ups or speed bumps on your way to saving Arkham City from Gotham's most powerful supervillains. They are, in fact, point dispensers. You hit them, and points come out. And the more points Batman gets, the happier Batman becomes.

Arkham City may be a hellhole for most, but for Bruce Wayne, it's heaven. It's his own goddamned private playground, built and paid for by the citizens of Gotham. Let him live his dream by beating the crap out of lowlife thugs as often as you can.
 
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bononos

Diamond Member
Aug 21, 2011
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Did anyone actually use the throw move in Asylum? I hardly used it and they removed it. Liked the new beatdown move in City.
How is normal mode for people who used to be good at games but are now old and slow?

Normal is very playable and I recommend it over easy. Haven't tried easy yet.