Cosplaying is fun, right? You get the chance to pretend to be your favourite fictional character, but what happens when you take a bunch of cosplayers who are just a little too enthusiastic, give them some guns and drop them in Gotham City? You get Gotham City Imposters.
The game is about a group of fanatical fanboys/fangirls who idolise both Batman and The Joker. There is some sort of plot, but really it’s just there to tell you why you’re shooting people in the face.
They want to be just like these their heroes; either causing chaos as the Jokerz, or delivering old school justice as the Bats. The problem is they don’t have the same amount of money and gadgets as Batman does, so take a less “noble” approach to justice.
Instead of resorting to fancy batarangs and awesome tech, they are stuck with makeshift guns and explosives… well, whatever gets the job done. The plot is nice and simple, but the humour is really good. When you watch the opening cut scene, you’ll see what I mean.
The game is essentially an online First Person Shooter. You take part in 6v6 matches with different rules. There is the usual team death match modes , but you also have matches which can involve activating a propaganda machine to confuse the enemy, or even releasing a deadly gas into the area, killing the other team. For an arcade game, it has an adequate amount of game modes, so you won’t get bored straight away.
During play, you get the option to choose a character based on your own play style. You can customise your player with options including body type, guns, gadgets, support items, and even how you traverse the level. So you can be a skinny medic, rollerblading towards your teammates and healing them with the Motivator (a megaphone… no really). Or a bulky tank; marching on the front lines, absorbing bullets as you deliver your own branch of urban justice.
This sort of customisation gives a lot of opportunity for teamwork, which I rarely see in online games nowadays. I normally just see every player charging headfirst into a hail of bullets, Leeroy Jenkins style. That loses its appeal very quick.
Despite a few server issues when playing, I had a lot of fun in this game. It has a quick, pick up and play feel to it. No complicated controls or deep metaphors woven into the plot. Just pick up a gun and shoot anything that isn’t you. Causing chaos in Gotham City makes for a great break after coming home from the office/store/restaurant/place of work.
Developer: Monolith
Price: 1200 MS Points (£10.20 / $15) / PS Network $15
Platforms: Xbox live Arcade and PS3
For more info visit
www.gothamcityimpostors.com