Batman: Arkham City
I may be remembering incorrectly but while Arkham Asylum had a distinct similarity to Metroid Prime, Arkham City feels more like a sandbox game – say GTA, since I don’t play that many of those. Instead of gradually revealing the world to you, Arkham city gives you access to most of the map and a good third of your abilities right off the bat, encouraging you to do what you find most interesting. Maybe Arkham Asylum was just as open and I just perceived it differently but there is a matter of preference at play – if you prefer to have all your toys immediately and explore on your own terms or if you’d rather discover the world one piece at a time.
In terms of the parts not related to exploration, the games share some things I did and did not like. Taking out enemies from the shadows is as rewarding as ever, fighting them head-on without anywhere to hide is still annoying and although you can use most of your abilities in combat they feel kind of useless and are still mostly lock/key mechanics. Aesthetically Arkham City is prettier than Arkham Asylum, albeit a bit cluttered at times.
… This same-ness is the problem with the game in a way, the only big change from Arkham Asylum is the more open world and it mostly just affects the pacing – the game feels a bit different, but not really better. I liked both of the games but with all the hidden stuff I did not bother finding everything, so in a way there is a lot more game left for me to play. I get a sneaking feeling that hunting the last collectibles in Arkham Asylum would have been a very similar experience to playing Arkham City.